December 22, 1999
FAMILY BIBLE STURY:
The wise men looked to
creation to find Creator
___Matthew 2:1-23
___By Stacy Conner
___First Baptist Church, Muleshoe
___Now, let's get this story straight. Three men (or a group of men) followed a star from east to west, found Jesus, gave him expensive gifts and worshiped him as the newly born king?
___If you were to put those four items in a journalistic story in our day, most mainstream people would consider these three men to be seriously and spiritually misguided. The backgrounds and perspectives of these travelers could make wonderful sermon examples of people erroneously seeking God in the wrong places. They were looking to the stars for answers.
___Were they seeking guidance from planetary alignment? Were these men the Jean Dixons and Shirley McClaines of their day? The spiritual tendencies of these three "New Age" seekers looking for a king based upon the stars would make great pulpit- thumping sermon fodder today.
___Yet these three characters became three of the most beloved faces around the manger. (We must recognize that they arrived long after the actual birth.) What are we to make of these astrologers or New Age seekers, who find the Christ child through such an unorthodox and unapproved manner?
___This was another example of Matthew's demonstration of the extension of good news to the Gentiles. These three wise men did not have the history or the heritage of the Torah, but by following the light, they came to Jerusalem and sought to pay homage to the new king. They asked directions from Herod, the Roman ruler of Palestine, which created a tension similar to that between Pharaoh and Moses.
___Here are a couple of interesting questions about the search. They might initiate a little discussion for your Sunday School class. If the wise men were guided by the star, why did they inquire of Herod? Or was Herod so naive he did not see a reason to send soldiers with the wise men?
___Matthew's purpose was not to answer skeptical or contextual questions. His purpose was to tell the story of a group of wise men who were following a star and found the true king. Matthew added weight to the story by quoting from Micah 5:2 and 2 Samuel 5:2. These pagan astrologers were not only guided by the stars, but by Scripture as well. The wise men followed the light and found the Messiah.
___The example of the wise men was an argument of worship offered by Paul in Romans 1:18-23. Paul claimed there was enough of God revealed in creation to prove his existence. The trouble arose when men elevated creation above or equal to the Creator. Humanity, Paul claimed, exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images that resembled the mortal (Romans 1:23).
___The wise men broke the pattern of humanity in that they followed the creation and found the Creator. The wise still seek the Savior, who is also seeking them (Luke 19:10).
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