Naylor Community Christian Church
Naylor, Georgia
I. Introduction
-- turn in Bibles to Matthew 2:1-12
Matthew 2:1 After
Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from
the east came to Jerusalem 2 and asked, “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.”
3 When King Herod
heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 When he had called
together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them
where the Messiah was to be born. 5 “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for
this is what the prophet has written:
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.’”
7 Then Herod called
the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared.
8 He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child.
As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”
9 After they had
heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose
went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When
they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 11 On coming to the house, they saw the
child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they
opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and
myrrh. 12 And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they
returned to their country by another route.
-- Chuck
Graham, the president of Ciloa Ministries, tells the story about a young
husband and father who lay in bed several years ago, very sick with
pancreatitis -- he was so weak that he could barely talk, and it looked likely
that he would die soon -- but many people began to pray and God healed this
young man and he was finally able to leave the hospital and go home, but he was
still too weak to return to work
-- that's
when Chuck got a call from Johnny Vaughn, a friend of his -- Johnny knew about
the situation this man and his family were going through, and he couldn't sit
by and do nothing -- Christmas was coming and Johnny wanted to make sure the
family would have a great meal -- "They have enough other things to worry
about," he said. -- So he came by, picked Chuck up, and they went to buy a
Honey Baked Ham -- which they delivered to a surprised and grateful home
-- When he
wrote about this story, Chuck admitted that his first reaction to Johnny's call
was of shame -- Chuck had gotten so caught up in the hectic time of
Christmas...the parties, gifts for family and friends, special music and
celebration services...that he'd forgotten about the reason for the season and
the most important thing of all -- Jesus Himself and His call to love one
another
-- he remembered the angels, the shepherds
and the wise men, but he forgot why Jesus came in the first place -- Chuck confessed,
"I remembered what was said about Him, but I forgot what He told us to
do." -- he forgot to love those in need at Christmas [Source: Chuck
Graham, Ciloa Ministries, www.ciloa.org]
-- in this
story, Chuck Graham reminds us that Christmas is about more than just a baby in
a manger -- it's about a Savior who came to show us how to live in relationship
with the Father and who came to die for our sins on the cross of Calvary -- the
true message of Christmas is about a Savior that came to call us to be His
hands and feet in this world -- to be people who proclaim His name through our
deeds and actions -- our words and love to others
-- but it's
easy to forget that, isn't it? -- it's easy during this busy season to do just
what Chuck did -- to get so busy preparing for Christmas and to get so busy
celebrating the coming of Christ with family and friends that we forget to do
what Jesus told us to do in the first place
-- if we're
not careful, we can become apathetic and indifferent to the very people that
Jesus called us to minister to -- and, if we're not careful, we can become
apathetic and indifferent to Jesus Himself -- even during the season that we
celebrate His coming to earth
-- this
morning, we are continuing in our series on the forgotten people of Christmas
-- those people who had a part to play in the Christmas story but who are often
overlooked or left unmentioned
-- so, as
we begin our study here in Matthew 2, let's look more closely at the people
that we generally don't think about when we study the story of the Magi --
namely, the chief priests and the teachers of the law
II. Scripture Lesson -- Matthew 2
-- this
passage in Matthew 2 is one of the familiar stories of the Christmas season --
it tells us of the coming of the Magi -- traditionally, wise men -- who came
from the East to worship the new-born Messiah
-- our
tradition tells us that there were three of them -- although the text is silent
on the actual number -- and we know that they came from the area around Persia
-- which is modern-day Iran -- but it doesn't tell us much more
--
Scripture does tell us that they traveled many days and nights, following the
star of Christmas, until they arrived in Jerusalem -- the capitol of Israel --
and since they were seeking a king, Matthew tells us that their first stop was
the palace of King Herod
-- there they obtained an audience with the king to find out where the Messiah was to be born -- look back at verse 1-3
Matthew 2:1 After
Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from
the east came to Jerusalem 2 and asked, “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.”
3 When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him.
-- when
Herod heard of the reason why they had come, the Scriptures tell us that he and
all of Jerusalem were disturbed -- a better translation would be that they were
troubled -- they were stirred up -- the message caused a commotion in Jerusalem
-- and this is understandable
-- from the
very beginning of the nation of Israel -- from the very moment that God called
Abram and sent him from Ur to the Promised Land -- the people of Israel had
been looking for the Messiah -- they had been longing for the Christ -- for the
Savior who would come and redeem the people of Israel and establish a kingdom
that would never fail
-- all of
their worship -- all of their religious practices -- from the sacrifices to the
prayers to the keeping of the genealogies of the people -- all of these were
done in anticipation of the coming of Christ - everyone longed for that day
-- and, so,
when the Magi come announcing that the Christ had been born and wanting to know
where He was, you can understand why Matthew says that Jerusalem was disturbed
and troubled
-- Herod
especially was concerned because the Messiah was the rightful king of
-- he needed more information, so he called in the religious leaders of his day to get their advice -- verse 4-8
Matthew 2:4 When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. 5 “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:
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.’”
