We all know the story of the wise men. They came from the East, following a star, to worship at the feet of the newborn king of the Jews. Along the way to Bethlehem, they stopped by Jerusalem for directions. Interestingly the people who told them to go to Bethlehem to find the baby knew that the Messiah would be born there. If that was the case, though, why weren’t they already there themselves watching and waiting for His arrival? That’s the question we are exploring today as we continue our Advent series, When Heaven Met Earth. Let’s dive in together.

Taking Him at His Word

There is a difference between taking something seriously and taking it literally. Now, sometimes there’s not much of a difference. If I were to give you an instruction like, “Stand up and walk up here on stage,” you could take me both seriously and literally by getting up and joining me up here on stage. On the other hand, if I were to tell you that I want you to do something for me, and to have it done for me yesterday, taking me literally would be impossible. Unless you happen to have a time machine handy, doing something that I asked you for today, yesterday is physically—not to mention temporally—impossible. But you could take me very seriously, understanding me to indicate that I want you to do it for me as quickly as you possibly can. That’s what I was really expressing anyway. I never meant to be taken literally when I said it. That would have been silly.

This ability to distinguish between when something is to be taken literally versus seriously isn’t just a generally valuable life skill. It is an essential piece of discernment to have when we approach the Scriptures. For instance, there are all kinds of expressions in Psalms that are meant by the author to be taken seriously, but not literally. The psalms are all sacred songs—that is, poems. Well, poetry is filled with a whole variety of different kinds of figurative language. Figurative language is an inherently non-literal way to express something. The psalmist will occasionally, for example, refer to the “four corners of the earth.” This does not mean that he believes the earth to be flat, or that the Scriptures lend support to the flat-earth community. He’s figuratively talking about the whole world.

Figurative language like this, though, is hardly limited to the psalms. We find it all over the Scriptures. It is tucked away in pretty much every genre. When Jesus tells us to gouge out our eye or cut off our hand in order to avoid the temptation to sin, He was emphatically not actually advocating for bodily mutilation or dismemberment as a means of self-control. But He did want us to understand just how serious of a problem sin is, and the kind extreme, figurative language He chose helps to express this more serious point. In Revelation, John’s vision of the end of the world, he uses all kinds of language that is not meant to be taken literally. If you were to try it, you would end up with some pretty wild—and almost certainly incorrect—interpretations. 

So, while God’s words are not always to be taken literally, they are always to be taken seriously. Not doing that can lead us into all sorts of trouble as we are going to see in the next part of our journey through the stories of Jesus’ birth in the Scriptures. 

This morning we are in the second part of our Advent teaching series, When Heaven Met Earth. All this month—with the exception of next week when you will not want to miss the adult choir’s Christmas cantata—we are taking a fresh look at the various stories of Jesus’ birth found in the Scriptures, and seeing what fresh wisdom we can glean with the Spirit’s help. We started last week in Matthew 1 where the detailed apostle tells us “the birth of Jesus Christ came about this way.” He just lays the story (from Joseph’s perspective) right in front of us. In a couple of weeks we will dive into Luke’s version of the same story, but from Mary’s perspective. We’ll look at one other version of the nativity story before we get there that you may not have even realized is in the Scriptures. It will give us a bit more…cosmic…perspective on the whole affair. 

As for this morning, today we are going to look at the rest of Matthew’s nativity story that carries us from Jesus’ actual birth to something pretty wild that happened a few months later when our Savior was a young toddler. In both Luke’s Gospel and right here in Matthew, the actual birth of Jesus is remarkably understated, which is pretty surprising if you think about it. I mean, this was the entrance into the world of the God who created the world. Surely the authors could have added a little more fanfare to the story. Certainly the various Greek myths of gods being born are more fantastical in their presentation. But when it comes to the birth of the Savior of the world, Luke and Matthew both are like, “Yeah, yeah, a baby was born. Everybody knows how that happens. But let me tell you about this other thing that happened!” Luke’s “other thing” has to do with some shepherds and an angelic chorus. If you have your copy of the Scriptures handy, join me in Matthew 2, and we’ll take a look at Matthew’s other thing. 

The apostle writes this: “After Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of King Herod, wise men from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, ‘Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star at its rising and have come to worship him.’ When King Herod heard this, he was deeply disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him.” 

