It's Matthew chapter 2, the first 12 verses.
It's on page 966.
This was born in Bethlehem in Judea.
During the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem 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.
When King Herod heard this, he was disturbed.
And all Jerusalem with him.
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.
In Bethlehem in Judea, they replied, for this is what the prophet has written.
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.
Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared.
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.
After they'd heard the king, they went on their way,
and the star they'd seen in the east went ahead of them
until it stopped over the place where the child was.
When they saw the star, they were overjoyed.
On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary,
and they bowed down and worshipped him.
Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh.
And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod,
they returned to their country by another route.
So we'll leave our reading there.
Now we in the UK in 2018,
we know it to be a fact that a royal birth gets attention.
This year, on the 23rd of April,
82,970,673 digital media notifications were sent out on that one day,
all on one single topic.
The topic was?
I had to look that one up.
The birth of Prince Louis.
The single biggest story in the UK this year.
Now does that come as a surprise to us or not?
It seems like here in Britain and in the wider world,
while some people are apathetic,
not that interested in what's happening with the royals.
For some, the royal family still evokes really strong feelings.
So you'll have one side where it's like,
we need to get rid of them,
they're an absolute waste of taxpayers' money.
And then we've got another side,
thinking that the queen in particular,
but other members of the family,
are like a national treasure that we should celebrate.
But here's the thing.
However we felt about that birth,
however we feel about the royal family,
the truth is, the birth of a new prince,
even if that prince grows up to be a future king,
it doesn't affect us personally all that much.
No longer do the kings set the laws,
and we will most likely not meet said prince or king,
unless perhaps we go to St Andrew's University,
and maybe our children will enjoy that privilege.
But most of us, maybe we'll get a handshake
if we're extremely privileged,
but it won't really impact us.
But when it comes to Jesus,
when it comes to this royal birth,
things could not be more different.
Here is the one royal birth that demands all our attention,
regardless of who we are.
And Matthew has already, in the first chapter,
deliberately shown us some really big truths
about who the child in the manger is.
So he's told us,
this baby that was born
is the source of all God's promised blessing and goodness.
He is the one through whom God's grace,
God's undeserved love and kindness to the world
comes through this child who is born.
That he is God's chosen king.
He is the Christ.
He is God's chosen savior.
Jesus means God saves.
He is none less than Emmanuel,
God who is with us.
And the outcome of all that is that
since the king of all kings has come,
since the son of God has been born in the manger,
how we react to this king really matters.
Do we care about Louis or not?
That's not a big deal,
but how we deal with Jesus really matters.
And so that's where Matthew goes next.
In chapter 2,
he presents for us three different,
three contrasting reactions
to the birth of Jesus
to help us make a wise choice
in how we think about Jesus.
The first reaction I want us to notice
is that of hostility and resistance.
And we see this really clearly in King Herod.
So in verse 1,
we're introduced to King Herod.
We're told that Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea
during the time of King Herod.
So who is this king?
One very important detail about him,
he's not Jewish.
He's ruling over the Jews,
but he's actually an Edomite.
He's been appointed not by the Jews,
but by the Romans,
because the Romans are over the Jewish nation at this time.
History books will tell us
that Herod was a very powerful ruler.
He was able to keep law and order
in a difficult, turbulent time.
He built the temple for the people.
So those are positives.
But negatively,
we discover that he is somebody
who ruled by fear and force,
somebody who had an incredibly violent temper
and who was very quick to get rid of
people who might threaten his right to rule.
So he killed off a number of his own family
to protect his own right to rule.
So it makes sense then
that when the Magi come from the east
and say,
where is the one who's been born King of the Jews?
In verse 3,
we discover King Herod is disturbed.
Sometimes the Bible goes in for understatement.
We discover the extent of King Herod's level of disturbance
as we see what he plans to do.
But why is he so disturbed?
Because he's concerned
that there is a legitimate heir to David's throne.
Perhaps a popular champion will arise
and the people will want rid of him
and put this other king in his place.
So he begins to calculate straight away,
how can I get rid of this new king?
