This sermon was preached to Grace Church Guildford on 27 February 2022. The full video recording of the service can be found below along with the transcript.
Who is Jesus? What will you do with Jesus? Who is Jesus and what will you do with him? Those are the two questions that confront us as we read the Gospel of Matthew. You see, this book of Matthew is designed to demand something of us, it has been composed to challenge us. It not only tells us a story; it asks us questions. And the two chief questions that confront us when we read it are: Who is Jesus and what will you do with him. Both of these are explicitly asked. Near the middle of Matthew, in 16:15, Jesus turns to his disciples and asks them, "Who do you say that I am?" Now they have seen his miracles and heard his teaching, Jesus challenges them to come to a conclusion about who he is. Matthew also contains the second question, not who Jesus is, but what we are going to do with him. Near the end of the book, in 27:22, Pilate, the Roman Governor who has had Jesus handed over to him by the jealous Jewish authorities, learns that he claims to be the Christ, the Messiah, and so asks the crowd: "What shall I do, then, with Jesus who is called the Messiah?" Who is Jesus and what will you do with him? Those two questions are the two main questions that Matthew challenges his readers to consider.
He does this by not only explicitly asking them in chapters 16 and 27, but also implicitly answering them during the rest of the book. It is as if every paragraph poses and then points to the answers for these two questions. If you are currently reading through Matthew, or another gospel, these are the two questions you should always have in mind: What do these verses tell me about Jesus? What do they teach me to do in response? Every story reveals something about Jesus and shows us how we ought to respond. Revelation and response: What do we learn about Jesus? How must we respond to him? If I can let you into a secret, my sermon series in Matthew is basically going to be us stopping in every scene in the book and asking those two questions together. If you are a Christian, that is you are turning from sin and trusting in Jesus, asking these two questions will help you grow in familiarity with and following of your Saviour. However, if are not a Christian this evening: if you are here or watching because you just want to learn more about the Christian faith, or feel unsure about where you are in your journey or what you actually believe. Can I urge you to seriously consider these two questions? These are the two most important questions you can ever ask. We as a church would absolutely love to get alongside you and help you answer them.
So far Matthew has largely focused on the first question, revealed who Jesus is. In 1:1-17 we seen he sets out to show that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of David and the Son of Abraham. Matthew claims that Jesus is the Christ, the one through whom God keeps his promises to David, for an Eternal King, and to Abraham, for a Universal Kingdom. He will be the King who will rule for all eternity over a Kingdom that will cover all the earth. That is what is means to be the Messiah, the Christ. In 1:18-25, Matthew reveals even more about Jesus, explains that he came to save his people from their sins and that when he is with us, God is with us, for Jesus is Immanuel, he is not only the Son of David and the Son of Abraham, but he is also the Son of God. Who is Jesus? Well long before Peter confesses it in chapter 16, Matthew reveals that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. Matthew continues to reveal the same truths to us in chapter 2. For example, in 2:2 the Magi come to Jerusalem looking for the "king of the Jews", which basically is the same as those titles of Son of David and Son of Abraham in chapter 1. To be the king of the Jews means to descend from David (i.e. a king) and be a son of Abraham (i.e. a Jew). Did you notice that when Herod responds to this question in 2:4, he asks "where the Messiah was to be born"? Herod gets that to be King of the Jews was to be the Messiah, the Christ. All that was revealed about who Jesus is in chapter 1 is repeated here in chapter 2. And yet, our passage also begins to pose the second question, for here Matthew starts to challenge us to consider not just who we think Jesus is, but what we are going to do with him. In these verses, we see there are ultimately only two ways we can respond to who Jesus is. This news about the King of the Jews, the coming of Christ, causes a split in our passage, sorts all the characters into one of two camps: (1) Recognition of Jesus in Bethlehem; and (2) Rejection of Jesus in Jerusalem.
