You can't worship from afar - Matthew 2:1-12
This is a sermon by Abraham Overvoorde from the Riverside Church service on 5th January 2025.
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I wonder what you would do if you knew royalty was coming to town or a famous VIP was coming to your house for tea. Would you roll out the red carpet, maybe you’d get out the fine China. Would you go all out to make sure the house was tidy and the Michelle Roux recipe was cooking in the oven. In the Disney film Aladdin, Prince Ali came riding into town and it was like a celebration with singing, dancing and a whole caravan of people and animals leading the way to the palace where Ali’s wish was to impress princess Jasmin.
Well in our passage today we are seeing the arrival of some special VIPs, some Magi from the East, now I know that we are past Christmas, it is a New Year but this event didn’t actually happen straight after Jesus’s birth. We see that because the Magi enter a house, not a place where there was a manager, so it is possible when Jesus was a bit older, some have even suggested up to the age of 2. Yet despite it being a part of the Nativity, it is really relevant to us today as we start a New Year and make new commitments to continue following and worshiping Jesus as Lord.
The magi were originally a priestly group that flourished in the Persian Empire, some 500 years before the time of Christ. By the time of Christ, the term Magi was used for anyone who possessed some kind of secret knowledge or unnatural powers. In Acts 13, the word is translated sorcerer. But here, these Magi seem less like sorcerers and more like ancient astrologers, for we’re told that they knew the night sky well enough to know when a new star appeared. They certainly would have been men of high standing and possibly even seen as kings or rulers given the luxurious and expensive nature of their gifts which we’ll see later.
So these Magi arrived in Jerusalem, and it doesn’t tell us an exact number of these men there were, it just says there were three gifts so there could have been 3 men or more, and it probably wasn’t the arrival we see on Christmas card of the silhouettes of three men riding camels alone to the stable.
These men of high standing, were carrying valuable gifts and so it was very likely that they had some kind of entourage, servants, bodyguards, maybe even animals to eat or travel on. We know they were travelling from the East or the Orient. This would likely be modern day Iraq and Iran so their journey would have been over 1000 miles, if they did 30 miles a day which would have been fast but not inconceivable, while riding or walking. That would have taken 5 weeks, yet they probably went at a more leisurely pace so it could have been anywhere between say 5-10 weeks travel time. You’re going to need, food, water, tents, so it probably wasn’t a just 3 men on camels.
Yet what we can see is that these men were seeking, something special, that is why when they arrived, we don’t hear about them arriving and the red carpet being rolled out or singing and dancing in the streets, it is quite the contrast to Prince Ali or a member of the Royal family coming into town. We just hear this question,
“Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”
These travellers expected everyone to know where this child was, remember all of Israel was waiting for this king, this promised Messiah, they were probably a bit surprised when no one knew. The Magi worshipped the stars and the gods they represented, so it was fitting for them to travel to worship this new king. We don’t know how they knew or how it was revealed about this King of the Jews but we can only assume that God’s hand was on these men. Given their description it suggests that as they travelled, they weren’t believers and they were living in darkness but God was guiding them towards a great light, seeking this new king, the on that was prophesied in Micah 6.
“‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for out of you will come a ruler
who will shepherd my people Israel.’”
So where is this king, this ruler that they seek, well King Herod doesn’t know. The supposed ruler of Israel clearly knows a little bit of scripture because he relates the Magi’s search for the King of the Jews to the Messiah. But he doesn’t know enough, so he calls for the chief priests and teacher of the law to come and tell him where the child is.
Once he’s sought council, he sends the Magi to go and search high and low for the child, why? Because he wants to worship him! Great, except what you need to know about Herod is this. He’s not actually a king, he’s only given a royal title as a bit of a nod to his support for the Roman Empire. He’s a Roman client king. Yes he’s in charge of a territory but it’s almost a self-proclaimed title. As a king he is portrayed as a tyrant who is willing to kill anyone who gets in the way of his rule or his form of morality, we see that later in the chapter as he orderes John the Baptist to be killed at the request of his daughter in law and also as he orders the massacre of all boys two and under to get rid of this potential challenge to his “throne”.