So his first plan,
call in the religious experts.
They'll know where the child is to be born.
So that's what happens.
Verses 4 to 6,
as we read it,
he calls in the religious experts
and they know Jesus,
God's king is to be born in Bethlehem.
The next thing he does then is,
verse 7,
he calls the Magi in secretly,
secret meeting.
This is news that he does not want to spread.
He doesn't want word to get out
that there is a rival to his throne.
There are lies and deception.
He says to them,
go and find the child.
Be very careful to find him.
Come back and tell me so I can worship.
We know he doesn't want to worship.
He wants to murder Jesus.
And so the warning of verse 12
is entirely justified.
So the Magi,
as they find Jesus,
they're warned in a dream.
God sends them this dream
where they're told not to go back to Herod.
Next week we'll see
that Herod had this plan
to execute all the baby boys
of that community
in order to get rid of
a rival to the king.
There is resistance.
There is real hostility
from King Herod
when he hears of this
one who has been born
king of the Jews.
We hear about a king
that is willing to murder
small children
and we're rightly horrified by that.
Who wouldn't be?
But we also need to take a step back
and take a look inside of ourselves
to appreciate that Herod's reaction to Jesus
in some way
is a picture of how we all
react to Jesus.
One of the images that we find in the Bible
is that the heart,
the center of our being,
the real us,
it's like a throne.
And as we discover in our own lives
and in the Bible
that there are rivals
to that throne.
So God created us.
God is king over us
and God's authority insists
that he have
that rightful place,
that he be central
to our being,
that he be number one
in our hearts,
in our affections.
But our human nature
also wants to claim
that place for ourselves.
So by nature,
we are deeply resistant
to the claims of Jesus.
That we imagine ourselves
as the planet
that everything else
should orbit around.
That life should be around me
and my needs
and my wants.
And then we have Jesus come
and he says,
I'm the true king
and you must worship
and love and honor me
and that presents
a real challenge
to us.
So we discover
in our Bibles
the Lord,
born at Christmas,
is the true God.
Jesus is the son of God
who's come to be savior.
But by nature,
we'll want him
out the picture
because he challenges
our right to rule.
Unless God changes
our hearts,
we'll want nothing
to do with King Jesus.
How does this play out
practically?
It plays out
in the sense of rejection.
Rejection of his claim
of authority.
Jesus has,
it means nothing to me,
he has no claim
on my life,
it's my rights,
my needs,
my life
and it's all about me.
We perhaps
find people
who reject
the need
for personal repentance.
I don't need
a savior,
I don't need Jesus,
I'm good enough
for God,
I'm a good person,
I'm very religious.
This rejection
happens at a very
basic level
when people
don't take the time
to discover
the truth of Christianity,
just write it off,
I know what that's
all about.
Never read the Bible,
never understand
the life
and the claims
of Jesus.
It comes to
in mocking
or attacking
Jesus' church.
One of the things
that I was reading
about in my
prayer diary
for the global church
was a lady
in a village
in India
who became a Christian
and she wanted
to share
the good news
of Jesus
with people
in her community
but at the same time
the people
in her community
are trying to find
legal ways
to expel her
so that she
can have no place
within the community
so there is that
kind of rejection
as well.
So there's resistance
towards Jesus
before a person
becomes a Christian
but even
as Christians
we discover
there is resistance
because there is
still sin
that remains in us.
There is still
that sinful nature
that battles
against
Jesus
and his place
as king
which helps
to explain
why as Christians
we can be so quick
to forget about God.
God who's given us
everything
he's given us life
he's given us salvation
but we can be so quick
to forget about him.
It explains
why we can be
so slow
to pray to him.
I've got this
I can handle this
I don't need
God.
We can forget
that he's there for us.
It explains
why we can be
so quick
to fall into
those repeating
patterns of sin.
We do something
and we feel
horrible about it
we swear
we're never going
to do it again
then we find ourselves
maybe just
in the same day
or a few days later
going back
into the same pattern.
