One of the promises about the Messiah was that the nations would stream toward him. This vividly happens in the story of the magi, or wise men, who came to visit Jesus, setting of the wild fury of Herod Antipas.
Matthew 2:1-12
SERMON OUTLINE
“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.” (Matthew 2:11)
The Magi Search for the Messiah in Jerusalem (Matthew 2:1-8)
- First appearance of the star
- Prophecies from Daniel 9 and Micah 5:2
- Private meeting with Herod
The Star Leads the Magi to the Messiah in Bethlehem (Matthew 1:9-12)
- Reappearance of the Star
- Worshiping King Jesus with gifts
- Gold – declares Jesus as King
- Frankincense – declares Jesus as God
- Myrrh – declares Jesus as our Sacrifice
- Warning not to return to Herod
- Magi representing the “Nations”
Timeless Challenges for Us from the Magi
- Seek God with all the light you have.
- Worship Jesus by opening your treasures for Him.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
- Do you or did your family celebrate Epiphany, often called Three Kings Day, on January 6? What was (or is) the celebration like?
- We Three Kings is fun to sing, going from stanzas in a minor key to the refrain in a major key with a delightful melody. Let’s keep singing it! But look at all 5 stanzas in the Wikipedia article on this carol and identify what is biblical and what is extra-biblical. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/We_Three_Kings
- Read I Kings 10:1-13. How is the Queen of Sheba similar to the Magi? How is she different?
- Have you ever been “overjoyed”, like the Magi were when they saw the star the second time (Matthew 2:10)? What were your circumstances?
- Read Daniel 9:25a: “From the time the word goes out to restore and rebuild Jerusalem [which we take to be the authorization letter from King Artaxerxes recorded in Ezra 7:11] until the Anointed One, the ruler, comes there will be seven ‘sevens,’ and sixty-two ‘sevens.’…” The numbers here refer to years, and the authorization letter was written in 453 BC. When would this prophecy land in Jesus’ earthly life?
- Read the last few verses of Matthew, Matthew 28:18-20. This is what is known as the Great Commission. How would the story of the Magi have prepared Matthew’s readers, many of whom were Jewish Christians, for this?
- Take a few minutes to examine your heart to see what your treasures are. What would “opening up your treasures” and offering them to Jesus look like?
- The Apostle Paul says in Romans 12:1: “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God – this is your true and proper worship.” How can you give true and proper worship to Jesus in 2021?
- The title the Magi gave Jesus was the same as the title on the cross. (Matthew 27:37) Above his head they placed the written charge against him: This is Jesus, the King of the Jews. In light of this title, spend some time reflecting on how Jesus is King, God and Sacrifice.
DIG DEEPER
- Watch the Bible Project on the first part of the book of Matthew here.
- Memorize these 3 verses in the book of Philippians about our humble King Jesus: “[Jesus], being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing, by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death – even death on a cross.” (Philippians 2:6-8)