What Do The Magi Mean To Christmas? (Part 2)

What Do The Magi Mean To Christmas?
Matthew 2:1–12
The Grove – December 14, 2025

Main Thesis

The coming of the Magi is Jesus’ only coronation in His first coming—and it was performed by Gentiles. Their story forces every person into one of three responses to the newborn King: hostility (Herod), indifference (religious Jerusalem), or joyful worship (the Magi).

Hearers of the Word:

Introduction

• Christmas-card version of the “wise men” vs. historical reality
• The Magi were not kings, not three, and not at the manger
• They were hereditary priestly king-makers from Media/Persia, trained centuries earlier by Daniel
• Their arrival is Jesus’ coronation by the Gentile world—the first-fruits of the nations bowing to Israel’s Messiah
• Central Christmas question: Will we cling to our throne like Herod or surrender everything like the Magi?

I. The Royal Credentials of Jesus (Recap of Matthew 1 → 2)

• Legal lineage through Joseph → royal right
• Bloodline through Mary → royal blood
• Virgin birth → divine Sonship
• Matthew 2 adds what no earthly king ever received from His own people: a coronation—and it comes from Gentiles

II. Who Were the Magi Really? (Historical Background)

• Hereditary tribe and priestly caste from ancient Media/Persia
• The intellectual elite, scholars, astronomers, and literal king-makers (crowned and deposed emperors)
• Trained for generations by Daniel (“chief of the Magi,” Dan 5:11)
• Daniel taught them the Hebrew Scriptures, the 70 weeks (Dan 9), and the coming universal King
• A remnant believed and preserved the Jewish messianic hope
• When “His star” appeared (Shekinah-like sign), they recognized the exact timing of Daniel’s prophecy and came to worship and coronate the King

III. Three Responses to the Newborn King (Matthew 2:1–12)

A. The Hostility of Herod – “The Madness of Herod” (v. 3, 7–8, 16)

1. Herod the Great: Idumean, Roman-installed, paranoid tyrant
2. His bloody history (murdered Hasmoneans, brother-in-law, wife Mariamne, her mother, two sons, etc.)
3. The Magi’s question (“Where is He who is born King of the Jews?”) threatens his throne
4. Feigned piety: secretly meets the Magi, pretends he wants to “worship”
5. Ultimate response: massacre of the innocents (v. 16) → Represents everyone who sees Jesus as a threat to personal power and autonomy

B. The Indifference of Religious Jerusalem – “The Hatred and Hostility of Israel” (v. 3–6)

1. The whole city is “troubled” with Herod—not excited about Messiah
2. Jerusalem: city of the temple, priests, scribes, Scripture—yet completely unaware and uninterested
3. Chief priests and scribes quote Micah 5:2 perfectly but refuse to walk 6 miles to Bethlehem
4. Perfect doctrine + zero devotion = spiritual deadness
5. Foreshadows Israel’s ultimate rejection of Jesus (“no room” at birth, in the temple, in their hearts) → Represents religious people who love their system more than the Savior

C. The Joyful Worship of the Magi – “Obedience Leads to Joy, Joy Leads to Worship” (v. 9–11)

1. Massive caravan arrives—not three lonely camel riders
2. Guided again by the star → “rejoiced exceedingly with great joy” (v. 10)
3. Enter a house (not manger)—months have passed
4. Fall flat on their faces and worship the Child (not Mary)
5. Present royal coronation gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh
6. They are the true worshipers—Gentiles become the first to crown the Jewish King → This is the source of all authentic Christmas joy (“Joy to the World” reflects the Magi, not Israel)

Conclusion & Application

• From the moment of His birth, humanity divides into three groups:
  1. The Hostile (Herod) – resent Christ’s claim on their life
  2. The Indifferent (Jerusalem) – too busy with religion to care
  3. The Adoring Worshipers (Magi) – fall down, give everything, overflow with joy
• The manger still forces the same choice today: “Will we fight to keep our little throne, or fall on our faces and say, ‘Everything I have is Yours’?”

Closing Question:  When the King of the Jews truly arrives in your life, which group will you be in?

Doers of the Word:

1. The sermon says the arrival of the Magi forces every person into one of three responses to King Jesus: hostility (Herod), indifference (religious Jerusalem), or joyful worship (the Magi). Which of these three most accurately describes your heart’s posture toward Jesus right now, and why?

2. The priests and scribes in Jerusalem knew the Scriptures perfectly and could quote Micah 5:2 word-for-word, yet not one of them bothered to walk six miles to Bethlehem to see the Messiah. Where have you seen “perfect doctrine but zero devotion” in your own life or in the church today? What makes the difference between knowing about Christ and actually treasuring and worshiping Him?

3. The Magi left everything, traveled hundreds of miles, fell flat on their faces before a toddler, and gave Him treasures that represented their wealth and status. What “throne” (control, comfort, ambition, reputation, etc.) are you still clinging to that keeps you from giving Jesus the full coronation He deserves in your life? What would it look like for you to say, “Everything I have is Yours”?