The Shepherds and Wise Men of Christmas

You know, one of the tragedies of the first Christmas is that there are so many recorded in the scriptures who were oblivious, who missed the message, the life-giving message of Christmas. There were the political leaders of the time.

There was Caesar Augustus, and there was Carinius, the governor of Syria. These men possessed everything the world had to offer, yet they missed God's greatest gift. Then there is the innkeeper who missed Christmas.

We don't know his name. We know very little about him other than the inn was full. But it seems that he was preoccupied with things and the pressure of business, and it clouded him and caused him to miss the Christ that had come.

The greatest gift God has ever given. And again, I don't know what that scene would look like when Mary and Joseph and her in her full term came there before the innkeeper, whether there was a counter or what there was, but in my mind's eye I see them weary from travel and the innkeeper busy and distracted and with the bad news we have no room. And the insensitivity and the sadness that this man has the mother of the Christ child before him and he completely, totally misses it.

In contrast to what we heard this morning about the reception that Mary received when she came into the presence of Elizabeth, John the Baptist leaped in her womb. Herod missed the meaning of the birth of Jesus. And his failure I think is most blameworthy because he had been told of the birth by the wise men, and yet he did not receive the benefit of the message. In fact, in murderous hatred plotted to kill the Messiah by ordering the death of every child two years and under. Then there were the religious leaders.

They missed the incarnation even though they had been told in their scriptures that a Messiah would come and where he would come in the book of Micah. Those who missed Christmas and missed the Christ of Christmas stand in stark contrast to those whose lives were impacted, were touched, those who did embrace by faith God's greatest gift of mankind. So tonight I want to focus on two groups of people in the scriptures and we're going to look at the shepherds and we're going to look at the magi, the wise men who came from the east. So I want to read those two passages. One is in Matthew, the other is in Luke. And we're going to look at and contrast these two groups and then look at similarities. So I have four contrasts between the shepherds and the magi and I have four similarities between the two.

And then some practical application as it relates to our lives. So listen with me as I read Matthew chapter 2 beginning at verse 1 down through verse 12. So 12 verses here in Matthew. Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem saying, Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we have seen his star in the east and have come to worship him. When Herod the king heard this he was troubled and all Jerusalem with him. And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. So they said to him, In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet, But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are not the least among the rulers of Judah.

For out of you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel. Then Herod, when he had secretly called the wise men, determined from them what time the star appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, Go and search carefully for the young child, and when you have found him bring back word to me that I may come and worship him also. When they heard the king they departed, and behold, the star which they had seen 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 exceedingly great joy. And when they had 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 gifts to him, gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Then, being divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed for their own country another way. Thus the account of the wise men. And then in Luke, Luke chapter 2, 13 verses here beginning at verse 8, this is the account of the angelic message to the shepherds.

Verse 8, Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. Then the angel said to them, Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior who is Christ the Lord.

And this will be the sign to you, you will find a babe wrapped in swaddling clothes lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. So it was when the angels had gone away from them into heaven that the shepherds said to one another, Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us. And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph and the babe lying in a manger. Now when they had seen him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this child. And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds.

But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart. Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen as it was told them. It's hard to imagine a greater contrast than the one that exists between these two groups of people who encountered and were blessed to have an encounter with this messenger and these messages concerning the Christ who had come. There are four areas of contrast that I want to draw to your attention here as we think of the shepherds and the magi. There is number one, a social contrast. Secondly, a financial contrast. Third, an educational contrast. And then lastly, a geographical contrast. Think with me about these four contrasts.

Number one, a social contrast. The shepherds were of the lowest social class. They were looked down upon as being among the basest of society. They were despised, they were mistrusted, they were thought to be dishonest. Their reputation was such that they were not even allowed to bear testimony in a court of law.

It was assumed, the reason, it was assumed that these people who occupied this profession were not trustworthy, that they would lie. In most people's minds, shepherds were like gypsies. They were con men all rolled into one. What about the wise men? Well, they were on the other side of the social spectrum. They were influential. Notice that when they came to Jerusalem looking for the one who had been born king of the Jews, they had no trouble gaining admission into Herod's palace.

In fact, they had no difficulty getting an audience with Herod. And in contrast, the shepherds would not even have been allowed in the outer courtyard of the palace. Thus, the social contrast. Then the financial contrast. Again, the status of the two groups of people.

It's between the poorest of the poor and the richest of the rich. The shepherds had nothing. When the shepherds came to Bethlehem to see what had come to pass, they quickly went, commendable that they did that, but when they quickly went to spread the word concerning the child, they had no gifts.