So whereas these Magi have come to seek and worship, Herod’s only desire is to kill, two contrasting reactions to that scripture from Micah. Maybe if these Magi were kings, it’s why they’ve not been referred to as such by the author, lest it taint them in the same light as Herod himself. You see both the Magi and Herod were living in darkness; however God was supernaturally revealing himself to the Magi as they drew closer to the true light, the Morning Star, the Light of the World.
I wonder how far we are prepared to go for Jesus in our lives, no matter the time or cost? What things in our lives, over this last year have taken our time? What are those things that you have spent most money on.
I got a notification pop up on my bank app a week or so ago and it reviewed my year of spending and income etc. It was pretty sobering to see when it revealed where we spent most of our money and how much we spent on eating out or leisure or entertainment. I’m not saying any of these purchases in isolation are wrong, I’m just saying that where we give our time and money too reveals where are our hearts are. My first thought was, if I hadn’t spent that on adding to my comfort, could that have been used for the glory of God in supporting the church or fellow believers.
It's incredible, that these men have walked away from their lives, given up their homes, maybe their families, their people, their comfort and their wealth as they have travelled all this way and over all period of time to come and worship this new king.
It’s so easy to be tempted to stay in our own little bubbles or our homes and like Herod did and only live a life of worship when it suits us or doesn’t affect our status. We must come to Jesus, being prepared to give our all as we come in faith to him day by day.
Is there anything in your lives that can get in the way of a life worship, is it distance, how far we have to travel? Is it how much it costs us? Money, time, effort. What about tiredness, family commitments, or our sports teams? The Magi, despite being in darkness, got it! They were travelling towards the glorious light, it's incredible, that these men have walked away from their lives, given up their homes, their families, their people, their comfort and their wealth as they have travelled all this way and over all period of time to come and worship this new king.
What might 2025 look like for you as you grow in a deeper love and commitment to Jesus and to his people. What are you prepared to do to ensure your whole life is a life filled with worship?
So our Magi go off to Bethlehem following the star. This is not a comet or some big universe event, it is a supernatural star which leads these men right to the house where Jesus is. They are delighted, the passage says, that on seeing the star, they were overjoyed as they knew that this star was leading them to the Messiah.
God is drawing them and leading them, as they were looking in the wrong direction as they gazed up at this star, and all the while God was gripping them and drawing them by his grace into the glorious light of Jesus Christ the Messiah.
You see God can grip the hearts of even the most academic, he can change the lives of those who seem furthest away, he can redeem people whose gaze is fixed on other things, because our God is the wonderful redeemer and he is calling people by his effectual calling, restoring people by his amazing grace. Is he drawing you today?
Are you here and you don’t know Jesus the Messiah? Come to him, come in joy knowing that no matter what you have done, he will forgive you and give you new life in him. This child who’s birth we celebrate at Christmas time is Immanuel, God with us, he grew up and became the perfect sacrificial Lamb who was able to take our sin and give us his righteousness. Because of this sacrifice, you can life for him and you can have the wonderful hope of eternal life in heaven.
What a delight to know Jesus as Saviour, so let me ask you Christian, when the last time you were overjoyed? What that was about, because I can guess for most if not all of us, it probably wasn’t the excitement of getting to meet the Messiah at church on a Sunday morning, or meeting with the redeemed family of God to worship Him together.
I love church and reading my Bible but how often am I delighted and overjoyed to come, how often does my heart pour out with excitement for meeting with the Messiah, Christ Jesus the Lord?
It’s normally Lauren that picks the girls up from school but I get the occasional delight of seeing Emily and Charlotte with a massive smile on their face as they come running out of their classrooms giving me a big hug. It is lovey to see them overflowing with joy in that moment.
