BORN KING OF THE JEWS
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, 2 saying, “Where is he who has been born king of
the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to
worship him.” 3 When Herod the king heard this, he was
troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; 4 and assembling all the
chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them
where the Christ was to be born. 5 They told him, “In
Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet:
6 “‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for from you shall come a ruler
who will shepherd my people Israel.’”
7 Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and
ascertained from them what time the star had appeared. 8 And
he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for
the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I
too may come and worship him.” 9 After listening to the king,
they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen
when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the
place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they
rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. 11 And going into the
house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell
down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they
offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. 12 And being
warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to
their own country by another way. Matt. 2:1-12
The chapter which relates the story of the Wise Men from the East is one marked
by contrasts and opposites, and it well reflects the contradictions of our time as we
sing of the birth of the Son of God.
There is the contrast between the simple, humble dignity of the kings as they
followed the star to the stable of Bethlehem, and the harsh, grim reality of
totalitarian rule represented by Herod and his court. The same kind of incongruity
is seen between a worshipping people and the age of satellites, guided missiles and
space probes. This is the agonising background of Christmas in our age, in which we
are presented with the stark alternatives - the wisdom of God or the wisdom of the
world. For the satellites focus attention on the terrifying powers and potentialities
of sinful man, and the star leads to Christ, God's answer to the towering enigmas
and crises of every age.
There are those who are impatient with the seeming absurdity of the contrast
between the gravity of our crisis-ridden situation and the answer that the Christian
gospel purports to give a - helpless Babe! Should this be taken seriously, they think?
But the Bible has its answer ready for them. It tells us that God has chosen the
foolish things of the world to confound the wise, and the weak things of the world
to confound the mighty. The weakness of God, we are reminded, is stronger than
men. This, in fact, is the heart of the miracle of Christmas. For what did the Wise
Men say? “Where is He that is born King?” The Babe is God's King, the 'sign' of
God's power come into the world, the eternal Word made flesh. It is this that our
carols delight to portray -
Lo! within a manger lies
He Who built the starry skies
and
In the bleak midwinter
A stable place sufficed
The Lord God Almighty,
Jesus Christ.
Nor is He as weak and helpless as one might think, even in infancy. He was, even
then, what He was destined to be eternally, a divider and troubler of men. His
coming was revolutionary for men’s lives - it moved the Wise Men to come from
the East and drew them across the face of the earth to His manger bed; it troubled
Herod and the whole of Jerusalem - as well it might! For it was destined to have
very great repercussions for all of them.
This is the real point, and but for this, Christmas would be meaningless for us. The
fact of His coming acts like some great, invisible magnet which draws His chosen
ones to Himself. This is the incontrovertible reality about the Christmas message in
our day, as it was then. In spite of the formidable achievements of modem
technology and the age of science, men's hearts are still asking: “Where is He?” He
compels them to ask this question. He haunts men, in the gospel! Whether they
will or no, He requires them to think on Him, and make up their minds concerning
Him. The weakness of God is stronger than men, and in the hearts of His own He
conquers.
And when He conquers, He blesses. This is how we may confidently wish one
another a happy Christmas. Where meek souls will receive Him, still the dear
Christ enters in, with blessings beyond telling to heal our woe and make us glad.