A couple of years ago - right after 9/11 - I read about two Jews who were living in Kabul, Afghanistan. At one time there were over 40,000 Jews in Afghanistan. Now there were only these two Jews left. They’d survived persecution - the Soviet occupation - the reign of the Taliban.

At the beginning of Hanukkak - these two Jewish men - gathered in the remains of a dilapidated synagogue in Kabul - to the sounds of Hebrew blessings - praises to God - prayers - these two Jews each lit candles on a menorah - but not together. Ishak Levin lit his candles at one end of the synagogue. Across the courtyard in another room Zebulon Simentov lit his candles.

It seems that there’s been some type of feud between these two Jews. Levin says of Simentov, “He is a bad person.” Simentov says of Levin, “That man is my enemy.” They each have reasons for the feud and stories to tell about the other man’s treachery and evil.

Hanukkah - which this year begins on Friday - Hanukkah - as a celebration - commemorates events that took place in Jerusalem in 165 BC - when the Jews rebelled against the Syrian King Antiochus Epiphanes. After the rebellion - during the time that the Jews were cleansing and restoring the Temple - there was only enough oil found to last for one day. But, God miraculously kept that oil burning for 8 days - long enough for a new batch of oil to be prepared. Which is why Jews today light the Hanukkah Menorah with its 9 candles - eight candles for the eight days the light burned in the darkness and the ninth candle used to light the other eight.

Hanukkah is a celebration of God’s salvation - God’s presence - His provision - His protection of His people. During Hanukkah - which is also called the Festival of Lights - during Hanukkah - three times - Jesus declared that He Himself is the Light of the World - the Savior - God’s provision of light shinning in this world darkened by sin. Somehow these two Jews - living alone in Kabul - had missed the point of Hanukkah.

For us - we realize that a tremendous number of people - even some Christians - simply miss the point of Christmas. They celebrate the season - give gifts - attend church - sing carols - talk about God’s love and peace on earth and loving each other. But, they’ve missed what Christmas is all about.

This morning we want to look at King Herod, the theologians, and some wise men - because its easy for us to fall into that trap of Christmas as usual - of loosing sight of the reality of what we’re celebrating - because we want to understand - to prepare our hearts to celebrate and to know God’s presence - His light - in our lives. We don’t want to miss what God has for us.

Matthew 2:1: Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, magi - wise men - from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, “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.” When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.

Let’s pause there and understand what we’ve just read. This phrase, “He - King Herod - was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.” is an understatement. The word “troubled” means agitated - shaken - in great turmoil. Like the agitation of a washing machine. To understand that we need to understand Herod. Some things to know about Herod.

First - Herod was only ½ Jewish. But, through some shrewd political maneuvering Herod got himself appointed by the Romans to be the king of Judea. During the civil wars in Palestine Herod sided with the Romans - so the Romans trusted him. Caesar gave him almost unlimited power. For 43 years - under Roman occupation - Herod ruled - with brutal authority - over a large part of the eastern Roman Empire.

Second - Herod was a builder. He launched a massive building program that included cities and fortresses. He built the Temple in Jerusalem that Jesus would enter 33 years later.

Third - Herod was generous. Imagine this - during difficult economic times he canceled taxes!

Fourth - Herod also had some serious problems. He had an enormous ego. He was insanely suspicious - fearful of anyone who might threaten his power - his carefully constructed world. Unger’s Bible Dictionary describes Herod - quote - “He was a heathen in practice and a monster in character. During his administration as king he evidenced himself to be exceedingly crafty, jealous, cruel, and revengeful.”

When Herod came to power he annihilated the Sanhedrin - the Jewish Supreme Court. He slaughtered 300 Court Officials. He murdered several of his own sons that he saw as threats to his power. Herod - who had 9 or 10 wives - murdered his favorite wife Mariamne and his mother-in-law just because he suspected them. Herod had his eldest son - the heir to the throne - he had his eldest son murdered. As he was dying, Herod had the most prominent Jewish leaders rounded up and ordered that they be killed exactly when Herod died - just so someone would cry when he died. This pathological man was hated - feared.

So imagine - here come these wise men from the east looking for the king of the Jews and they’re not talking about Herod. Herod was troubled. And when Herod was troubled Jerusalem was troubled. There was no telling what this man would do.

Going on - verse 4: Gathering together all the chief priests and scribes of the people - these are the theologians - the people who knew Scripture - specialists in messianic prophecy. Herod gathers them together and - he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born.

Don’t miss that. Herod asked, “where the Messiah was to be born.” He knew exactly who and what the wise men were looking for. 30 years earlier Herod had wiped out the Sanhedrin because he wanted to suppress religious faith in Israel - faith in a coming Messiah - a deliverer. He wanted no competition to his authority and power.

We know this account. Herod - in seeming innocence seeking to find out where the child was to be born - Herod secretly contacting the wise men to learn the exact date the star appeared. Herod - pretending a desire to worship the Messiah - sending the wise men on a secret mission to reveal who this child is. Why? So that Herod can order Jesus’ death. And if not Jesus - the eventual massacre of all those little boys age 2 and under. (Matthew 2:7,8,16)

Hear this. Herod is so afraid of loosing control of his own little world that he is willing to murder the Messiah - the Savior of his people and all mankind.