It explains
why we can be
so slow
to accept
Jesus' lordship
over all of life.
Jesus you can have
Sunday
or you can have
certain segments
of life
but my leisure
or my time
or my money
or that's my space.
so we all
struggle in
different ways
with this notion
that Jesus is king
who has
should have
absolute authority
over us
and we discover
there is a little
Herod
residing
within us.
the question
for us is
do we follow
his instinct
is that the king
that we listen to
or will we instead
battle with God's help
and with God's grace
to honour Jesus
as the true king.
So King Herod
is helpful
as a picture
of that resistance
and hostility
that all of us
in different measure
have towards Jesus.
There's a second reaction
and that's the reaction
of apathy
that we see
from the religious leaders
in some ways
it's the most
confusing
response.
So here are the people
that have
studied the Bible
this is their life
to know the Bible
to teach the Bible
these are the people
who should be
looking for
what God is doing next
and should be so excited
about God's plan
of salvation
they're the ones
with the access
to knowledge
and information
about God's promised king
so we find that
so King Herod
calls the religious leaders
and he doesn't know
his Bible
he wants to know
where God had said
his promised king
would be born
so verse 4
he calls them together
and he asks them
where the Christ
was to be born
in Bethlehem
in Judea
they replied
they know this
for this is what
the prophet has written
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
so they can point straight
to this Micah prophecy
God's special king
our hope
the hope for the world
he's going to be born
in Bethlehem
David's city
he's going to be
from David's family line
these visitors
come with this
stunning announcement
we've seen the star
that points to the fact
that your promised king
has now arrived
your mighty leader
has been born
that one that God
promised he'd be powerful
and he'd be a shepherd
he'd care for the people
he's here
and what do they do
they do nothing
they do absolutely nothing
there's no search
they don't join
with the Magi
try and find
where the child is born
there is no joy
so what they've got
is information
but zero transformation
they've got facts
but that fact
doesn't lead them
to worship
you know we talk a lot
we hear a lot
about FOMO
nowadays
the fear of missing out
and that's usually
a bad thing
it's usually described
in a negative way
the fear of missing out
but
here is one of those instances
where you desperately want
a group of people
to have that
in such a way
that it would lead them
positively
to see and honour
Jesus as king
you don't want anybody
to miss out
on God's rich promises
you know in light
of what Matthew
has already taught us
about Jesus
in light of what
we discover in the Bible
about the life of Jesus
this reaction
seems so difficult
to comprehend
in anybody
especially these
religious guys
you know
there is a logic
from King Herod
well I'm going to hate
Jesus for his claim
because I want to be king
and there's a logic
in the Magi
because they want to
worship
Jesus for his claim
to be king
but surely
as we understand
anything about
the life of Jesus
surely he's too much
to simply ignore
and pass by
without responding
to
actually as we
read the Gospels
we discover
that they don't
remain apathetic
to Jesus
we see the apathy
of the religious leaders
harden into resistance
turning into hatred
and ultimately
leading them
to desire
the death
of Jesus
it was Jesus
who said
you can't sit
on the fence
you're either for me
or you are
against me
there are some lessons
some really practical
lessons from these
religious leaders
that we need
for ourselves
first is this
there's a whole world
of difference
between knowing
about
someone
and knowing
them
personally
they have all
the facts
but they don't
know
God