1. THE RECOGNITION OF JESUS IN BETHLEHEM
Often the greatest stories contain the greatest surprises. For example, consider what took place at the 1988 Winter Olympics, as made famous in the film ‘Cool Runnings’. It tells the story of the Jamaican bobsleigh team qualifying for the Olympics for the first time. The story stands out due to the surprise of seeing certain people in a certain place. It is the apparent mismatch between the warmth of Jamacia and the ice necessary to bobsleigh that catches our attention, piques our interest. In many ways, our passage should have the same effect. For more surprising than warm-weathered Jamaicans competing at the Winter Olympics is the story of Gentile Magi looking for a Jewish king in Bethlehem. The place is surprising, for as we read in Micah 5, Bethlehem, the place where the Messiah was prophesised to be born hundreds of years beforehand, was small and unimportant. The fact the Magi initially went to Jerusalem highlights that the capitol city was the more likely location for a king’s birth. However, not only the place, but the people themselves are surprising. This is somewhat lost on us perhaps because we have heard about these wise men coming to see Jesus as part of the nativity year after year. However, when you stop to think about who these men were, their unlikely part in the story becomes apparent. In 2:1 we are told they are ‘Magi from the east’. They likely came from Babylon or Persia, where we know such Magi existed. A Magi was someone who was seen to have great wisdom, whether from reading the stars or interpreting spiritual signs, and so usually kept as an adviser to a king. For example, in Daniel 1-2, the magicians, enchanters, sorcerers and astrologers in Babylon are together called ‘wise men’. Although this included Daniel and his friends, few Magi followed the God of Israel. They were pagan priests, practitioners of dark arts banned under God’s law. In the rest of the New Testament we see such men standing against God and his kingdom (Acts 8 and 13). These Gentile sorcerers were the last men you would expect to set out to search for the Jewish King. Yet we read in 2:1-2 that is exactly what they did! How they knew of a coming Jewish Messiah is unclear: perhaps some prophecies, like the one here in Micah 5, were carried into Babylon by Israel during its exile there. Perhaps they heard of the prediction of Balaam, who was himself a pagan priest from the east, who back in Numbers 24:17, declared: "A star will come out of Jacob; a scepter will rise out of Israel." Maybe they seen this special star in the sky as a sign of his arrival. We don’t know! However, we do know these pagan priests made the long journey to worship him. Matthew concludes with a commission to the nations, but here commences with the coming of the nations. As prophesised in Isaiah 60:3, by following this rising star, the nations came to see the dawning light of the Saviour.
If you are here and not a believer in Jesus tonight, I wonder what kind of people you think Christians are. What background do you assume they have? Do you automatically think they grew up in a steady family, in a middle-class home and all-in-all have had decent, rather uneventful, lives? In your mind, are Christians just ‘nice’ people with ‘nice’ lives? If so, can I encourage you to get to know some of us here? For if you do, you will find that if these former pagan priests appeared one Sunday morning to worship Jesus with us, they would not be out of place. For the backgrounds of some of us here are just as surprising as theirs. This church is a collection of Christians who have come from all kinds of backgrounds, through all manner of situations, faced all kinds of struggles. In this church, we have members who grew up and believed other religions, members who practiced the occult or were committed atheists before bowing to Jesus as Lord. We have members who have come through all kinds of trials: who have been abused or abandoned, we have members who at this very moment are facing a range of different mental health struggles or ongoing chronic illnesses. In this church, we have members who have all kinds of sinful pasts as well, members who were addicted to all manner of substances, who succumbed to sexual sin in shocking ways. If you really got to know us, you would realise this church is a place for all kinds of people. That Christ is a Saviour for anyone who will believe in him. Christ was promised a universal kingdom: that means a kingdom that not merely covers all tribes of people, but also includes all kinds of people. Wherever you are coming from, whatever you are struggling with, however your life has panned out: Jesus is for you. There is no cookie-cutter for Christians, the only thing we have in common is we all recognise who Jesus is and worship him for it.
We don’t know how these pagan priests heard about Jesus, but we do know how they responded to him. In 2:11 we are told, "On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him." When these unlikely pilgrims got to that unlikely place, we see they recognised Jesus for who he is. They realised that he was not merely an earthly king, but the divine Lord of lords. And so in recognition of who he is, they fell down in worship before him. This act was not merely acknowledging his earthly importance, but his divine nature. As Jesus himself later declares in 4:10, we are to bow down and worship God alone. By bowing before him in worship, these wise men are in many ways his first followers. They reach the conclusion his disciples later come to in 14:33 and 28:9, when they too fall at his feet in worship. This moment is undoubtedly the highpoint of our passage, and yet it not some isolated incident. Their recognition of who Jesus is permeates our whole passage. Even before they come to Bethlehem, their lives are radically reshaped by recognising Jesus for who he is. It was because they believed him to be the King of the Jews, that they left whatever Eastern court of whatever earthly king they were serving to make the long journey to Jerusalem. As Abraham before them, they set out on a quest that made absolutely no sense apart from God’s promise. You can imagine their wisemen friends in that distant land wondering what on earth had got into their heads! Set out to find a baby in Bethlehem, search for a king in a stable, a Messiah in a manager? How utterly daft that must have sounded to them? And yet because of who they believed Jesus to be, because they considered this child really to be the Christ, Messiah, Saviour of the world, these men set out on their search. Not only did they come, but they kept coming. How surprised they must have been when they heard the Messiah was not in Jerusalem, but was in Bethlehem. It ran against all their reasoning. And yet, because God said it in Micah 5, in his Word, they believed it, they obeyed it. As strange as it was to seek a Saviour in a stable, to bow before a baby in Bethlehem, that is exactly what they did, for that is exactly who this child was. Because they recognised who Jesus is, they obeyed. And they also gave. There in 2:11 we read, "Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh." If this child really was the Christ, the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords, then they realised he was worthy to receive whatever earthly treasures they had in their possession. And so presented their gifts to him. Notice in 2:10 they did not do all this reluctantly, like when you bring some sweets with you to a friend’s house hoping that they open them when you are there, so you can have one. The Magi were cheerful givers. They were overjoyed when they came to Christ, and so were glad to give even their greatest treasures to Jesus, to return to their country without their riches, having left them behind at his feet. Just as predicted in Isaiah 60:5, because of who this King was, when they seen him their hearts throbbed and swelled with joy, and the riches of the nations, gold and incense, were laid at his feet. They gladly obeyed, they gladly gave, because they recognised Jesus for who he really was.
