Scripture
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 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: “ ‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’ ” Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him.” After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way.
Jesus is the King of Glory and one true Mediator between God and Men.
Devotional
You cannot tell the story of Christmas without talking about the Wise Men from the east. These Wise Men came from a pagan nation far away to give their gifts and glory to Christ and in the Wise Men we see the glory of Christ the King.
Now, contrary to popular belief, there were not just three Wise Men, but a great caravan of Wise Men seeking Christ the King so that the whole city was troubled and stirred up by them (v. 3) foreshadowing the great multitude of the nations that would come to bring glory to Christ. And when the Wise Men got to Jerusalem they asked, “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.” That Christ’s birth was marked by star for far off pagan nations is significant for several reasons. The Wise Men were Magi… Star-Gazers… and God, in His grace, put this star where the nations would see it in order to proclaim the birth of Christ and draw the nations to Himself. The star also points to Christ as the Light of the Nations (cf. Isaiah 49:6, 42:6-7). Jesus said “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12). With the birth of Christ the light of salvation had dawned (cf. Matthew 4:16).
And after searching the Scriptures, the Wise Men were told that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem, in the city of David (v. 5). This was prophesied in the book of Micah where God promised to send a New and Better David; a Shepherd-King who would reign as King of kings and deliver His people from all their sins. In the prophecy in Micah 5:4–5 God promised “And he shall stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. And they shall dwell secure, for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth. And he shall be their peace.” Life, blessing, and salvation. Did not Jesus say “I am the Good Shepherd? Come to me all who are heavy laden, and I will give you rest?” (John 10:11, Matthew 11:28).
After being told where to go, the Magi went to find Jesus and when they found Him, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh (Matthew 2:11). They brought Him the best they had to give. Tens of thousands of dollars worth of gifts for the King of Glory. All the glory they had to give; gold, frankincense, and myrrh and they fell down and worshiped Him. Now Calvin was probably right to say any speculation about the gifts themselves go beyond the knowledge or intention of the Wise Men.* However the gifts themselves, when taken in with their significance in the rest of Scripture, speaks to the glory of Christ as our Prophet, Priest, and King and the One True Mediator between God and Men.
Gold is obviously a kingly gift. When the Queen of Sheba came to Solomon she brought him much gold pointing to how all the nations one day would bring their glory to Christ, the greater Solomon foreshadowed here in the Wise Men. (1 Kings 10:1-13, Psalm 72:15, Isaiah 60:6). It’s also interesting that Solomon’s Temple was covered in gold just as Jesus is the True Temple where God dwells with us and we draw near to God (1 Kings 6:21-35).
Frankincense was well known in the ancient world for it medicinal and healing properties. As Prophet Christ came preaching peace and healing to the nations (Zechariah 9:10, Revelation 22:2).
And Myrrh was used in the book of Exodus to anoint priests and consecrate them make them ready for service before the Lord (Exodus 30:22-33). Perhaps it is no coincidence that when Jesus was crucified they offered Him wine mixed with myrrh to drink and prepared His body for burial with a mixture of myrrh and aloes where, like myrrh, Christ offered up His life as “a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God” (Mark 15:23, John 19:39, Ephesians 5:2). He is our Great High Priest who offered His life as a sacrifice for our sin and intercedes on our behalf as the priests of old, but better than the Old Covenant Priests, “He holds His priesthood permanently because He lives forever and is [therefore] able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through Him” (Hebrews 7:24-25).
Frankincense, myrrh, and gold… Prophet, Priest and King. The King of Glory who is worthy of all our praise, love, and adoration and One True Mediator between God and Men (1 Timothy 2:5).
When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him.
*John Calvin and William Pringle, Commentary on a Harmony of the Evangelists Matthew, Mark, and Luke, vol. 1 (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2010), 137–138.
Outline - Points to Hit in Family Worship
BIG IDEA: Jesus is the King of Glory and one true Mediator between God and Men.
Matthew 2:2 “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.”
Jesus is the Light of the World (John 8:12) who opens blind eyes, brings the prisoners out from the dungeon and delivers us from the shadow of death and gives us eternal life (Isaiah 42:6-7, Matthew 4:16).
Micah 5:2, 4–5 But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days… And he shall stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. And they shall dwell secure, for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth. And he shall be their peace.
Jesus is the promised Shepherd-King who like David would conquer all our enemies of Sin, Satan, and Death and give us rest and peace in eternal life.
Matthew 2:11 They offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh.
The Work of Christ as our Mediator - Prophet, Priest, and King
Frankincense = Prophet where Christ proclaims peace and healing to the nations
Myrrh = Priest where Christ is our Great High Priest who offered His life as a sacrifice for sin as “fragrant offering and sacrifice to God” (Ephesians 5:2).
Gold = King where Christ is the King of kings and Lord of lords who conquers all our enemies and gives us rest.
Matthew 2:10–11 When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him.
Our response to the King of Glory should be joyful adoration and praise offering all of our lives, the best we have to give, to Him.
Hymn
Lyrics - O Holy Night by Kings Kaleidoscope
Verse 1
O Holy Night
The stars are brightly shining
It is the night of our dear Saviors birth
Long lay the world
In sin and error pinning
'Til He appeared
And the soul felt its worth
Pre Chorus
A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices
For yonder breaks a new
And glorious morning
Chorus
Fall on your knees
O hear the angel voices
Refrain
O night divine
O night when Christ was born
O night divine
O night O night divine
Verse 2
Led by the light
Of Faith serenely beaming
With glowing hearts
By his cradle we stand
So led by light of a star sweetly gleaming
Here came the wise man
From orient land
Pre Chorus
The King of Kings lay thus in holy manger
In all our trials born to be our friend
Chorus
He knows our needs
To our weakness is no stranger
Refrain
Behold your King
Before Him lowly bend
Verse 3
Truly he taught us to love one another
His law is Love
And his gospel is Peace
Chains shall he break
For the slave is our brother
And in his name all oppression shall cease
Pre Chorus
Sweet hymns of Joy in grateful chorus raise we
Let all within us praise his holy name
Chorus
Christ is the Lord
O praise his name forever
Refrain
His power and glory
Ever more proclaim