Many of you are perhaps familiar with these words, but a bit of cultural context helps us make a bit more sense out of them. The King Herod Matthew mentions here is known to us from history as Herod the Great. He did not earn that appellation because of his sterling character, but rather from his many and massive building projects, and also the incredibly tight grip he had on power during his reign, and even after he died. Herod’s most notable building project was a massive renovation and expansion of the temple in Jerusalem. The remnants of this project form what is today known as the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem. On the character side of things, Herod was a paranoid tyrant who always suspected that everyone around him was out to steal his throne. He had a wife and more than one child put to death due to this paranoia. His temper was fierce, and his jealous rage burned white hot. If he was concerned about a challenger to his power and authority, all of Jerusalem would have indeed been disturbed with him as Matthew writes. The Jews there all no doubt feared he would turn his rage on them in exceedingly violent fashion. 

As for the wise men or magi as they are sometimes called, we don’t actually know a whole lot about them. We think they were probably Persian astrologers from somewhere near Babylon, a multiple months’ journey to the east. They were probably not Jewish, but they were at least familiar with and appreciative of Jewish beliefs, and especially Jewish scriptures. In spite of the song, we do not know how many of them there were. They were likely very wealthy—the gifts they gave Jesus were expensive, and funding a trip like this would have been expensive too. Beyond this, though, we don’t know much. What star or otherwise heavenly body they saw we don’t know. Why they connected this star with the birth of the Jewish Messiah we don’t know. The only thing we really know is that they took God’s word incredibly seriously; so seriously in fact that they put just about everything on the line to adjust their lives in light of what they understood it to mean. 

Herod would have certainly been familiar with the concept of the Messiah as he would have had at least a passing familiarity with the Jewish scriptures, but also because the cultural expectations and hopes for a Messiah to come and rescue them from Rome’s rule (meaning his rule) would have been an almost constant source of frustration for him politically. But ultimately, Herod didn’t have any idea where this Messiah would be born. Verse 4 now: “So he assembled all the chief priests and scribes of the people and asked them where the Messiah would be born. ‘In Bethlehem of Judea,’ they told him, ‘because this is what was written by the prophet: “And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah: Because out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.”’” 

Having gotten the information he needed, the paranoid and conniving ruler—who may not have said a word to the chief priests and scribes about the wise men’s being there asking about the Messiah’s having recently been born—called the wise men into a secret meeting. “Then Herod secretly summoned the wise men and asked them the exact time the star appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, ‘Go and search carefully for the child. When you find him, report back to me so that I too can go and worship him.’” 

Now, we know from the rest of the story about Herod’s nefarious intentions, but the wise men didn’t seem to have any idea. They were apparently clueless as to the political situation in Jerusalem or of Herod’s actual position on this apparent “King of the Jews” who had been born under his nose. So, “after hearing the king, they went on their way. And there it was—the star they had seen at its rising. It led them until it came and stopped above the place where the child was.” 

The language Matthew uses here seems to suggest they lost sight of the star when they went to Jerusalem. It’s almost like when they started operating based on what they knew—namely, that if you are seeking a king, you should naturally go to the palace—rather than continuing to follow the signs God had been giving them which apparently did not lead them that direction, they couldn’t see the signs God was leaving for them. As soon as they got back on track with His directions, though, they could see them again. There’s probably a lesson in there that we’ll have to come back to another time. For now, “when they saw the star, they were overwhelmed with joy. Entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and falling to their knees, they worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.” 

Even though the star they were following was likely only visible at night, we can safely assume they did not come barging into Mary and Joseph’s house in the middle of the night. The fact that they lived in a house now, and were no longer holed up in a stable suggests a sense of permanence. They didn’t plan to go back to Nazareth where they were both from. From what we know about their tumultuous, scandal-ridden engagement, they probably did not want to go back to the relational and social chaos that waited for them there. They would have to go back eventually, but not yet. In any event, instead of coming at night, the wise men likely waited until the next day. They seem to have arrived when Joseph was at work given his conspicuous absence from the story at this point. They were really there for Jesus, though, so they worshiped Him with joyfulness and gave Him their gifts.

