Christmas Eve 2019
Beloved. Tonight we begin our celebration of that greatest event in the history of the world—that moment that the true eternal God was born to a virgin. This is the great mystery of the Incarnation—God taking on human flesh and blood and becoming one of us. And looking around, you can tell that tonight is something special. Not only is the church festively adorned but even the world outside of the church has all sorts of decorations, lights; there are various festivities and get-togethers. But the sad fact is, not all of the celebrations and decorations are in honor of Jesus’ birth, the birth of the eternal God who became also true man and was born of the blessed virgin that first Christmas. But let that not be said of us, dear Christian. Instead, let it be said of us, that we celebrated this greatest of days remembering and rejoicing in the fact that the eternal God became man, entered into our world of sin and corruption in order to save us from sin, death and hell and to bring us one day soul and body with Him into the eternal glories of heaven.
Tonight we will spend a few moments meditating on the Wise Men. Although they were not at the manger where Jesus was born that first Christmas—they came sometime later when the Holy Family was living in a house in Bethlehem—they are still important Christmas figures; they are, for example, in almost every nativity scene and so part of Christmas in the minds of so many. It does us well, for a blessed celebration of Christmas this year, to spend a few moments pondering the question the Wise Men asked: “Where is he who has been born King of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”
You can imagine the surprise of the Wise Men when they came to Jerusalem. After Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, when Herod was king, Wise Men from the east came to Jerusalem. They had come from the east, probably from Babylon which is where the Jews had been brought into captivity and where the OT prophet Daniel was the head of the Magi or Wise Men. The Magi/ Wise Men belonged to an educated class that concerned itself with the study of the stars. It was probably from Daniel that the word had been passed down through the centuries of a special star that would. As these particular Wise Men search the skies, that miraculous star appeared preaching that the Hope of Israel, the long promised Savior, had come. And these Wise Men, not being Jews, were excited because the non-Jews would also have a share in the kingdom of the Savior of Israel.
And so they come. And they come to where they expect the King of the Jews to be born—in the capitol city of the Jews. They go to where they think He should be but He isn’t there. Where is he who has been born King of the Jews? In that question is great pain—this long awaited Savior is not where He should be. Is He even there at all? Were they wrong? Was the prophecy they had heard that had been preserved down the centuries wrong?
And then they come to Jerusalem—the very city they figure the King of the Jews would be born, the city with God’s temple—and they certainly experienced the same thing Jesus did when He came to Jerusalem: all sorts of corruption, immorality and ungodliness. They probably saw the same wickedness in Jerusalem as they had seen in Gentile lands. Certainly they were uncomfortable and certainly they were unwelcome guests—barging in on the scene and asking about the Messiah. St. Matthew records: When King Herod heard this, he was alarmed, and all Jerusalem with him.
Let the Wise Men ask each of us the Christmas; let each of us ponder in our hearts: Where is he who has been born King of the Jews? The point is this: where is Jesus in all of our Christmas celebrations? There is nothing wrong with a great celebration of Christmas with festive food, decorations, etc. It helps set this time apart from other times. But Where is he who has been born King of the Jews? Is Jesus at the heart and core of our celebrations? Do we see in each gift that we receive a faint image pointing/ reminding us of Jesus—God’s great gift to us? Do we see in each Christmas light a reminder that Jesus is the Light of the World and its only Savior out of the darkness of sin and death? With all the special foods, do we see a faint image of the glories of the heavenly banquet won and prepared for us by Jesus? With the gathering of family and friends, do we see a faint reminder of the glories of the Church, the communion of saints, the Body of Christ?
Without Jesus, Christmas is a mere early winter holiday to act as a drug to get us past these long hours of darkness. Without Jesus, all our customs, traditions and get-togethers are nothing but sentimentality. Because it is all around us, we must be very careful and on guard lest we get sucked into the secular world’s version of Christmas; lest Christmas becomes for us, too, an orgy of consumerism and materialism and drippy sentimentality. Let us hear the Wise Men’s question and apply it to our own life: Where is he who has been born King of the Jews?
Coming to church and singing a few hymns—putting a Christian veneer on an otherwise secular event—does not make it a proper Christian Christmas celebration. Jesus is not to be invited to our Christmas and then shoved into the corner and forgotten. Instead, remember that Christmas is God Himself coming into this world to be our Savior, to rescue us from sin, death, devil and hell. The eternal God entered this world/ time and space, becoming also a true Man born of the blessed Virgin. Christmas is a time for taking that message to heart and pondering it in its fullest meaning—my Savior has come for me, for my eternal salvation, so that I may one day be with Him eternally in heaven. It means pondering that the very God who created heaven and earth and still preserves them came in this weak Baby, who is now fully dependent upon His mother. Where is he who has been born King of the Jews? As we ponder Who was born and why He was born; as we truly ponder the Good News of Christmas proclaimed by the angel [Lk. 2.10-11]: I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be for all people….[T]here is born for you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord, as we take it to heart and apply it to ourselves and in faith believe it, then Jesus has been born in our hearts. Where is he who has been born King of the Jews? He must be there in our hearts or else what we celebrate is a sham Christmas. This question the Wise Men asked is of the utmost spiritual importance for us. Today is Christmas Eve. If Jesus has not been born in your heart, then tonight hear and ponder His holy word; hear what He has done for you and your salvation; hear His love for you; and by that word the Holy Spirit will work mightily to create faith in you in Jesus, your Savior, so that He is born in your heart this Christmas.
