Christmas Eve
Sunday, December 24, 2020
Matthew 2:1-11
“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, 2 saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.” 3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.
5 So they said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet: 6 ‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are not the least among the rulers of Judah; For out of you shall come a Ruler Who will shepherd My people Israel.’ ”
7 Then Herod, when he had secretly called the wise men, determined from them what time the star appeared. 8 And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the young Child, and when you have found Him, bring back word to me, that I may come and worship Him also.”
9 When they heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was. 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy.
11 And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.”
Notes
We’re also told by Matthew that the star apparently disappeared somewhere along their journey, forcing them to just keep moving in the direction where it had been; months after their initial departure they arrived at Jerusalem.
Once there, they begin asking around town, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews?”
Now, how did they know that the mysterious star had something to do with someone called “the king of the Jews?” Two possibilities: Being scientists of the scholarly type, they had read some of the writings of the Jewish prophets regarding the coming of Messiah. Or secondly, they had encountered some Jewish travelers on their journey and, pointing to the star, had been told by them of a coming King of the Jews, which was very much a widespread anticipation of that day.
Notes
Soon, a very wicked, insecure, and paranoid man, King Herod, here’s about them and wants to know about this “king.” He’s threatened by anyone that would be called a king and maybe overthrow him. His wise men turn to the Hebrew Scriptures and land on Micah 5:2, which says the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem, not far from Jerusalem. He sends the wise men there, instructing them to return and tell him where the baby was.
As soon as the wise men depart, “Behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was.”
The Greek word for “Child” here means “little boy,” and most commentators believe Jesus was around 2 years old by now.
Notes
So what is the message of the star?
It was supernatural, sent by God as a sign that the Messiah born in Bethlehem came, not just for the Jew, but for the whole world, represented by the Persian wise men. Normal stars are fixed, they don’t come and go, appear and disappear, and they don’t glide from Jerusalem to Bethlehem, and come to hover over one particular house!
A mysterious star led the wise men to Jesus, but we have something better—the gospel of Jesus Christ, clearly spoken, written, and preached—“God so loved the world…”