an example
from my own
life
one of my
musical heroes
is a man
called Stuart Murdoch
lead singer of
Bell and Sebastian
I feel like I've
talked about him
once or twice
in here
I have bought
Bell and Sebastian
albums
since
well
since I was 17
read loads of
interviews
studied lyrics
one of the
highlights
bizarre highlights
of my chaplaincy
career at Glasgow
University
was when I was
leading morning
prayers
hardly anybody
ever showed up
for morning
prayers
but Stuart Murdoch
walked in
and I got to
share the gospel
for two or three
minutes
with one of my
musical heroes
now I'd love
this story
continue
that this was
the start
of a beautiful
friendship
that we just
got on so well
and we went
round and we
had coffee
and we still
talk to this
day
but truth is
a few weeks
later
I saw him
on Byers Road
and he walked
past me
as if I was
a nobody
which I am
so it makes
sense
you can know
about somebody
but you
doesn't mean
that you know
them personally
you see this
in these
religious leaders
they knew
lots of facts
about God
and about his
promises
but they did
not know
God
all of their
Bible reading
was to no
effect
in their
lives
that
either is
or has been
I'm sure
some of our
stories
that was
certainly my
story
being brought
up around the
church
going to
church
going to
Sunday
school
going to
Bible
club
reading the
Bible
at home
having family
worship
singing
Psalms
growing up
but it did
not mean
anything to
me really
it didn't
lead me to
to consider
Jesus as
anything other
than somebody
that I read
about and
somebody that I
would feel
guilty over
if I sinned
really badly
it is possible
to know
lots of
facts
but if
not to
change
our
hearts
without the
spirit
opening our
eyes
there is no
personal
knowing
that leads
to transformation
and worship
and so
related to
that
the goal
of Bible
reading
why do we
read our
Bibles
the goal
of Bible
reading is
so that we
would worship
that we
would enjoy
God
that our
hearts and
our lives
would be
transformed
and shaped
by
what we
read
sometimes we
approach our
Bible reading
as if it's a
duty we need
to perform
here's the
thing that we
need to
take so we
can feel
good about
our day
or we
read it
and we
are so
quick in
reading it
that we
never
process it
so we
never
turn it
into prayer
we never
let it
shape our
hearts
the goal
of Bible
reading
is that we
would be
transformed
by it
our Bibles
are not
textbooks
God is
revealing
himself
revealing
his salvation
revealing
his glory
to us
and our
sin and
our need
of a
saviour
in the
Bible
these
are
stories
and
truths
to make
our
hearts
sing
do we
come
to our
Bibles
with a
sense of
expectation
I'm going
to meet
God
by the
Spirit
when I
read
the words
of the
Bible
so that's
our goal
when we read
the Bible
worship
and
transformation
and so
part of
that is
recognizing
that seeing
and enjoying
the glory
of God
in the
Bible
requires
God's
work
and God's
help
there's a
verse in
2nd Corinthians
4 that
says
Satan has
blinded the
minds of
unbelievers
so they
cannot see
the glory
of God
in the face
of Jesus
Christ
we need
the miracle
of sight
if the
word of
God is
going to
come alive
to us
if we're
going to
encounter
God in
a way
that we
worship
him and
are changed
by him
we need
the lesson
of
Bartimaeus
so Bartimaeus
was one of
the blind
men that
Jesus healed
there was a
time when
Jesus was
walking
through
Bartimaeus
town and
as usual
a crowd
gathered
some people
came to
hear teaching
some people
came to
be healed
Bartimaeus
was a
beggar
and as
Jesus was
passing by
he shouted
Jesus
son of
David
have mercy
on me
and the
crowd were
telling him
to be
quiet
Jesus
is not
for your
type
Bartimaeus
but he
shouted again
Jesus
son of
David
have mercy
on me
and Jesus
stopped
and he
called
Bartimaeus
over
and he
healed him
and Bartimaeus
followed
Jesus
because he
had faith
in Jesus
we need
to pray
for help
whenever we
come to