If Jesus is not who he says he is, then we Christians are the biggest fools in this world. As Paul put it, of all people we are most to be pitied. For we have staked our lives on a great lie. Invested our energy and resources in a giant scam. If God is not God, if Jesus is not Lord, then we his followers are all fools. And yet, if Jesus really is who he says he is. If he really is the King of the Jews, the Messiah. If God is God, and Jesus is Lord, then surely these men can truly be called wise men for worshipping him? If Jesus is who he says he is, then the only thing it makes sense for us to do is recognise that, fall at the feet at the king and lord over all and cry out ‘take all that I am, have all that I have, even my greatest treasures, and use me in whatever way seems best to you’. If Jesus is not who he says he is, then to obey commandments like the one we considered this morning, to commit yourself to only marrying a Christian, is nothing but religious nonsense. But if Jesus truly is our loving Saviour and wise Lord, then obedience is our only option. What else can we do? How foolish it would be to push back again his perfect wisdom and unending love? Christian, if you are struggling to obey God in any area of your life right now, or to let go of something that you treasure, remind yourself who Jesus is and act in recognition of that. Go where he calls you to go, give up even your greatest treasure, and do so gladly, knowing it is worship of which he is worthy.
2. THE REJECTION OF JESUS IN JERUSALEM
As one writer put it, while the wise men have worship in their hearts, another man has murder on his mind. In 2:8 King Herod, the current ruler of the Jews, claims he too wishes to come and worship the Christ. And yet, if you read the rest of the chapter you soon see these words are as phoney as Vladimir Putin’s public statements a week ago about his plans for Ukraine. King Herod has no intention of recognising this new ruler: his aim is elimination, not recognition. In 2:6 he hears of the prophecy in Micah 5 about the birth of Christ in Bethlehem, and instead of responding in wonder and worship, rushing to the stable to see this Saviour, instead of recognising this ruler, he rejects him. He realises that if Jesus is Lord, then he is not. If Jesus is king, well what will happen to King Herod? If Jesus has come to rule Israel, who will he have to rule over? Instead of seeking salvation from this shepherd, Herod sees Micah 5 as merely a piece of intelligence that can help him neutralise this threat early on. Herod will not vacate his throne for anyone, not even a long-awaited divine Messiah coming to save him. He will cut of this challenger to his crown, just as he had done all others up to now, including a number of his own sons and his wife.
Herod’s rejection of Jesus is evident, and yet did you notice that he is not alone in this response. The rejection of Herod sits alongside both the rejection of the Jewish people and their leaders. In 2:3, in response to this news that the King of the Jews had come, we are told "When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him." This included not just the people, but their leaders as well. In 2:4-5 we see that these chief priests and teachers of the law know exactly where the King of the Jews is to be born. Unlike the Magi, they know all the facts, they are able to give chapter and verse regarding the prophecy of Jesus’ birth, they are even able to quote it from memory. They are remarkable students of Scripture, and yet remarkably they do not go to see this Saviour. Bethlehem was only a short journey, it was literally right next to Jerusalem, around 5 miles away, a short 2-3 hour trip in those days. Them hearing that the long-awaited Messiah had arrived in Bethlehem is like us hearing about him arriving in Godalming! Who knows how many weeks the wise men had been travelling to see the Saviour, and yet here are the Jewish leaders, knowing exactly where he is, but not bothering to take the trip to go and see their king.
If you are here this evening and are a teenager that has grown up in this church, I want to ask yourself carefully whether you are like these leaders. Do you see here that you can know all the Bible stories, learn all the memory verses, answer any question that your Bible Class or YPF leaders might ask you, yet knowing about Jesus and going to Jesus are two entirely different things. You need to make sure you can answer both questions that we thought about earlier: who is Jesus? What will you do with him? Will you ignore him like these religious leaders, or will you go to him like the wise men, and worship him for yourself.