Imagine if as a people, we were like that, overjoyed and expectant knowing that we get to meet with the Lord Jesus and his Royal priesthood, his family. I wonder what a difference that would make to us as the family of God, how much more would we be able to encourage one another, imagine if our conversations flowed out with Jesus rather than the weather or our successes, if our prayer meetings were full because we were overjoyed to meet with God, what if we opened up our lives to one another and lived as true brothers and sisters in the family of God, giving of our time and our efforts because of our love for one another.
Well the Magi arrive at the house and they enter seeing Jesus with his mother Mary, their response on finally seeing the King of the Jews, the Messiah, caused the Magi to finally repositioned their gaze, it is not longer at the star leading them to this king, but it is finally on the one who the prophesies spoke, the one who they now know is worthy of worship, the one will save them.
These Magi of high standing, with all their majesty and grandeur bow down and worship Jesus. Wow. They have gone from darkness and afar, now they are in the very presence of God and his glorious light, and they know it. God has been drawing and he has finally brought them to the place where they can bow. Remember, we didn’t hear that they bowed to Herod, the supposed king but they are bowing to this child, the one who has been revealed to them as the true king the one who will save all those who kneel before him in faith.
In the Lord of the Rings, Return of the King, there is a scene at the end of the film, The four Hobbits who started on the journey of rescuing Middle Earth come before Aragon, the king of Gondor and bow down to him as is right. Aragon says to them stand up my friends for you bow to no one, to which Aragon himself bows down to them because of what they have achieved and their status and worth, and everyone else follows his example.
You see Jesus came down to this world, and he came as the Messiah, born as a baby, the one who would save the world from sin and death. He did not need to stoop so low, and yet he humbly came to die on a cross and save his people from their sin.
This is what the Magi recognise, they see the majesty of the Christ, the one who will rule, as the Messiah. Their response is to bow and worship, knowing that despite their high standing, wealth and status, the one they are in the presence of is far greater and more magnificent than them, he is the King who reigns over all kings. Yet he came in humility as a servant. Philippians 2 backs this us when it says:
rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross! Therefore, God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Finally, the Magi, opened their treasures, it was not just 3 single gifts, they brought their greatest gifts with them, they didn’t give of their surplus or things they did not need. It was out of their treasures. Gifts worthy of a king with immense worth.
I wonder how much we are willing to give to Jesus of our treasures, does our worship extend to our wallets? Every penny we have earned or being given is from God anyway, he has graciously provided for all our needs and in most situations more. So as we start this new year, let’s assess how much we are willing to give back to God to support his gospel work, remembering that everything we have, he has graciously given to us. Are we willing to give of our treasures or just of our leftovers?
Let me read this Tim Keller quote: “Every treasure on this earth says, ‘Give your life to purchase me.’ Jesus says ‘I’m the one treasure who died to purchase you’.”
Jesus is our treasure and he has given us everything. Let’s live for Jesus because he is worthy of our worship, he is worthy of our time, he is worthy of our praise. Let us be people who are overflowing with joy because of our great saviour who has drawn us out of the darkness into his glorious light.
Let me pray
You Can’t Worship from Afar – Matthew 2
Intro: How would we respond to royalty coming to visit?
- Living in Darkness (v1-8)
Magi -> Persian Priest and Astrologer? King?
- How they came and from where?
- At what cost?
- Who were they looking for but did they really know? (Micah 6)
Are you living in darkness?
How far are we prepared to go for Jesus and at what cost?
- Worshiping in the Light (v9-12)
- The Maji were seeking
- The star caused them to be overjoyed
- They bowed down and worshipped the Messiah (Return of the King – Hobbits)
- They gave him their treasures
“they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures”
What treasures are we willing to give back to God?
Tim Keller: “Every treasure on this earth says, ‘Give your life to purchase me.’ Jesus says ‘I’m the one treasure who died to purchase you’.”
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