We don’t know how long they stayed, but eventually it came time to leave. This, though, is where things get really interesting. Matthew reveals that like Joseph had once before (and will yet have again), the wise men had a dream. We don’t know if just one of them had it, or if all of them did, or something in between. And while we assume God is the one who sent them the message, Matthew doesn’t explicitly tell us that. Either way, it is the substance of the message that matters. That much was simple: Don’t go back to Herod. Verse 12: “And being warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their own country by another route.” 

At this point in the story, then, the level of action gets cranked up to eleven. “After they were gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, ‘Get up! Take the child and his mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you. For Herod is about to search for the child to kill him.’ So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night, and escaped to Egypt. He stayed there until Herod’s death, so that what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet might be fulfilled: ‘Out of Egypt I called my Son.’” 

For his part, Herod stayed true to character. When he realized the wise men weren’t coming back, he blew up like a volcano…and everyone paid for it. “Then Herod, when he realized that he had been outwitted by the wise men [which, given their title, isn’t really surprising], flew into a rage. He gave orders to massacre all the boys in and around Bethlehem who were two years old and under, in keeping with the time he had learned from the wise men.” And, yes, that had to have been every bit as horrible as we imagine it to be. History may call him “Great,” but this episode marks him as a monster. Anyone who willingly kills a bunch of babies doesn’t get to be called “Great.” Yet even this was something God knew was going to happen as Matthew finally points out, quoting from Jeremiah: “Then what was spoken through Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled: ‘A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping, and a great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children; and she refused to be consoled, because they are no more.’” 

Even in tragedy of the most unimaginable sort, though, God’s plans still roll forward. “After Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, saying, ‘Get up, take the child and his mother, and go to the land of Israel, because those who intended to kill the child are dead.’ So he got up, took the child and his mother, and entered the land of Israel. But when he heard that Archelaus [Herod’s son] was ruling over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. And being warned in a dream, he withdrew to the region of Galilee. Then he went and settled in a town called Nazareth to fulfill what was spoken through the prophets, that he would be called a Nazarene.” 

That, then, is the story. It’s one most of you were probably at least passingly familiar with. Like last week, though, what is there for us in a story that we know so well? Well, a number of things. We could talk about the unexpected faithfulness of the wise men. We could talk about the evil of Herod and how vigorously the world will oppose God’s plans. We could talk about the cost of following God’s plans. And those are all themes worth exploring. But there’s something else that caught my eye that I would like to share with you. Come back with me to the beginning of the story. 

After Herod heard the news about this so-called king of the Jews, what did he do? Look in v. 4: “So he assembled all the chief priests and scribes of the people and asked them where the Messiah would be born.” What’s going on here? Well, Herod had a question about Jewish theology and scriptures, so he called together the group of guys who were supposed to know more about it than anyone else in the land, and he asked them the question. “Guys, where is the Messiah to be born?” And what did they say in return? Without a moment’s hesitation, without even stopping to investigate the scriptures, they replied: “In Bethlehem of Judea.” Why there? Because that’s where the prophet Micah said the Messiah would be born. They even quote Herod the verse. 

Now, maybe this is all making more out of this than I should, but I haven’t been able to get past this since reading this story again over the last couple of weeks. These were the guys who were supposed to know more about God and His word than anybody else in the land. They were the ones who were supposed to be the most dedicated to following God’s word. They were supposed to be the most excited about seeing His word fulfilled in the land. And, when Herod asked them where the Messiah was to be born—that is, the person God had promised to send to restore Israel—them; their people—to glory once again, and whose coming the whole nation was waiting for with eager anticipation that had been growing exponentially stronger over the last couple of generations—they answered him immediately. They knew where the Messiah was to be born. Yet by all appearances, they weren’t doing anything about it. Why not? 

If they knew the Messiah was supposed to be born in Bethlehem, why do we not have any record of some kind of a Messiah-watch guard stationed in Bethlehem investigating the birth of every baby boy born there? Never did such a thing exist. Now, perhaps Herod didn’t tell them why he was asking where the Messiah was going to be born, but when the Roman king suddenly takes an interest in where the Jewish Messiah is to be born, you would think they would sit up and at least ponder the question: Should we look into this a little further? Yet we have no record of their doing anything in response to Herod’s request except to give him the answer to his query. Again, I can’t help but to ask: Why? 

