How many of us have done last minute Christmas shopping? How did that go? Crazy, hectic, annoying, frustrating, embarrassing?there is a Bible story that talks about last minute Christmas shopping, too. Do you know that? Actually, the main characters in the story went through the most stressful last minute Christmas shopping ever. No, no lines or people fighting with each other. There was something a little more stressful than that. Yes, there was life or death of a newborn baby, a crazy king, and gifts to be brought to the best Christmas celebration ever. Matthew 2:1- 12.
There are few things that intrigue me when I read this story in Matthew 2: 1 – 12. One is who are the Magi (Wise Men)? I mean, we see them all over every Christmas Eve but who are they? Well, there is not a lot that we know about The Wise Men (Magi). It is believed that they were part of the Zoroastrian priestly cast, meaning astrologers (Magicians). They were interested in extraordinary manifestations coming from the skies and were guided by them. They were not like King Herod, for example. The New Testament talks about lots of King Herods and they are all part of the same family. Yet, this one in Matthew 2 is Herod the Great whose descendants trace back to Abraham, Isaac, and Esau instead of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. What does that mean? Well, the Jews who were descendants from Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob didn’t consider King Herod the Great and his family as pure Jews. Nonetheless, Herod was somehow part of the Jewish tradition that was anxiously waiting for the Messiah to come. Well, at least in tradition. You see, the problem is King Herod was given the power and the title King of the Jews by the Roman Empire to exercise his kingship over the Jewish nation. Perhaps, King Herod was planning that one of his sons would inherit the title from him. Let’s put it this way, Herod was probably interested in the Christmas Celebration as long as the Messiah (the King of the Jews) didn’t interfere with his plans. He didn’t want God’s kingdom to interfere with his earthly kingdom. He wanted to follow the star but at a distance so,
“When Herod the King heard these things [what the wise men said], he was troubled…” (v. 3).
No, the Wise Men (Magi) were not like King Herod. They were not troubled by the extraordinary breaking into the ordinary. They were not troubled by God’s kingdom interfering with their earthly kingdom. Neither were they like the chief priests and scribes consulted by the troubled King Herod. Well, that is another irony of this last minute Christmas shopping story. The chief priests were part of the family of the high priests. In other words, they were very familiar with the prophecy (Micah 5:2) about a child (Messiah) to be born in Bethlehem. Moreover, the scribes were experts in religious law. Let’s put it this way, these were two groups of people with lots of knowledge about the extraordinary breaking into the ordinary. Or, should I say, they were very familiar with the best Christmas celebration ever. To the point that,
“They told him [King Herod], ‘In Bethlehem of Judea; for it is written by the prophet: ‘And you, O Bethlehem in the land of Judah, are not least among the ruling cities of Judah, for a ruler will come from you who will be the shepherds for my people Israel” (vv. 5-6).
Like King Herod, the scribes and chief priests were very knowledgeable about what was supposed to happen. Yet, their knowledge never fully took control of their hearts. The story does not say in detail how the chief priests and scribes responded to King Herod. But I can only imagine them trying to figure out if what the Wise men (Magi) said was logical, rational, and made sense. No, the Wise men (Magi) did not have a lot of knowledge about the law and prophecies. But they had a lot of knowledge about the sky (stars). Some hold that the Magi believed that a star could be the counterpart of a great man. They didn’t have a problem with God’s plans changing their plans. They didn’t try to rationally make a lot of sense out of that situation. The Wise Men (Magi) were students of the stars and were moved to follow it and worship,
“We saw his star as it rose, and we have come to worship him” (v. 2).
I want us to think of Christmas as a star that crosses the sky every year. In which category do we find ourselves? Are we in the category of King Herod? We might have heard of the Christmas star numerous times but we follow it at a distance? Do we want to celebrate the newborn King as long as His kingdom does not interfere with our earthly one? Or, are we in the category of the chief priests and scribes? I mean, do we know a lot about what is supposed to happen during the Christmas Celebration but all our rational knowledge is never transferred into our hearts? Or, are we in the category of the last minute Christmas shopping guys? Are we in the category of the Magi (Wise) who didn’t know a lot about the King who was born but enough to be moved to follow the star and worship?
Last minute Christmas shopping! What should they bring to the King of King and Lord of Lords? The story says,
“They entered the house and saw the child with his mother, Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasure chests and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh” (v. 11).
The story does not give details about why they brought gold, frankincense, and myrrh. The first answer could be that these were the best gifts that these guys — in last minute Christmas shopping — could get. Right? Or, perhaps, there is something more profound. Perhaps, the Wise Men (Magi), not fully understanding everything but moved to worship, gave to the newborn King things they treasured the most, as we often do. They opened their treasures and gave the newborn King gold. Why Gold? They gave the newborn King the power, fame, money, and everything that materialistically grabs our hearts. They opened their treasures and gave the newborn King frankincense. They gave Him the knowledge and wisdom we think we possess. The Wise Men (Magi) were humbled before the newborn King and recognized that they didn’t have it all together. So, they gave the newborn King myrrh. Why myrrh? One of the uses of myrrh is for embalming. It is for moments of sorrow. In many ways, they gave the King their emotions. They didn’t fully understand everything that was going on yet they gave the newborn King their everything.
Last minute Christmas shopping! Christmas is a star that crosses the sky of our lives every year pointing us to the newborn King. In which category do we find ourselves? King Herod who sees the Christmas Celebration as part of a tradition where we can go with the flow as long as it does not interfere with our plans (earthly kingdom). Do we find ourselves in the category of the scribes and chief priests? Lots of knowledge about the Christmas Celebration (religious rituals) but not much connection with our hearts. Or, do we find ourselves like the Wise Men (Magi)? In the category of those who don’t have it all together and don’t fully understand everything about King Jesus but are willing to bring and open our treasures before the newborn King. Perhaps, Christmas of 2009 is the Christmas for us to move from the category of those who follow the star at a distance into the category of those who bring our treasures (everything) to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords – Jesus Christ.
