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INTRODUCTION
Read Matthew 2:1-12, Luke 2:8-14
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 in the east 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 Christ 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 be the shepherd of 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 make a careful search 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 in the east 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 and of incense and of myrrh. 12 And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.
Matthew 2:1-12 (NIV)
8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” 13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 14 “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.”
Luke 2:8-14 (NIV)
For the last two weeks I’ve been promoting the idea, the belief I have that there is amazing positive potential residing in the Christmas celebration that exists because of the foundation of Christmas which is the historical account of the incarnation – “God with Us”
It is a story that pretty everybody in this part of the world is familiar with to some degree. But what many don’t realize is that we each have a part in this story! You see the incarnation – upon which Christmas is based – isn’t a complete story. How it ends in your life depends on you. The chain of events that happened over two thousand years ago were initiated by God’s choice to make His salvation available to everyone including you and me. He created potential, the possibility for a relationship with Him. But our part is what we’re going to do with the offer.
In looking at the story of the incarnation, you can’t help but notice that there different responses to the circumstances that happened. Responses that are foretell similar reactions we find today with people who come face to face with the Christmas potential.
Let’s start by looking at the response of King Herod and Jerusalem when they heard the news of the special baby.
Response of King Herod and Jerusalem…
Some observations:
First, notice that the news of the baby was delivered to King Herod (and Jerusalem) by some wise men (who were perhaps unwitting messengers sent by God to the people of Jerusalem – notice that the star first led them to Jerusalem [vs9]) Ultimately it was God who was delivering this message to the people of Jerusalem.
Second, notice that scripture records them as being disturbed. There are many ways of translating or describing the meaning of this word: agitated, troubled, inward commotion, take away calmness of mind, disquieted, restless, stirred up, anxious or distressed, perplexed (Strong’s Greek Number 5015). Whatever way you choose to describe the emotional behaviour of the people of Jerusalem, it is important to note that there was something about the Magi’s search that set the presses rolling and the gossip mill running and this disturbance led to their response. Why were they so disturbed? Well let’s look at King Herod first.
King Herod’s response…
Recall the magi’s question, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.”
I think there’s some important background information we have to look at in order to understand why this question would be so disturbing to Herod.
Background information on Herod “the Great”:
The Bible records history. It has proven itself an accurate and reliable record of people, events, and places. Independent historical accounts verify the Bible’s descriptions and details of many famous lives. One of these was the father of the Herodian family, Herod the Great.
Herod is remembered as a builder of cities and the lavish rebuilder of the temple in Jerusalem. But he also destroyed people. He showed little greatness in either his personal actions or his character. He was ruthless in ruling his territory. His suspicions and jealousy led to the murder of several of his children and the death of his wife Mariamne.
Herod’s title, king of the Jews, was granted by Rome but never accepted by the Jewish people. He was not part of the Davidic family line, and he was only partly Jewish. Although Israel benefited from Herod’s lavish efforts to repair the temple in Jerusalem, he won little admiration because he also rebuilt various pagan temples. Herod’s costly attempt to gain the loyalty of the people failed because it was superficial. His only loyalty was to himself. (taken from Life Application Bible Study Notes – Character Study of Herod the Great)
Into the life of this man comes these men from the East with their question about the one who has been born King of the Jews. Note that they did not question if this king had been born but where he was. They spoke with absolute conviction that this king had indeed already been born!
So, why would Herod be disturbed then?
1. Herod was not the rightful heir to the throne of David and he knew it! Therefore many Jews hated him as a usurper. If this baby really was an heir – there could be a threat to his power.
2. Herod was ruthless and as is the case with people who are relentless and are careless about the enemies they make to gain power – there is always the worry and concern that someone is plotting to get him out of power.
3. Herod didn’t want the Jews, a religious people, to unite around a religious figure as that could further enflame the discontent in the territory he was overseeing and any rioting or rebellion that got out of hand could draw the attention of Rome and cause him to lose his place of power.
4. If these Magi were of Jewish descent and from Parthia (the most powerful region next to Rome), they would have welcomed a Jewish king who could swing the balance of power in the area away from Ceasar. The land of Israel, far from Rome, would be easy prey for a nation trying to gain more control.
In the end Herod’s response was to reject the news of the baby.
Notice I didn’t say that He didn’t believe that what the magi was saying was true. BUT Herod chose not to accept the news. Rejection is very much the response of people who don’t believe something to be true but it is also the response of people who don’t want something to be true – even though they know it is.
Of all the reasons I brought forward for why Herod would be troubled by this news there is one thing that stands out. And that is that this baby threatened Herod’s identity – He was king – and if this baby was king somebody would be going. Herod spent most of his life rising to power through ruthless and cunning and despicable means. Listen to me closely – Herod had built his entire life around His rule as King and in turn his life depended on his kingship. Without it, he was nothing and he would be defenseless against those he trampled to get there. Herod had defined himself by his title and position as king.
Ultimately Herod’s response to the disturbing news of the wise men was to try to cover up and actually prevent this baby from becoming king. When you read further in the story you find him sending his soldiers to kill every boy in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two and under.
APPLICATION:
- some people choose to reject the good news because it threatens their identity – now your identity may be based on your job, or your family, or your position in society, or your possessions…
- some people just don’t like the idea that they are a sinner or that they are lost or that they are doomed and will seek to cover it up any way they can…maybe it won’t be on the level of Herod’s cover-up but nevertheless their rejection becomes an active force in pushing away the good news of Christ.
People in Jerusalem’s response…
So there we have the first response – Herod rejected the news of the baby.
But Herod wasn’t the only one disturbed by the wise men’s question. I find it astonishing that verse 3 says, all Jerusalem with him was disturbed!! You would think that the people of Jerusalem who were predominately Jews would have been delighted at the news of Jewish King – one that actually deserved the crown. One that would lead them out of Roman oppression! Yet the Bible clearly says that the people of Jerusalem were disturbed. Why?
