Transcript

Matthew 2:1-5 · NOBA @ Noon

Canon Justin Murff: The Gospel of Matthew chapter two verse one through five. Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, in the days of Herod the King, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem saying, Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him. When Herod the King heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. And assembling all the chief priests and the scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. They told him in Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet. This is the gospel of the Lord. You see, the Magi have arrived in Jerusalem, these mysterious figures from the east, likely scholars from Persia or Babylon, modern day Iran or Iraq. They study the stars and they've traveled hundreds of miles following a celestial sign. Their question echoes through Herod's palace. Where is the one who has been born the king of the Jews? One problem though. The Jews already had a king. That was Herod. For Matthew's original audience, this scene carries some powerful irony here. These guests, these foreign outside Gentile astrologers were seeking to Not just any king, but Israel's Messiah, while Israel's own king, Herod, is deeply troubled by the news. The foreigners recognize the significance of what has happened, and the Jewish ruler responds with fear and political calculation. For a moment, the insiders had become the outsiders, and the outsiders had become the seekers of truth. Notice Herod's response. He was troubled by And all Jerusalem with him. This wasn't just a spiritual concern, but political anxiety was brewing. There was trouble in the air. Herod was a notoriously paranoid ruler who had already murdered his own family members who he perceived as threats to his rule and reign. So news of a rival king of the Jews was exactly the kind of threat that triggered his worst instincts, and Jerusalem's establishment knew it, and they trembled alongside him. They had too much invested in the current order to welcome any political disruption now. When Herod gathers the chief priests and scribes to inquire about the Messiah's birthplace, they answer immediately and correctly recalling the words of the prophet Micah, Bethlehem. These religious leaders knew their scriptures. They could quote chapter and verse about the coming Messiah, yet this head knowledge hadn't connected quite to their heart. They provided the information to But notice in the text they showed no desire to go with the magi and to join in their search. What a sobering picture for Matthew's readers then and for us today. The religious professionals of Jesus' day possessed all the right information, but they missed the reality of what was unfolding before their very eyes in their own backyard. Matthew here is establishing these themes that will reoccur throughout his gospel. Religious knowledge without spiritual responsiveness leads to spiritual blindness. Those we might consider the most unlikely of candidates for faith, Gentiles, sinners, outsiders, as we will see, often respond to Jesus with the greatest openness, being far more open than those who quite frankly should have known better. So how does this ancient scene speak to us today? It challenges us to examine the relationship between our biblical knowledge and And our spiritual response? Sure, we could quote scripture, maybe even articulate theology or explain doctrine, but does our head knowledge make this great journey from our head to our heart? Does our knowledge of Jesus move us to worship the Lord? Does it send us on journeys of seeking and discovery, or does it leave us comfortable in our own religious routines? Do we know Jesus in our head, but maybe we've been missing him in our hearts? The Magi's example calls us to enter into an active pursuit of Christ. They didn't merely acknowledge an interesting celestial phenomenon. No, they packed up, they set out, and they followed it. Their knowledge demanded a response. True encounters with the truth of Christ should move us to action, to journeys of faith that bring us face to face with the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. This passage also warns us against the dangers of religious professionalism. The scribes and chief Pharisees had compromised their living faith and had turned it into an academic exercise. They taught about the Messiah without longing for his coming. We face the same temptation whenever our faith becomes more about the information in our head and turning the gospel to meet our own needs and our own wants. Rather than allowing the gospel of Christ to transform our hearts and lives into the image that Christ truly calls us to be. So today, ask yourself: Am I more like the Magi or the scribes? Does my knowledge of Christ lead me to seek Him more? Friends, that star still shines, and it invites all of us to journey towards the King.