They had nothing to offer. On the other hand, the wise men were obviously men of substance. They had financial resources in order to take this long trip. They had the luxury of taking time away from whatever they were doing. And when they came, they brought expensive gifts. Thus, the contrast with the financial.

Number three, think with me about the educational contrast. The shepherds, they had no formal education. The Magi, on the other hand, were feigned for their knowledge. We do not know precisely who those particular wise men were or where they came from, except that they came from the East, but wise men were noted for their knowledge of religious documents, for astronomy, for studying the stars, learning the arts.

They were the professors of the day. And when the Messiah's star appeared, they were the ones who saw it and discerned its meaning. So we're thinking about the contrast between the shepherds and the wise men. And I'm trusting myself not to be influenced by Christmas cards that speak of three wise men. We don't know that there were three. We have a Christmas hymn that says, we three kings, we don't know that these wise men were kings. So it's interesting how these things can creep into your mind and help form a mental picture that is not revealed in the scriptures. Again, we do not know how many men came and we do not know if indeed they were kings.

We're not told that. But we're looking at the contrast between their social standing, their financial standing, and their educational standing. But number four, think with me about a geographical contrast. That is, between the proximity of the shepherds to Bethlehem, where Jesus was born, and the fact that the wise men had come from the east, a far and great distance. We do not know how far the wise men traveled, since from the east is a very general description, but think with me about this logic. Since Herod inquired of them exactly when the star had appeared, and then later ordered an edict that all the male children of Bethlehem from the age of two years down were to be killed, it's probably that the star appeared between one and two years before the time, and that the wise men had been on their journey for many, many months. They came from a long distance. They came from the far reaches of the world, whereas the shepherds, they were as close to the birth of Jesus as the hills around Bethlehem.

Huge contrast. And I do not know how the story could say more clearly that Christ is for anyone who will have Him, and that Christ is for you, whoever you may be. You may be unimportant in the eyes of most people, or you may be very important.

You may be poor or you may be rich, you may be of low educational standing or well educated. You may be near Christ or far from Him. None of these things matter for the simple reason that Jesus did not come to be the Savior of the rich or the poor only, or to the wise or the foolish only, or anything else.

He came to be the Savior of the world. And the good news is that includes you. That's the great news of Christmas. Well, the shepherds and the wise men were as different as they possibly could be. Yet, in all the important things, their experience was similar. And that shared experience set them apart from those who missed Christmas far more than their differences set them apart from each other. So as we think about what they experienced and what the Scriptures record about their experience, there are four great similarities. Four great similarities.

Think with me about these similarities. First, the shepherds and the wise men each received an announcement of Christ's birth. In Luke chapter 2, verses 9 through 12, we have these words. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, that is the shepherds, and the glory of the Lord shone around them and they were greatly afraid. Then the angel said to them, do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you in this day in the city of David a Savior who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to you.

You will find a babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. A single angel brought this message to them. The announcement was then expanded by the addition of a great company of angels who praise God. Notice verse 13 and 14. So again, first the announcement was delivered by an angel. Then verse 13 and 14 says, and suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying, glory to God in the highest and on earth peace, goodwill toward men. I love the translation that renders that announcement, glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to men on whom His favor rests. I think that nuances the message more accurately and helps us to appreciate it more. Now notice with me that this announcement was two things.

It was first visual and it was verbal. What about the announcement to the Magi? Well, we do not know for certain what the star of Bethlehem was. Much has been said and written about the meaning of the star of Bethlehem. Some say it was a comet, some say it was a collection, a constellation of stars. The most satisfying explanation to me is that it was a manifestation of the Shekinah glory of God. Because when they came to the city, the star took them to the very place where Christ was.

So again, we don't know, but that's I think a pretty plausible explanation. These two revelations, one to the shepherds and the other to the wise men. They were magnificent, they were glorious, they were extraordinary. But again, we need to pause and think about the fact that these announcements had broken 400 years of silence. That God was now speaking and He was speaking in the person of His Son and the angels were declaring this saving message. The shepherds had received a vision of the glory of God accompanied by angels. The wise men saw a star. But think about this, I think there are many times we read of these accounts and we have a longing and if it were possible we'd say, you know what, I would trade my experience for their experience.

I long, I wish I could have been there. Now, in order for you to be there, you have to give up what you have. And I want to declare to you that what we have is superior to anything that they experience.

And you say, really? I don't buy that, I don't believe that, I'm having trouble here. Will you follow this reasoning? What have we received? We haven't received any angelic message, we haven't received any star that's led us to a certain place to discover Christ. We have received the Word of God, which Peter says is like a light shining in a dark place. That's 2 Peter chapter 1 and verse 19. Now the context there in 2 Peter is Peter is recounting his experience on the Mount of Transfiguration, where Christ was transfigured before him and he saw the heavenly glory.