Unfortunately, throughout Matthew, it is often the least likely that come to Jesus. The last are first, and the first are last. The King of the Jews is received in the little town of Bethlehem by Jewish shepherds and Gentile sorcerers, while the royal court and capitol city of Jerusalem rejects him. As Jesus himself explains in 8:11-12, "many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast [...] in the kingdom of heaven. But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." While here we read of the recognition of Jesus in Bethlehem, we also see the rejection of Jesus in Jerusalem.
If you are not a Christian here tonight, as we close, I want to acknowledge there may be a range of reasons resulting in you rejecting Christianity, keeping you from recognising Jesus for who he really is. Like Herod, your rejection might be the result of your refusal to be ruled, you will not bow to Jesus, because you will not lose lordship over your own life. If that is the case, can I urge you not to make the same mistake as Herod. You see, King Herod considered Christ to be a threat to his crown, a possible challenger to his kingship. Yet, in 2:2 the wise men did not say that Christ was ‘born to be king’, but "born king". In conspiring against Christ, Herod wasn’t just acting against a challenger, but against the king. Even as he lay in the cradle, the crown was on Christ’s head. Herod’s murderous actions later in the chapter weren’t just infanticide, they were attempted regicide. Whether Herod chose to vacate his throne or not, Christ was the king. Friend, if Jesus is who he says he is, then he is your rightful Lord, he is your proper king, whether you recognise that or not. By rejecting Jesus, you are fighting an irresistible force, pushing an immovable object, you are sticking your head in the sand. You cannot avoid the inevitable. If Jesus if who he says he is, then one day all kings and nations, one day each of us, will bow before him and have to recognise who he is. If you will not receive his offer of mercy now, you will receive his just judgement then. Jesus is not some elected leader who you can choose whether to put in power or not, Jesus is in power. He is king.
Maybe your rejection of Jesus is more like that of the people in Jerusalem. We see in 2:3 they were troubled along with Herod when they heard the news of the Magi. Yet, it is unlikely their anxiety was for the same reason as his. They had no great loyalty to Herod as leader, he was a cruel and cutthroat ruler. However, they knew well when Herod was troubled, there would be trouble. That he would not share power or hand it over peacefully. He had already brutally murdered members of his own family to hold onto his throne. They knew when this new ruler arrived, their city would suffer, their lives would be changed forever. As we see next week, when Herod slaughters the infants of Bethlehem, for many, the coming of Christ means great suffering. Are you rejecting Jesus for the same reason? Have you counted the cost of following Christ but considered it a price you are just not willing to pay? The relational impact it would have on friends at school or university, your family members or at work? The cost of giving up sins that you treasure? If so, make no mistake, if you start following Jesus, it will seem like your whole world is being turned upside down. However, in that moment, it is helpful to remember that it is really being turned the right way up again. Christianity is not a disrupter of the peace; it is the bringer of peace. This news of the coming of Christ is not troubling news, it is good news. As the angels said to the shepherds, it is glad tidings of great joy!
The heart of the Christian message, the good news of the gospel, is that though we have sinned against a holy God, and deserve his just judgement for that, he sent his Son to bear that punishment for all those who would repent of their sin and trust in him. Jesus Christ, the Messiah, the King of the Jews, came to earth, and was not only rejected in Jerusalem at the beginning of this life, but was rejected in Jerusalem at the end. For when Pilate stands in 27:22 and asks that question "What shall I do with Jesus who is called the Messiah?", the crowds of Jerusalem cry back, "Crucify him". And so Christ was put on the cross, and above his head were those words on a sign: "This is Jesus, the King of the Jews." And yet as we are about to sing, it is through this death and his later resurrection, that ‘God and sinners [are] reconciled’. That you can be forgiven in you repent and trust in this Saviour. That you can have eternal peace, unending joy, salvation that no suffering can ever steal. Safety that no dictator can ever destroy. That is why those Ukrainian Christians can be singing even when they are sheltering, for they have something to sing about that this world can never take away. The coming of Jesus, even if it causes great suffering, is good news. The coming of Jesus was good news, even for those mothers in Bethlehem. For by it, we can have peace with God.
Who Jesus is and what you are going to do about it? I pray that you will consider both of those questions, that you will conclude with us here at Grace Church at Jesus really is the Christ, the King of the Jews, the Messiah, and you will recognise him by worshipping him. If it is wise to worship Jesus, then surely it is foolish to reject Jesus. May each of us realise that and truly be able to worship him now, using the words of our closing hymn: Hark the herald angels sing!
ALEXANDER ARRELL