Havasu Christian Church
December 24, 2023
Who wasn’t “A Face Around the Manger?
INTRO: It’s Christmas Eve!!! Tomorrow, it will be Christmas! In the last 3 weeks, we’ve been thinking about the people who were there at Jesus’ birth. We talked about Mary, and her faithfulness to God. We talked about Joseph and his willingness to accept God’s plan, even when it really messed up his life.
Last week, we talked about the Shepherds and their encounter not only with Jesus, but with the angels. So, today Who’s left? We have Jesus and the Magi… Right?
Actually, we Will talk about Jesus tonight… So who does that leave? The Wise men? Nope! They come and see Jesus sometime after His birth. It gives you more parts in the Christmas play to have the wisemen show up at the stable, but it isn’t biblically accurate.
Matthew 2:11 After coming into the house they saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell to the ground and worshiped Him. Then, opening their treasures, they presented to Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
House: Oikian… a structure used as a dwelling
Paidion: A very young child ‘up to seven years
A child, normally below the age of puberty
Brephos (The word used in Luke 2)
① a child that is still unborn, fetus, child
② a very small child, baby, infant
So, who does that leave? NOBODY! All right, see ya later! NOPE!
This morning we’re going to talk about the people who weren’t invited, and why.
If I was going to send my Son somewhere, and I had influence, I’d want to send him to the “movers and shakers” of that place! I’d want Him to have the best possible start. SO, where would I send him?
- The Government officials.
- This seems an obvious choice.. after all, Jesus is the One who will be “seated on the throne of His father David.” “Of His Kingdom, there will be no end.”
Isaiah 9:6–7 For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us;
And the government will rest on His shoulders;
And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.
There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace,
On the throne of David and over his kingdom,
To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness
From then on and forevermore.
The zeal of the LORD of hosts will accomplish this.
- Isaiah’s prophecy was clear. The Messiah WOULD come, and He would RULE Forever!
- Who wouldn’t want Jesus to rule???
- But the obvious choice is a BAD choice!
- Herod is a cold, calculating, killer!
Matthew 2:1–8 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying,
2 “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.”
3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.
4 Gathering together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born.
5 They said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for this is what has been written by the prophet:
6 ‘AND YOU, BETHLEHEM, LAND OF JUDAH,
ARE BY NO MEANS LEAST AMONG THE LEADERS OF JUDAH;
FOR OUT OF YOU SHALL COME FORTH A RULER
WHO WILL SHEPHERD MY PEOPLE ISRAEL.’ ”
7 Then Herod secretly called the magi and determined from them the exact time the star appeared.
8 And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the Child; and when you have found Him, report to me, so that I too may come and worship Him.”
- Herod is “troubled…” This leads to everyone being troubled. “When Herod isn’t happy, nobody’s happy!”
- Herod is mad about his power… Literally.
- During his reign, he had his inlaws, his wife and their two sons executed because he thought they were plotting to take his throne. Not only this, but we see that he had the baby boys of Bethlehem killed in order to get rid of a “rival…” Jesus!
Matthew 2:16–18 Then when Herod saw that he had been tricked by the magi, he became very enraged, and sent and slew all the male children who were in Bethlehem and all its vicinity, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the magi.
17 Then what had been spoken through Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled:
- “A VOICE WAS HEARD IN RAMAH, WEEPING AND GREAT MOURNING,
RACHEL WEEPING FOR HER CHILDREN;
AND SHE REFUSED TO BE COMFORTED,
BECAUSE THEY WERE NO MORE.”
Herod was terrible, but he managed to get even worse.
- Shortly before his death, Herod had a number of Jewish elders imprisoned with the instructions that they be executed when he died so there would be people who mourned at his death.
- Wow! What a guy…
Ok, Herod isn’t such a good idea… How about someone who is Roman who is in power?
- This isn’t a good idea either.
- Roman governors had 3 main jobs.
- Keep the peace.
- If you don’t behave, we’ll squash you!
- Collect the taxes.
- If you don’t pay your taxes, we will squash you!
- Protect the Roman Government.
- If you aren’t completely loyal to Rome, we will squash you!
Maybe they aren’t the best choice either! But who else is there?
- The Jewish Religious leaders
- Of course! Who else would be better to invite to the Manger to see the New King?
- We can invite the Priests and the Scribes!
- These guys surely will want to see King Jesus on the throne!
- But when the Magi came to Herod, what was this group’s response?
- They gave all the right information about the Messiah.
- But they showed absolutely no interest in seeking Him out!
- Perhaps they were afraid of Herod?
- Perhaps they had grown tired of waiting and believed that the Messiah was something for children to believe and that He would never come.
- Perhaps they had just grown comfortable with the way things were.
- After all, they were doing pretty well for themselves.
- The Scribes:
From the Lexham Bible dictionary. Unlike the Pharisees or the Sadducees, scribes were not confined to Israel. The scribal tradition in Israel has its roots in the ancient Near Eastern civilization. Scribes worked in a variety of realms, including religious, political, judicial, economic, and social. Jewish scribes may have been employed in additional occupations, including:
• copying manuscripts;
• teaching and interpreting the Torah and other Jewish literature;
• working in the temple, royal court, or administration;
• being a political advisor or diplomat;
• working with ancient sciences;
• functioning as wise sages, elders, judges, or as members of the Sanhedrin;
• writing letters and documents for the kingdom, businesses, and private households.
- The Chief Priests:
John 11:47–53 Therefore the chief priests and the Pharisees convened a council, and were saying, “What are we doing? For this man is performing many signs.
48 “If we let Him go on like this, all men will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.”
49 But one of them, Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, said to them, “You know nothing at all,
50 nor do you take into account that it is expedient for you that one man die for the people, and that the whole nation not perish.”
51 Now he did not say this on his own initiative, but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus was going to die for the nation,
52 and not for the nation only, but in order that He might also gather together into one the children of God who are scattered abroad.
53 So from that day on they planned together to kill Him.
- The Chief Priests are hardly Priests at all. They are politicians who have three goals.
- Keep ourselves in power,
- Make sure we can line our pockets!
The third goal is in service to the other two.
- Keep Rome happy and off our backs.
- To further all of those goals, they are willing to kill Jesus, knowing full well that He is the Messiah!
- He just isn’t the Messiah they want!
Maybe God’s guest list was the right one!
Conclusion: What should we take home with us today?
- These uninvited people had some things in common with one another.
- They were mad for power & personal gain!
- They weren’t about to move aside for Jesus or anyone else.
- We are called to Serve, not to be served.
- We are called to care about others more than our own selves.
Philippians 2:3–4 Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.
- We are called to look to the eternal, not the temporary.
Matthew 6:19–21 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. “But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
- We need to understand that even with the right information, sometimes people will make the wrong choice!
- There are those who have been taught what is true, but for a variety of reasons, choose to reject the truth.
- They may have been fooled by someone they trust.
- The percentages of Christian kids who go to secular college and come out as unbelievers is very high.
- Perhaps we didn’t prepare them well.
- They may have just decided to go their own way.
- People in power (teachers) can be very convincing.
- It’s hard to stand up to them too!
- They may have been hurt by people who were part of a church.
- It wasn’t Jesus that did the wrong. Don’t blame Him for the actions of “followers” who don’t follow.
- They may have simply allowed themselves to “fall out of the habit” of serving Jesus.
- It’s just easier to stay home… or go do something else on Sunday.
- We need to take stock of our lives and decide who is going to be the King…
- Me? or Jesus?
- Let’s make the right choice!