The Wise Men’s question Where is he who has been born King of the Jews? also points us to the actual physical reality/ fact of that first Christmas. It places the fact of Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem that first Christmas beyond question. When King Herod heard this, he was alarmed, and all Jerusalem with him. They would not become alarmed over a hoax. If the Wise Men were wrong or it were a hoax, it would have soon been found out and revealed as such. Jesus, the King of the Jews, was born but just not in the capitol city but in little, insignificant Bethlehem. Herod gathered together all the people’s chief priests and experts in the law. He asked them where the Christ was to be born. They said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, because this was written through the prophet... The simple fact then stands. Jesus was born in Bethlehem. On the surface this is not particularly noteworthy—babies are born every day. But what does make this Baby’s birth so significant is that this Baby was born of a Virgin and this Baby is also the true God. So again—God Himself, the Second Person of the Holy Trinity became also true man, took into His divinity humanity and was born. Jesus is true man. That’s why He was born; that’s why He came—so He could become one of us and be our Substitute under God’s law keeping it for us, obeying for us what God demands of us but what we, weakened by sin, cannot do. And in this way God’s law is kept, just as He requires. Jesus did it for us in our place. And Jesus became one of us, true man, so that He could take our sins upon Himself and suffer and die for our sin as our Substitute so that we might have forgiveness of sin and eternal life. So when Jesus was born that first Christmas, we see His humanity—God taking on human flesh and blood to be our Savior. He comes in all lowliness and meekness as a Baby—not in all His divine glory and majesty—so that none would be frightened, so that all would want to come to Him, seek Him out, so none would be afraid. Where is he who has been born King of the Jews? So today, come to that Baby in the manger; He is your God and your Savior.
Even though He comes all lowly, born of a virgin, He is still the true almighty, eternal God. He is not made King of the Jews but comes already as King of the Jews. Normally one is born and first later becomes king. Jesus already comes on the scene as the king. Because why? He is the true God. Jesus was already born King and acted as a King, even in and precisely in His lowliness. In fact, precisely through His lowliness, Jesus set up/ established His kingdom, the Church, as He died on the cross.
That little phrase that the Wise Men used to ask about Jesus, shows up later in Jesus’ life—at His crucifixion [Mt. 27.37]: And they put up over His head the accusation written against Him: This is Jesus The King Of The Jews. Already here at Christmas we get a glimpse ahead to Jesus’ saving work on the cross. When the Wise Men, who were not even Jews, asked, Where is he who has been born King of the Jews? they were showing their joy in His birth because they knew that the non-Jews had a share in and claim to the Hope of Israel. In other words, Jesus’ coming was for all people; Christmas is for all people. Again the message of the angel: I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be for all people. And how would Jesus bring life and salvation to all people? How would He establish His kingdom, the Church? Precisely by His suffering and death: This is Jesus The King Of The Jews, the very One the Wise Men were looking for at His birth: Where is he who has been born King of the Jews? Where is He? –On the cross!
And there is a great hope in this question of the Wise Men: Where is he who has been born King of the Jews? Think of the great hope and longing that were in the hearts of the Wise Men and the generations who came before them as they were scanning the sky looking for that special/ miraculous star that would announce the birth of the Savior of the world. They saw it. They had hope and so they went to find Him. What a marvelous reminder to us this Christmas. The Wise Men were waiting and looking for that star to appear. They certainly saw all sorts of other stars and planets and comets but nothing else caused them such great joy! In the midst of all the joys and things of the world—even in all the outward trappings of Christmas—there is really nothing that satisfies the heart, gives us the fulfillment that we know we are lacking. Only Jesus does. And in His great grace and mercy He has come to us and gives us Himself and all His gifts and blessings.
This Christmas season, in the midst of all the outward trappings let us keep looking and scanning and focusing on that star of Bethlehem—on Jesus, the true God who has become true man to be our Savior. He came to this earth in such lowliness that He might bring us one day to the unimaginable glories of heaven with Him. What a glorious day Christmas is! May we say every day: “Where is he who has been born King of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” INJ Amen