The Wise Men and the Nations

Introduction

This part of the Christmas story is not a stand-alone story. In the narrative, we find a type of how all the rulers of this world will eventually come to kiss the Son. The natal Advent of Christ was the birth of a king, and Scripture is at pains to represent it to us this way.

The Text

“Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him. When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him . . . When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh. And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way” (Matt. 2:1-3, 9-12).

Summary of the Text

After the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem, certain wise men from the east appeared in Jerusalem (v. 1), and they were looking for Him (v. 2). The one they were looking for was King of the Jews, which they knew because they had seen His star in the east, and so they intended to worship Him (v. 2). Herod heard about this and he was troubled, along with all Jerusalem (v. 3). There was quite a stir. After Herod got some information from his rabbis, he deceitfully sent the wise men on their way. After they left Herod’s presence, the star they had seen back home led them to the right house in Bethlehem (v. 9). Seeing the star gave them great joy (v. 10). They then came to a house (not to a stable) where they saw the young Jesus along with Mary, His mother (v. 11). From the age of the boys murdered by Herod, we can infer that the wise men arrived sometime within two years of Christ’s birth. They fell down and worshiped Him, and presented their famous and very costly gifts—gold, frankincense and myrrh.

What do the gifts represent? What do they mean? The gold is the most obvious and is a kingly gift. “And all the drinking vessels of king Solomon were of gold, and all the vessels of the house of the forest of Lebanon were of pure gold: none were of silver; it was not any thing accounted of in the days of Solomon” (2 Chronicles 9:20). Frankincense comes from tree resins, and in the Old Testament was used for making a perfume for sacrifices and worship. “And the Lord said unto Moses, Take unto thee sweet spices, stacte, and onycha, and galbanum; these sweet spices with pure frankincense: of each shall there be a like weight: And thou shalt make it a perfume, a confection after the art of the apothecary, tempered together, pure and holy: And thou shalt beat some of it very small, and put of it before the testimony in the tabernacle of the congregation, where I will meet with thee: it shall be unto you most holy” (Exodus 30:34–36). “And when any will offer a meat offering unto the Lord, his offering shall be of fine flour; and he shall pour oil upon it, and put frankincense thereon: And he shall bring it to Aaron’s sons the priests: and he shall take thereout his handful of the flour thereof, and of the oil thereof, with all the frankincense thereof; and the priest shall burn the memorial of it upon the altar, to be an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the Lord” (Leviticus 2:1–2). Myrrh—the gum from a plant—was not as valuable as frankincense, but was still quite expensive. It was used for a variety of purposes, but one of them that is highlighted in the New Testament is the role it played in preparation for burial. “And there came also Nicodemus, which at the first came to Jesus by night, and brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about an hundred pound weight” (John 19:39).

So gold speaks of His birth as a king. Frankincense can be taken as a representation of His anointed and holy life. And myrrh appears again when the Lord’s body, sacrificed for us, is prepared for burial.  

God warned the wise men in a dream, and so they went home by another route (v. 12).

We Three Kings

Now these men are not described as kings, but there are good reasons for treating them as members of a ruling aristocracy, as men who could decide to just go and visit a king. First, in the Old Testament, this kind of person was frequently found at court (magi, wise men). Second, these men were dignitaries of sufficient rank to have their questions attract the attention of a king, and to be summoned to his court. Third, their gifts to the young Christ were kingly gifts—the kind of gift that kings would receive from princes. Fourth, the text draws attention to a comparison between their eagerness to worship Christ, and Herod’s false willingness to do so. Fifth, not only did God want the reader of Matthew to know that a king was born in Bethlehem, God wanted Herod to know that a king had been born there. And He wanted him to know it on the kind of authority that he would accept.

Foreshadowing

So what is this story doing here? What is the point? The clear intent is to show us that Christ is a king, and He is the kind of king who receives legitimate worship from nobles. This is a proleptic story, meaning that it is prophetic. If the toddler Jesus receives this kind of honor, what will He receive later? He receives hostility at the beginning (from Herod) and He receives prostrate worship from Gentile noblemen at the beginning. This is an a fortiori situation in both cases, and so which one will win out? Herods have been against Him ever since, and aristocrats have been coming to Him ever since.

Honor and Glory

Paul says that God wants all kinds of men to saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth (1 Tim. 2:4). This “all kinds of” includes kings and those in authority (1 Tim. 2:2). In this matter, Paul practiced what he preached. It was even part of his original commission. When God was reassuring Ananias about going to see Paul, God said, “Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel” (Acts 9:15). Notice the inclusion of “and kings.” Whenever he had opportunity to present the gospel to kings and rulers, he would do so (Acts 26:28). Kings are told in the Psalms to kiss the Son, lest He be angry (Ps. 2:12). And while we are to fear both God and the king (Prov. 24:21), the king is supposed to fear God particularly (Dt. 17:18).

But sin being what it is, this is not something that kings like to do. The gospel being as powerful as it is, however, means that the kings of the earth will in factcome. They all will bring their honor and glory into the Church (Rev. 21:24, 26). They will in fact become nursing fathers to the Church (Is. 49:23), submitting themselves to the Church, and being discipled by the Church. That phrase “nursing fathers” can be misleading, making us think the Church is somehow subordinate to the State—which is actually the opposite of what the passage says. In the restoration of Israel’s fortunes that is the Church, what does it say?

The leaves on the tree of life are for the healing of the nations, and they cannot be applied without those nations actually getting better (Rev. 22:2).

Tribute and Authority

There are two ways to give. One is an act of authority and the other is an act of submission. There are also two ways to receive—and not surprisingly, one is an act of authority and the other is an act of submission. Telling the two of them apart is perfectly clear for the humble, and opaque to the proud. Were the wise men placing Jesus and Mary in their debt with these very expensive gifts? Or were they showing their indebtedness? When our federal government today cuts a check, are they seeking to exercise authority or showing submission? This should not be a hard question.

So this story right at the beginning of Christ’s life shows us the pattern that we should expect and require. Christ will not receive (and His Church must not think about receiving) any largesse whatever from the state unless it is accompanied by their prior prostration before Christ and true worship of Him. And to test the sincerity of it all, we should probably give it a minute. Like 500 years or so.

First preached in 2009