He heard the voice from God saying, this is my son whom I love, with him I am well pleased. That experience of Peter I think would compare quite favorably with the experience of the shepherds in the fields of Bethlehem and that of the Magi as they studied the heavens. Yet, what did Peter say about his experience? Immediately after recounting his experience on the Mount of Transfiguration, Peter speaks of the scriptures as being even more certain and he concludes, you will do well to pay attention to it as to a light shining in a dark place until the dawn dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. So in spite of Peter's experience, Peter values the written Word of God above everything. And as New Covenant believers we need to be of a similar mind. We have the final revelation from God in the person of Jesus Christ revealed on the pages of scripture.

We're not chasing after experience and dreams and visions and voices. God has spoken and we need to value that immensely. Now again what we're doing here is considering similarities. We looked at the contrast between the shepherds and the wise men.

Right now we're looking at the similarities between the two. Secondly, the shepherds and the wise men not only received this announcement, they obeyed God's summons. They obeyed God's summons and it wasn't easy for them to do that. Think of the obstacles that had to be overcome by both the shepherds and the magi. The magi, they lived a great distance from Jerusalem and they were alerted to the child's birth only by the appearance of his star. They could have discounted that star, they could have dismissed it, but they didn't.

The way to Jerusalem was long. They could have thought, well others will be paying their respects, we don't need to go. It would have been very inconvenient for them to make this journey. And yet those obstacles did not deter them. What about the shepherds?

Well, they could have reasoned. We're not dressed for this occasion, we have nothing to bring. We are not fit company for Him who is announced by angels, who will care for our sheep, who will attend to the things that we are responsible for. But neither the wise men nor the shepherds did that. Instead of making excuses, the shepherds said, let us go to Bethlehem, Luke chapter 2 and verse 15.

So it was when the angels had gone from them into heaven that the shepherds said to one another, let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass which the Lord has made known to us. I wonder, how obedient to God have you been? Have you been as obedient to God about the things that He's revealed to you as these shepherds were? Have you overcome obstacles? Have you been willing to follow?

Even when it meant inconvenience and challenges to overcome? You know the Christmas story. You know the gospel of Jesus Christ who came to die for sinners. You know the summons of Jesus, come unto me all you who labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest. And the question tonight is, have you responded to that message?

Has it captured your attention? Has it demanded you to heed this summons? To say, if God is speaking, if God is calling, I have no greater business than to heed this and follow after Him. That's what the shepherds did. Well after they each had received the announcement and obeyed the summons by going to Bethlehem, they were rewarded because they found the Savior.

This is the third area of similarity. Both found that the different ways in which they were led, the magi, the wise men with the star that led them to Bethlehem and the shepherds who were directed by the angels, both discovered that the message was true. That it was not a misleading message. That God's Son had indeed been born. The Savior had come.

And He was there for their discovery. I used to think that it was quite riveting and capturing and thought provoking when I would see on billboards or on lights in a yard or in a Christmas card the phrase, wise men still seek Him. And although I think there is some truth in that, it is a bit misleading. Because the Bible says there are none who seek after God, no not one. The Bible says that not once but twice just so that we don't miss what He's saying. There are none who seek after God, no not one. So in what sense is it true that wise men still seek Him? I'll recount the story of a man that sat in my office a number of years ago who came inquiring about his relationship with the Lord. He said he'd been listening to the Beacon broadcast and thought he understood the gospel the way we understood it and presented it. So we talked and he was a lost man. He confessed that. So I said to him, I said in light of what you say you believe, how do you explain the fact that you're sitting in that chair seeking the Lord when the Bible says there are none who seek after Him, no not one. And I wanted to confront him with this dilemma. And I wanted to encourage him at the same time. So he said, I don't really know. I said, well I think I can explain it to you.

That is a true statement. There are none who seek after God, no not one. And any time I see a person who'd make an inquiry and honestly seeking the Lord, that is in response to a God who is seeking after Him. So I said to him, I said, are you in a church anywhere? He said, no. I said, is there any reason why you can't be in this church on Sunday?

This was on a Friday afternoon. He said, no. I said, I'll be looking for you. Do you have a Bible? Yes. Are you reading it? No. Any reason why you can't find it and begin to read?

No. I said, find your Bible. Begin to read in the Gospel of John. I said, it would be derelict of me and irresponsible for me to tell you here are three things for you to agree to and then I pronounce you saved. I don't have that power.

I don't have that authority. You must be born again. That is born from above.

You must be regenerated by the Spirit of God. So we prayed and again, I'd never seen this man before. He'd called earlier in the day and asked to meet with a pastor and I arranged for him to come in that afternoon. And on Sunday he was here and he came to me and he said, I think God saved me sitting in your office on Friday. I said, well, I'm encouraged by that.