read the
Bible
to recognize
without God's
spirit
opening our
eyes
we're not
going to be
transformed
we need to
pray
that God
would work
that God
would speak
to us
that God
would reveal
himself
to us
every time
we open
the word
of God
that's
how to
change
it
from
duty
to
delight
to
recognize
that
God
works
through
his
word
so that
we wouldn't
be apathetic
even as
Christians
that we
wouldn't have
this attitude
of apathy
that we'd
have a real
sense of
joy
and anticipation
whether it's
coming to
church or
whether it's
reading the
Bible
at home
third
reaction
onto the
good stuff
the
magi
so
Matthew
already
we're only
in Matthew
chapter 2
but Matthew
at this
early stage
in his
gospel
has already
been teaching
us
King
Jesus
will be
opposed
just as
there was
no room
for him
in the
inn
so it
is the
case
that there
will be
no room
for him
in the
hearts
of
many
but
Matthew
has also
been really
careful
to teach
us
that Jesus
has come
as saviour
and he's
come as
saviour
for all
kinds of
people
not just
for the
Jews
but for
anyone
and these
magi are
another example
of that
so who
are they
we're told
that during
the time
of King
Herod
magi
from the
east
came to
Jerusalem
and asked
where is
the one
who's been
born
king of
the
Jews
we saw
a star
in the
east
and have
come to
worship him
magi
were students
of the
stars
so they're
obviously
looking up
and they
saw some
astronomical
event
that led
them
to the
conclusion
that God's
royal leader
had been
born
and then you
get this
remarkable fact
that with
very little
knowledge
compared to
the Jewish
leaders
they know
next to
nothing
about God
and his
purposes for
the world
and his
character
and his
promises
but despite
that lack
of knowledge
they endure
a very long
journey
a treacherous
journey
perhaps
a journey
where they're
uncertain
even
where they're
going
they don't
know the
destination
they go to
Jerusalem
first
they didn't
know they
had to go
to Bethlehem
all they
know is
if God
has sent
his king
then I
need to
show him
honour
and worship
if that's
all I know
then that's
enough
I need to
honour
and worship
him
and so
they come
for the one
who has
been born
king of
the Jews
now if you
read the
gospel
accounts
of Jesus
you'll
know that
that's
not a
very
familiar
title
it's
not
used
very
often
of
Jesus
but it
is
used
it is
a
title
that
returns
at the
end
of
Matthew's
gospel
because
in
Matthew
chapter
27
and
verse
37
as
Jesus
is
crucified
we
discover
this
above
his
head
they
place
the
written
charge
against
him
this
is
Jesus
the
king
of
the
Jews
Matthew
is
reminding
us
in
the
birth
announcement
Jesus
has
come
to be
the
king
of
the
Jews
the
one
who
will
die
on
the
cross
to
save
his
people
from
their
sins
and
not
just
the
Jews
for
people
like
the
Magi
who
come
from
the
east
for
anyone
who
will
put
their
faith
in
Jesus
as
Lord
turning
from
sin
to
trust
in
him
so
we
said
the
Magi's
reaction
is
worship
how
do
we
see
them
worship
and
what
do
they
have
to
teach
us
about
worship
first
of
all
look
at
verses
9
and
10
I
want
us
to
notice
that
they
are
on
a
journey
of
joy
after
they
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
when
they
saw
the
star
they
were
overjoyed
there
is
excitement
there
is
anticipation
as they
journey
there's
gladness
when
they
see
the
assurance
that
the
star
that
God
sent
is
still
guiding
them
to
the
place
where
Jesus
was
born
we
know
that
they
are
worshipers
because
they
have
joy
would
that
describe
our
journey
to
church
this
morning
did
we
come
with
joy
because
we
too
were
coming
to
meet
the
king
to
be
in
the
presence
of
God
himself
really
interesting
thing
to think
about
isn't
it
every
time
we
come
together
we're
coming
into
the
presence
of
God
so
joy
should
be
a
feature
of
our
worship
and
our
shared
life
together
there
should
be a
sense
of
anticipation
as we
come
to
church
not only
is there
a
journey
of
joy
we
see