Were they not really looking for the Messiah? Did they not really believe He was coming? Did they not want Him to come? Ultimately, we don’t know the answers to any of those questions, but I think we can at least say this much: They didn’t seem to take God’s word seriously. Of course, they would have fiercely protested such a characterization. There was no one who took God’s word more seriously than them in all the land. Perhaps, but if they knew where the Messiah was to be born, why weren’t they apparently doing anything about it? No, they didn’t take His word at least on this point seriously. And while we could guess at the reason for that, the fact of the matter is what really counts. In this case, their evidently not taking God’s word seriously nearly cost the infant Jesus (not to mention His parents) their lives. 

Not taking God’s word seriously, it seems, has a consequence to it. Perhaps it will not seem like a terribly significant consequence here and now—it certainly didn’t cost the chief priests and scribes anything personally—but maybe there will be a whole level of significance to that decision that we won’t see or experience, but which someone else most decidedly will. Ultimately, there will most assuredly be serious consequences for us later. Meanwhile, when the wise men did take God’s word seriously—even though they didn’t have any reason to do that culturally speaking—they met Jesus. They even played a key role in God’s plans to save His life from the murderous intent of Herod. 

Friends, what was true for the chief priests and scribes and wise men is true for us. We’ve got to take God’s word seriously. He means what He says. Don’t just let this be an abstract idea, though, because it’s never abstract in practice. Make this personal. Do you take God’s word seriously, or merely on your own terms? Do you receive it as wise and true and good from start to finish, as words from the mouth of the God who created the world and everything in it, and who is perfectly and totally sovereign over every part of His creation? And, by the way, just because you don’t perfectly understand every part of it doesn’t mean you can’t still endeavor to take the parts you do understand seriously. Or, do you treat God’s word as merely wise counsel to be used when needed, but easily ignored when inconvenient? 

We can take that second approach, but the results won’t be to our liking. The consequences of not taking God’s word seriously eventually do come to bear, and they won’t be pretty when they arrive. We can’t half-heartedly seek God’s kingdom and expect to receive the rewards of living in it. We can’t half-heartedly seek Jesus and expect to find Him. That’s what the chief priests and scribes did, and they missed out on Jesus entirely. When the wise men took His word seriously, though, they met Jesus. That’s still true for us. When we take God’s word seriously, we will meet Jesus. 

So then, just how seriously do you take God’s word? I’m sure you do pretty well on some parts of. Me too. The easy parts. But all of it? How are you doing with the less convenient parts? Do you forgive those who hurt you? Every single time? Do you love your enemies as well as your friends? Have you ever actually prayed for someone who meant you harm in some way? Do you really seek His kingdom and righteousness first, or is that typically an afterthought? When was the last time you truly denied yourself rather than just holding out for a while until it was more convenient or at least less risky to give in? Are you loving the least, last, and lost in your sphere of influence? Are you practicing genuinely sacrificial generosity, or just giving a little bit because that’s what you’re supposed to do? Are you really putting the needs of others ahead of your own? 

Our God had something to say about each and every one of those things and a whole lot more. They aren’t easy to take seriously. Doing that is costly. It is inconvenient. It may not always be physically safe. But each of those things lies on the path of Christ. Taking those things—taking all the things God said—seriously will put us on that path. And when we walk the path that Jesus walked, then Jesus we will meet. When we take God’s word seriously, we will meet Jesus. We will be a part of strengthening His body to do the work He has called His people to be doing. We will be a part of advancing His kingdom into our community and beyond. We will be marching in the direction of becoming fully who He made us to be. When we take God’s word seriously, we will meet Jesus. 

Heaven met earth to bring the virtues and values of God’s kingdom here so we can be blessed by them and bless others with them. When we take His word seriously, living like it is actually true, we will follow our Lord in unleashing those blessings through our lives and into the lives of the people around us. We will by that make sure that when heaven met earth, it wasn’t just for a moment, but to create a permanent point of contact that would create a pathway for us to enter into His kingdom once and for all through Jesus. When we take God’s word seriously, we will meet Jesus. Let’s meet Him together.