• I believe that it is because the baby threatened the status quo – it threatened their sense of security. It was not what they expected!! Perhaps the inhabitants of Jerusalem had grown comfortable with the way things were and became scared of the upheavals that would be sure to happen if there was a challenge to Herod’s kingship. Certainly they had experienced the wrath of Herod the Great in the past and maybe they weren’t anxious to go through it again. Whatever the case this baby threatened their sense of security. Isn’t it ironic that this baby actually was the security of God?
• I also find it interesting that the Priests and teachers of the law were the ones who gave Herod the location for the birth of the Messiah – they knew the truth and yet they chose to ignore it. How come they didn’t send anyone with the wise men to Bethlehem? Maybe because the figured they had God all figured out…
• This was the response of the people of Jerusalem THEY CHOSE TO IGNORE THE GOOD NEWS. (Let someone else deal with it…)
APPLICATION
Some people become so used to the way things are that they choose to ignore the good news rather than risk change even though they know the evidence verifies it’s truth.
Maybe they choose to ignore the good news because of their lack of understanding.
These are the people who keep putting off the decision to choose because their waiting for the right moment, or they’re not sure what’s going to happen, or they don’t fully understand yet.
These are the people who have questions about God that never seem to get answered to their satisfaction. These are the people who want a logical explanation for all the illogical stuff that happens in the world and a supernatural God just doesn’t fit in the picture.
There are some things that God does that we simply cannot understand and instead must grasp in faith. That is why the Bible says that faith is a gift from God. That is why Jesus said in John 6:29 that the work of God is to simply believe in the one He sent. Ultimately your relationship with God must begin not in understanding everything about Him but in trusting Him for and in everything and simply having faith in Him!!
The irony of this is that for Christians who have put their faith in God through Jesus Christ they find the idea of sharing the faith scary because they don’t have all the answers. The truth is that we don’t have all the answers only God does and all we are asked to do is to be His witnesses…
Maybe they choose to ignore the good news because of their arrogant “knowledge”
Some people ignore the good news because they feel they’ve already got God all figured all out. “After all, if we’re basically good people a loving God wouldn’t send us to hell would He?”
Some people are so sure that they’ve got God all figured out that they begin to come up with formulas to greater blessings or step by step plans for cashing in on the “manna” God can provide. They’re so sure that they know what to expect that they miss out on what God actually does in the unexpected (much as Priests and teachers of the law did in Jerusalem). Friends, there were some people who thought they had God all figured out in Jesus’ day and Jesus called them Pharisees.
The whole incarnation event (which includes the birth, death, and resurrection of Christ) is not about making your life better it’s about rescuing you from death to life. It’s not about making you richer in worldly wealth or health but about introducing the wealth of God’s kingdom into the poverty of the world. It’s not about condemning you to your sin and your sorrows and eternal destruction it’s about saving you from the depths, rescuing you from death, and making possible an eternal relationship with the creator of the universe, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, Almighty God, the Alpha and Omega, our Heavenly Father – Hallelujah and Amen!!
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
John 3:17 (NIV)
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
John 10:10 (NIV)
Yes, there are those who choose to ignore the good news of the incarnation. But there is one more possible response that I’d like to look at today – and we learn about this response from the unlikeliest of sources – the shepherds…
Response of the shepherds…
(briefly recap the background of the shepherds receiving the news from scripture.)
Some observations:
• They believed that what the angels said was true (v15 – “…Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened”
• They hurried off (v16)
• They spread the news
• About what the angels had told them about the child (v17)
• All who heard them were amazed (v18)
• They returned glorifying and praising God for all the things thy had heard and seen.
What was the shepherds response? They believed and received. They didn’t reject the good news because it might change their identity. They didn’t ignore the message because it might change their life. But they believed and received what the angels said even though they didn’t fully understand, without the hindrances of false expectations and with a faith that is birthed in the hope of God’s salvation and the potential He created.
CONCLUSION
Friends, there is positive potential available in Christmas and that potential depends on what we exchange by our response. Let me clarify,
Believing the good news of Jesus Christ will redefine your identity
The shepherds left their flocks to go see the baby. Some fishermen left their nets to follow the man, Jesus. Maybe you thought you could follow Jesus without losing anything in your life – well guess again – there is an exchange that happens…
Take up your cross
Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.
Matthew 16:24 (NIV)
What does this mean? It means – are you ready to…
Lose your family?
26 “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters–yes, even his own life–he cannot be my disciple. 27 And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.
Luke 14:26-27 (NIV)
Lose your material possessions?
21 Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” 22 At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth.
Mark 10:21-22 (NIV)
Leave your job (fishermen, shepherds)
18 As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 19 “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.” 20 At once they left their nets and followed him.
Matthew 4:18-20 (NIV)
You see the thing is – we might not actually lose our job or lose our family or lose what we have when we decide to follow Christ – the point is that none of those things will keep us from following him. Like it was with Herod and the people of Jerusalem. Taking up your cross refers to the laying down of everything you do, have, and are in your life on the cross of Christ and taking up everything that Christ does, has, and is in exchange.
24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. 26 What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?
Matthew 16:24-26 (NIV)
Christ died and rose again so that He might be your life!! And is that going to result in a change of identity?…you bet! Is that going to disrupt the status quo? Definitely.
The shepherds changed from sheep men to God’s men (his messengers), from keepers of lambs to heralds of the lion of Judah. They no longer had their identity based on being shepherds. They now knew they were privileged messengers of God! Even thought they went back to tending flocks you can be sure that they were ready to do whatever God asked them to do because being a shepherd didn’t define who they were. Just imagine what God wants to do with you!!