too
there
is
a
posture
of
praise
verse
11
on
coming
to
the
house
they
saw
the
child
with
his
mother
Mary
and
they
bowed
down
and
worshipped
him
now
this is
really
interesting
to me
because
where
did
they
go
first
they're
expecting
a
king
is
going
to be
born
in
the
palace
place
of
wealth
and
opulence
but
here
they
are
very
ordinary
surroundings
they're
just
in
a
regular
house
they're
not
in
the
stable
anymore
it's
taken
a few
months
at
very
least
Joseph
and
Mary
very
ordinary
fairly
poor
family
and yet
these
magi
with the
eyes
of
faith
can
see
beyond
that
to
recognize
here
is
God's
king
so
they
bow
to
worship
the
infant
Jesus
we
see
too
the
glory
of
their
gifts
continuing
verse 11
they
opened
their
treasures
and
presented
him
with
gifts
of
gold
and
of
incense
and
of
myrrh
they
have
treasure
and
they're
holding
nothing
back
they
want
to
give
gifts
that
are
fitting
for
this
king
that
there
is
a
response
to
Jesus
in
worship
since
God
has
given
me
Jesus
since
because
of
Jesus
I
have
eternal
life
and
I
have
forgiveness
and
I
have
peace
internally
and
peace
with
God
since
I've
got
this
new
community
to
belong
to
therefore
I
should
hold
nothing
back
therefore
glad
obedience
joyful
obedience
should
be
my
response
it's
part
of
worship
the
last
way
we
see
the
worship
is
in
the
honour
that
they
give
to
the
true
king
so
notice
verse
12
having
been
warned
in
a
dream
not
to
go
back
to
Herod
they
return
to
their
country
by
another
route
so
on
the
one
hand
you've
got
Herod
really
powerful
guy
violent
guy
they
know
their
lives
are
on
the
line
by
ignoring
him
but
they
want
to
listen
to
God
and
they
want
to
honour
and
help
protect
God's
chosen
king
and
so
they
go
back
by
another
route
it's
their
way
of
saying
I'm
choosing
to
honour
Jesus
more
than
Herod
takes
us
back
to
that
question
which
king
occupies
the
throne
of
our
hearts
who
do
we
delight
to
honour
what
lessons
can
we
draw
about
worship
we're
reminded
from
the
magi
that
worship
engages
our
head
and
our
heart
and
our
hands
it's
a
whole
of
life
thing
so
we
need
information
we
need
to
hear
and
process
who
is
Jesus
and
what
did
he
do
we
need
to
know
that
Jesus
is
God's
son
that
he
is
God's
king
that
he's
God's
promised
savior
we
need
to
know
that
he
came
to
live
for
us
a
perfect
life
that
we
couldn't
live
for
ourselves
we
need
to
know
that
he
died
in
our
place
for
our
sins
on
the
cross
and
that
he
rose
again
for
our
salvation
but
lots
of
people
in
churches
know
those
facts
it
doesn't
lead
to
change
we
need
our
head
to
be
engaged
and
we
need
our
hearts
to
be
engaged
God
must
work
that
truth
into
our
hearts
to
bring
new
life
so
that
we
would
also
be
transformed
constantly
be
transformed
by
the
good
news
of
God's
love
and
grace
and
then
our
hands
and
our
feet
get
into
action
we
give
thanks
for
God's
grace
by
joyful
obedience
by
living
for
his
glory
by
giving
our
all
for
him
and
we
need
these
three
our
head
and
our
heart
and
our
hands
to
be
active
in
our
worship
otherwise
we're
going
to
be
imbalanced
but
when it
comes to
worship
begins
with
the
magi
with
seeing
and
delighting
in
the
glory
of
King
Jesus
what
we
discover
from
them
is
it
doesn't
matter
how
much
information
we
have
yes
we
should
read
the
Bible
we
should
study
the
Bible
so
we
know
more
but
it
doesn't
matter
how
much
information
we
have
and
it
doesn't
matter
what
our
moral
or
spiritual
record
is
the
question
is
do
I
see
Jesus
as
God's
King
and
God's
Saviour
and
what
am
I
personally
doing
with
that
knowledge
here
is
the
one
royal
birth
we
all
need
to
react
to
because
here
is
the
one
king
we
will
all
meet
one
day
we
will
all
stand
before
Jesus
the
judge
one
day
to
give
an
account
of
how
we
have
responded
to
him
to
him
so
my
invitation
to
us
all
is
to
follow
the
example
of
the
magi
to
worship
him
as
lord
now
to
greet
him
to
receive
him
with
joy
now
so
he
will
welcome
us
then
got
to
you