It’s hard to imagine this. Except it’s so close to where we live our lives. Most of us here may not be pathological despots - most of us. But, control and resisting God’s work and will is something that we each struggle with. We struggle with our egos - our pride - our agendas - our little plans for our lives - our visions of the future - our ordered and controlled worlds. It is amazing what lengths we may go to - when our own little world is threatened - to oppose what is known to be right and true - the work of God in our lives.

Let’s go on - verse 5 - the response of the theologians - the students of messianic prophecy: They said to him - to Herod - Bethlehem of Judea; for this is what has been written by the prophet: 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.”

To their credit, these theologians - without even consulting their reference material - without looking up the passages - paraphrased Micah 5:2 - a prophecy given 700 years earlier - combined it with a reference to 2 Samuel 5:2 - and they spilled out the answer to Herod’s question. They knew the answer. It was on the tip of their tongues. But, notice this - not one of the chief priests and scribes leaves Jerusalem to go to Bethlehem and see the Messiah who has come. They knew the answer - intellectually - theologically. But they had no clue as to what it meant for them personally.

These theologians were so captivated by their study - their religious activity - their Temple ritual and adherence to the Law and their traditions and doctrine and religious practice - so captivated that Jesus meant nothing to them. Their eyes were completely closed to work of God right in front of their faces. As the Gospels record the next 33 years of Jesus’ life and ministry it was these chief priests and scribes - who had a front row seat to all of what God was doing through Jesus - yet with their apathy and indifference - their hardened hearts - they opposed Jesus and called for His crucifixion.

It’s hard to imagine this. Except it’s so close to where we live our lives. This is a warning for us. Knowledge about God - religious activity and tradition - the comfortable church relationships and life that we often cocoon ourselves into - is no substitute for the reality of knowing Jesus personally as our Savior. Knowledge of the Bible and the things of God are worthless without our willingness to submit ourselves to the truth to which it points.

Going on, verses 7 and 8 are about Herod’s deceit - "When you find the child in Bethlehem, let me know who He is so that I can come and kill Him - uh worship Him.”

Which brings us to verse 9 - this wonderful contrast between Herod and the theologians and the wise men in their search for the King of the Jews. Verse 9: After hearing the king, they - the wise men - they went their way; and the star, which they had seen in the east, went on before them until it came and stood over the place where the Child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.

Who are these wise men? There are a number of legends and traditions about these men from the east. Tradition says that there were three men because there were three gifts. We really don’t know how many there were. We’re they kings? Probably not.

Herodotus - a Greek historian of that time - describes the wise men - the magi - as priests from Persia. The religion of the magi probably involved demonic or satanic practices. These men could have been sorcerers - astrologers - involved in the occult. Our word “magic” comes from “magi”. In the ancient world there was a blending of the superstition of astrology with the science of astronomy. These magi were probably skilled - wise - in both - searching the heavens for signs and guidance.

When the Jews were captured and carried off into exile in Babylon they took their Scriptures with them - Scriptures that would have been available to the wise men of the east. There’s a prophecy in Numbers 24:17 that says, "I see him but not now; I behold him, but not near; a star shall come forth from Jacob, a scepter shall rise from Israel.” In the Old Testament that passage is the only mention of star being any type of sign. The phrase, “a scepter shall rise out of Israel” suggests a king of the Jews.

Then there is the star itself. It appears in the west over Jerusalem. As they get to Jerusalem it disappears. In Jerusalem they’re told that the king they seek is in reality the Messiah - the Savior - the King above all kings. As they leave Jerusalem the star reappears. But in the south - over Bethlehem - the town where the Savior has been born. No ordinary star could do that. But, God's star does.

I believe that God put all that together. If the wise men - the astrologers - the astronomers - if they had read that passage - seen that star - curiosity raised - its no wonder they’d mounted up and headed west. God brought them to Jesus.

Verse 11: After coming into the house - remember it took the wise men time to travel west and south to get to Bethlehem - this is about 2 years after Jesus was born - so now Joseph, Mary, and Jesus are living in a house - After coming into the house they saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell to the ground and worshipped Him. Then, opening their treasures, they presented to Him gifts - valuable and significant gifts - of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned by God in a dream not to return to Herod, the magi left for their own country by another way.

Here’s the bottom line. At the heart of this account is worship. The journey from the east to worship the King of the Jews - learning who that King actually is - the discovery of the Messiah - the falling before Him in worship - the presentation of gifts. Each wise man giving - surrendering his own life - in worship of Jesus.

Wisdom is demonstrated by knowing what to value in life. What is worth surrendering our lives to. Herod resisted Him. The theologians rejected Him. The wise men opened their lives to God and worshipped the Messiah.

As I’ve been thinking about how this all applies to our own lives I’ve been thinking about the great paradox of Christmas - of the Christian life. “To live without Jesus is death. To die with Him is the only life.” Apart from Jesus, we’re all dead in sin - desperate for God’s love and forgiveness poured out through Jesus Christ. To really live requires a journey of great cost - the surrender of our lives - to die to ourselves. To follow Jesus costs us everything.

The Apostle Paul put it this way, “Everything else is worthless when compared with the priceless gain of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. I’ve discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I may have Christ.” (Philippians 3:8)

If we desire to have hearts prepared to celebrate Christmas - to receive all that God has for us - we need to see life this way. All that we cling to - that leads us to resist and reject what God is doing - it’s garbage - worthless - death. It may be wise in the sight of the world. But, all that is empty of the things of God.

Two questions - to help us examine our hearts. First - What holds you back from opening your heart to what God wants to do in you today? Second - Is it really worth hanging on to?