7 Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. 8 He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”
-- so, the
religious leaders came -- the chief priests of the order of the Sadducees
-- the Jewish sect that was in charge of the temple worship
at this time -- and the teachers of the law -- the scholars -- the experts in
all things religious -- think of them as the preaches and administrators and
teachers of the church
-- they
hear the story of the Magi and their quest for the newborn king of the Jews --
and then, when Herod asks them where the Messiah is to be born -- they answer
him immediately, citing Micah 5:2, and tell Herod that the Messiah is to be
born in Bethlehem, a little village just outside of Jerusalem
-- now that
Herod knows where the Messiah is supposed to be, he sends the Magi on to
Bethlehem to find the Messiah and report back to him -- supposedly, so that he
can visit the newborn king and worship Him, too -- but, as we know, in reality,
Herod is trying to locate the Messiah so he can kill Him before He becomes old
enough to threaten Herod's throne
-- that's
the story that we hear at Christmas every year -- the coming of the Magi and
Herod's attempts to kill the baby Jesus -- but when you look at it in more
detail, this passage becomes an interesting study in contrasts
-- as you
noticed, there are three groups of characters in this story:
-- first,
of course, there are the Magi -- the wise men from
-- the Magi
represent us because this is who we are called to be -- faithful followers of
Jesus who are excited about Him -- who long for His presence -- who go to the
ends of the earth to be with Him and to proclaim His good news to everyone we
meet
-- next, we
see Herod, who is more interested in his position and power than in the
salvation that is promised through the Messiah -- all he cares about are things
and possessions and being in charge of Israel -- and so, when he hears that the
Messiah -- the true king of Israel has been born -- he immediately takes steps
to eliminate the threat
-- there's
a lot of people in our world today who are like Herod -- who have little time
for religion or the trappings of Christianity -- they may show up at church at
Christmas and Easter -- but their interest is not in the spiritual but in the world
and what the world offers -- and they don't like it when the two come together
-- but, by
far, the most interesting response to me is that of the religious leaders --
the people that we never mention in our Christmas dramas and plays or sing
about in our hymns
-- did you
notice the response of the religious leaders to the announcement that the
Messiah had come? -- once they heard that the Messiah had been born, you would have
expected them to be like the Magi -- to be excited -- to rejoice and to run off
to find the Savior that they had been waiting for for over 4000 years -- but,
yet, their response can only be characterized as "marked
indifference" [source: Suresh Manoharan -- www.jandsmministries.com]
-- they
knew who the Messiah was -- they knew what His coming foretold -- they even knew
where Jesus was supposed to arrive -- after all, they were the keepers of the
promise -- but look at how they reacted -- they could care less -- they
couldn't be bothered -- they were too busy doing religion and being religious
to stop and search for the Promised Messiah
-- what do
you think they did after they heard the Magi's story? -- did they just go home?
-- did they just get ready for church?
-- we don't know -- the Bible
doesn’t tell us -- but we do know what they didn't do -- they didn't follow the
Magi and go look for Jesus on their own
-- this
response by the religious leaders -- by those who should have been the first to
go and find their Lord and Savior -- was a sin of omission
-- there
are two types of sins in the Bible -- sins of commission and sins of omission
-- sins of commission are easy to identify -- this means that you did something
you shouldn't -- you broke the law -- you broke the 10 commandments -- you lied
-- you stole -- you cheated -- you coveted -- you lusted -- you did something
-- you disobeyed God -- you committed a sin
-- sins of
omission are different -- it's not what you do -- it's what you don't do -- a
sin of omission is failing to do something that God wants you to do -- James 4:17 defines a sin of omission this
way: "Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it,
sins."
