Heard On Sunday - The Wise Men

The story of the wise men journeying to find the newborn King is one we've heard countless times during the Christmas season. Yet beneath the familiar narrative lies a profound truth about sacrifice, humility, and the extraordinary lengths God went to in order to save humanity.

The Journey from the East

Consider the wise men who traveled from the East—likely hundreds of miles—following a star to find a Jewish king. Why would men from distant lands be searching for such a king? The answer may lie in the influence of faithful servants like Daniel, who spent decades in Babylon serving foreign kings while remaining devoted to God. Daniel prayed three times daily with his window open, even knowing it would land him in the lion's den. Surely a man of such conviction spoke about the coming Messiah to anyone who would listen.

These wise men arrived in Jerusalem first—the logical starting point. Jerusalem was the capital, the location of the temple, the hub of religious and political life. Yet when they began asking about the birth of the King of the Jews, something remarkable happened: King Herod became deeply troubled.

A King Who Feared a Child

Herod's fear wasn't unfounded from his perspective. This was a man so consumed with maintaining power that he killed three of his own sons because he feared they might take his throne. The arrival of wise men asking about a newborn king threatened everything Herod had built.

When Herod gathered all the chief priests and scribes to inquire where the Messiah was to be born, they quickly pointed to Micah 5:2, which prophesied Bethlehem as the birthplace. But here's where the story becomes convicting: these wise men traveled 800 miles to worship a king, while the religious leaders wouldn't travel the six miles from Jerusalem to Bethlehem to see if the prophecy had truly been fulfilled.

The priests and scribes knew what Scripture said. They could quote it. They understood it intellectually. But knowledge without action reveals a lack of true belief. Their spiritual condition—and perhaps the spiritual condition of the entire nation—was exposed by their unwillingness to take even a short journey to witness what they claimed to be waiting for.

When Reality Defied Expectations

Imagine the wise men making their way to Bethlehem. What were their expectations? Perhaps they envisioned a beautiful town center, a grand home, royalty dressed in fine clothes. Instead, they found a tiny village of perhaps 200-400 people. No butler answered the door. No valet service awaited their camels. Just a poor couple in a small house.

Did they pause? Did they question whether they had the right place? Scripture gives no indication of hesitation. Whatever their eyes saw, their hearts recognized truth. They entered and worshiped—a word that means to kneel, to show reverence, to declare allegiance. In that moment, they essentially said, "From this day forth, I give you all that I've got."

The gifts they brought—gold, frankincense, and myrrh—were costly and meaningful. These weren't regifted items or afterthoughts. They were treasures that reflected who they believed they were meeting.

The Call to Take Up Our Cross

The wise men's response challenges us today. Following Christ isn't about convenience or fitting Him into our schedules. It's about picking up our cross daily—a Roman metaphor that meant you were as good as dead, on your way to crucifixion with no turning back.

Taking up your cross daily means laying down your agenda each morning and being willing to pick up whatever agenda Christ has for you. It might mean pulling over to help someone with a flat tire when you're already running late. It means dying to yourself, your plans, your comfort.

We live in the richest nation on earth, where what we consider poverty would be wealth to much of the world. We are, frankly, spoiled. And this makes it all the more important to truly understand the humility Christ demonstrated in coming to save us.

The Incomprehensible Humility of Christ

Before the world was created, God knew we would need a Messiah. This wasn't Plan B. The Hebrew words in Micah's prophecy point to "the works of God before the world was created" and "God's decrees and covenants." Redemption was always the plan.

But consider what this plan required: The infinite, omnipotent God who created everything—every tree, mountain, stream, and creature—chose to enter His creation not as a conquering king but as a helpless infant. He left a place of glory where angels declared Him "holy, holy, holy" to be born in a stable that reeked of manure.

Jesus, who created all things, submitted Himself to two sinful, fallen parents. He grew up in Nazareth—a tiny, insignificant town. He lived in a simple one or two-room house with at least six siblings. He worked with His hands as a carpenter and builder, developing calluses. He had one change of clothes, one pair of sandals.

For 33 years, Jesus celebrated Passover knowing all its symbolism pointed to Him—to His own sacrifice. The Lamb of God participated in the feast of the Passover lamb.

Tempted in Every Way

Scripture tells us Jesus was "tempted in all points as we are, yet without sin." Think about what this means. From childhood, Jesus faced temptation. The temptation to be selfish when His siblings took His toys. The temptation to show off His skills. The temptation to lust as a teenager. The temptation to use His divine knowledge for personal gain. The temptation to correct religious teachers with pride.

For three decades before His ministry even began, Jesus faced constant temptation—and never sinned once. If He had sinned even once, He would have been disqualified as our Savior.

Most of us can't go a single day without sinning, even if only in our minds. Yet Jesus endured perfect obedience in the face of relentless temptation, all while living in poverty and obscurity.

Looking Beyond the Circumstances

Hebrews tells us that "for the joy set before Him," Jesus endured the cross. This joy wasn't happiness—a fleeting emotion. It was the ability to look beyond current circumstances to see the good that was coming. Jesus saw us. He saw redemption. He saw restored relationship with the Father.

This Christmas season, as we think about the baby in the manger, let's not stop there. Let's contemplate the staggering humility of God becoming man. Let's remember that the cross wasn't the whole story—it was the culmination of a lifetime of sacrifice that began in a Bethlehem stable.

The wise men traveled 800 miles to worship. The religious leaders wouldn't travel six. Where do we fall on that spectrum? May we be people who take up our cross daily, who worship wholeheartedly, and who never lose sight of the greatest gift of all: Christ Jesus our Lord.