I said, if he did, we will see the evidence of that. And he continued to come and we talked and he would say, I just don't know. I just don't know whether I'm saved or not. I said, keep reading your Bible.

Keep coming to church. And I don't know how long went by. Several months, two or three months went by. And he sought me out on a Sunday morning out there in the Welcome Center. And he said, let me tell you, he said, God saved me this past, I think he said it was Friday.

I said, tell me about it. He said in John chapter 15, I was reading that morning in John 15. It's always good to do what the pastor encourages you to do and admonishes you to do and counsels you to do. So there he was reading in John chapter 15. He says, and I read and he opened his Bible and he said, I read this. Jesus was saying to the disciples, you did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. He said that that morning, speaking of Friday morning, he said that verse was not for those disciples.

It was for me. He says, I've written John 15, 16 in the front of my Bible. And I can testify that that's again, I don't know how long ago that was.

It's probably been 15 years, I would say. That that man is still showing evidence of walking with the Lord. So, the point I'm trying to make to you is that these shepherds are not being rewarded simply because they were doing the seeking. God sought them out. God chose to reveal himself to them. That's what they said. That's what the shepherds said.

Let us now go to Bethlehem and see the things that has come to pass which the Lord has made known to us. No credit to them. They didn't discover this on their own.

They were about their business. And God came to them in kindness and in grace and revealed himself to them and their lives were changed. That's the gospel. I really hadn't planned to take that rabbit trail, but it seemed, well, the Lord directed in that. Just as I was thinking about this and again, bringing to mind wise men still seek him.

I don't think we ought to be given lost men that much credit. It's God who works in the hearts of men to bring them to himself. Well, we're looking at similarities. We're looking at similarities between the shepherds and the wise men. So far we've thought that they were similar in that both received an announcement, both obeyed God's summons and both found the Savior.

Both had an encounter with the Savior. And the fourth similarity is both the shepherds and the magi, the wise men, came to worship. They came to worship.

Let us go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass. Verse 17, when they had seen him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning the child. And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds. Verse 20, then the shepherds returned glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen as it was told them. And the magi, the wise men, when they came, they brought their gifts. They knelt, they bowed, they worshiped. And that's what the incarnation is designed by God to do. It's to produce humility.

It's to provoke worship in the hearts and lives of men who encounter Him. The similarities. You see, our experience is very similar to theirs. That of the shepherds and of the wise men. We have received the good news, the message of Christ. It has come to us.

It's a reliable message. It has come to us through preaching, through the revelation of God in His word. And if you are a believer in Jesus Christ, you have not just received an announcement, you have obeyed God. You have responded to this good news. You have encountered a Savior and your life has been transformed and has been changed. God has made you into a worshiper.

You delight in doing that. Listen to the words of this hymn. Angels from the realms of glory.

Angels from the realms of glory, wing your flight o'er all the earth. Ye who sang creation's story, now proclaim Messiah's birth. And then the refrain, come and worship, come and worship, worship Christ the newborn King. Shepherds in the fields abiding, watching o'er your flocks by night. God with man is now residing yonder shines the infant light. Come and worship, come and worship, worship Christ the newborn King. Sages, leave your contemplations, brighter visions beam afar.

Seek the great desire of nations, ye have seen His natal star. Sinners rung with true repentance, doomed for guilt to endless pains. Justice now revokes the sentence, mercy calls you, break your chains. Saints before the altar bending, watching long in hope and fear. Suddenly the Lord descending in His temple shall appear. Come and worship, come and worship, worship Christ the newborn King.

Let us pray. Father, we thank You for the marvel of the Incarnation. We thank You for the great condescension of our Savior, leaving the glories of heaven, coming in weakness and coming in humility. And yet that coming announced in wonderful awe and wonder and splendor and glory. How could the angels do anything but sing and shout and magnify You for the giving of Your Son? It troubles us deeply when we read in the Scriptures that Jesus came unto His own, but His own received Him not. How men could reject so great a gift. So great a gift designed to bring the greatest blessing.

And yet that's exactly what the Jewish nation did. He came unto His own, but His own received Him not. But, Your word tells us, but as many as received Him, to them You gave the power to become the sons of God, even to them who believe on His name. Thank You for the enabling power to believe upon Jesus. Thank You for coming to us and wooing us and awing us and drawing us and bringing us that we might bow the knee and become worshipers of Him. Now may the feeblest among you be like David. May the God who gives encouragement and endurance give you the spirit of unity as you follow Christ, so that with one heart and one mouth we may together glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.