-- and what
is the good that we ought to do? -- Micah tells us just that in Micah 6:8 --
"[God] has showed you, O man, what is good -- And what does the LORD
require of you? -- To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your
God. "
-- a sin of
omission, then, is knowing what is good and not doing it -- for instance, anytime
you see injustice and refuse to act, you are committing a sin of omission --
anytime you see someone in need and refuse to act, you are committing a sin of
omission -- anytime you know you should do something and don't -- whether it's
a physical act like giving someone a hand -- giving them money -- giving them
clothes or food or a place to stay -- or whether it's a spiritual act -- like
praying for them -- witnessing to them -- forgiving them -- these are all sins
of omission
-- that is
exactly what the chief priests and teachers of the law were guilty of in this
passage -- on that first Christmas, when they received word that the Messiah
had come -- that their Lord and King had been born -- they should have gone
with the Magi to the manger -- but, instead, they did nothing -- and in doing
nothing, they sinned
-- if you
read through the New Testament, you'll find that some of Jesus' harshest
criticisms were levied against those who were like the chief priests and
teachers of the law -- religious on the surface but who sin by not doing what
is right and good
-- think
about the parable of the Good Samaritan that Jesus told about a man who was
going from Jerusalem to Jericho and who got mugged and beaten and left for dead
beside the road -- a priest came by and saw the man, but did nothing -- then a
Levite, the people who were responsible for taking care of the temple and
assisting with worship, came by and saw the man but did nothing -- finally, a
Samaritan came by and saw the man and tended to his wounds and took him to a
place of safety
-- When
Jesus finished His parable, He pointed out that of the three men who passed by
the hurt stranger, only the Samaritan -- the one who had mercy on him -- had
done what God had intended and was a true neighbor to the man
-- the
other two -- the priest and the Levite -- had sinned because they had known
what was required and chose to do nothing
-- where
are you in the story of the Magi? -- are you the Magi? -- the believers who are
excited at the news that the Messiah has come? -- the people who go forth and
spread the word of Jesus -- who tell others the good news of salvation and the
forgiveness of sins -- are you the person who sees what is good and does it --
who acts justly and loves mercy and walks humbly with your God as you minister
to those in need around you?
-- or are
you like the chief priests and the teachers of the law? -- have you been so
overwhelmed with Christmas -- with decorating and buying presents and getting
ready to celebrate with your family and friends that you haven't had time for
Jesus? -- you haven't had time for His people? -- you haven't had time to help
someone else this season?
-- what has
been your response? -- who are you most like this year?
III. CLOSING
-- John 1:1
in the Bible paraphrase, "The Message," reads like this: "The
Word became flesh and blood and moved into the neighborhood"
-- in the
parable of the Good Samaritan, Jesus was asking us to the same -- He was
inviting us to move into the neighborhood -- not simply to pass through in a
whirlwind of busyness -- but to be involved in the lives of His people -- to
see their hurts and their needs -- to see their spiritual doubts and confusions
-- and to be their neighbor by ministering to them and proclaiming the word of
God through our actions and our words and our love
-- in this
passage that we looked at this morning, only the Magi moved into the
neighborhood -- only the Magi did what God wanted them to do -- Herod was
hostile -- the chief priests and the teachers of the law were indifferent
-- Herod
sinned by doing wrong and seeking to kill the baby Jesus -- the chief priests
and the teachers of the law sinned by not doing what God wanted them to do
-- several
years ago, a friend of ours was at a gas station here in town -- she only had
$2 to her name -- it was all she had for the rest of the week -- but she needed
gas -- so she turned the pump on and put $2 worth of gas in her car and went
inside and paid
-- when she
came out, a young man was there at the pump next to her and he got her
attention -- he told her to go ahead and fill up her car and that he would take
care of the bill -- she argued with him and told him he didn't have to do that
-- but he told her he did -- she said, "What's got into you?" -- and
he replied, "Jesus" and invited her to church
-- no one
would have faulted him for going on his way -- he would not have broken any of
God's laws or any of God's commandments by just minding his own business and
driving off after he was done filling his own car up -- after all, it's been a
tough time economically over the last few years -- it's always a busy season at
Christmas -- and it turns out this good Samaritan was a youth pastor at a local
church -- so you know he was really busy during the Christmas season and
probably didn’t have a lot of money himself with the salary youth pastors get
paid -- he could have just gotten into his car and driven off and no one would
have thought less of him -- there were other people at the gas station that
day, and that's what they did
-- but this
young man chose to do something different -- he chose to be a neighbor -- he
chose to get involved
-- he knew what was right -- he
knew what God wanted him to do -- and he did it -- and that made all the
difference in this girl's life
-- what do
you think the chief priests and the teachers of the law would have done in this
situation? -- more importantly, what would you have done?
-- as we
continue to celebrate the coming of Jesus this year, let's not just remember
the baby in the manger -- the Savior of the world -- but let's remember why He
came -- let’s remember what He told us to do and how He showed us to live and
let's go forth and proclaim His name through our deeds and our actions and our
words
-- Let's
pray
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