Worship The King Of Kings And Lord Of Lords (Matthew 2)
A lot of you likely have a nativity scene at home. As you probably already know, the tree wise men were not there the night of Jesus’s birth or even a few days later. It might have been a few years. From Matthew 2 we understand that Jesus was somewhere under the age of 3 when the wise men came.
But let’s not take the wise men off the mantel just yet. The wise men do belong in this story, even if it took them a while to show up. Their coming and worshiping the Lord teaches us a lot about who Jesus is and how we are to respond to His coming.
Jesus is King of kings and Lord of lords and all people everywhere must submit to Him.
A major character in this story is Herod. His confusing story needs a bit of an introduction. He was an Edomite who was king over Israel. This means he was Arabic and not Jewish. It also means that he was nowhere near the Davidic lineage and not a rightful king of Israel. His father, Antipater, had converted to Judaism. So, Herod’s family were practicing Jews. But this doesn’t explain how Herod gained this position over Judea.
Well, if you’ll remember back to last week when I briefly discussed the history of Israel from Isaiah to Jesus, you remember that Pompey took Jerusalem in 63 BC. Pompey’s military campaign received a lot of funding from Antipater, Herod’s father. And Antipater was rewarded with Judea. Antipater was killed by a political rival, but the Romans appointed Herod his successor. This Herod is now known as Herod the Great.
It’s amazing to consider, isn’t it?
An illegitimate Edomite ruled over Judea. And the rightful king of Israel and the world was being cared for by Joseph and Mary just 6 miles away. The wise men came to Jerusalem and found out they were only 6 miles from the great king that had long been foretold. The people of Jerusalem were 6 miles from the long-prophesied king and were bothered by the fact. And Herod understood the moment. He was only 6 miles away from the greatest threat his power had ever seen. All these people in this moment were only 6 miles from Jesus at one point in our story today. But only the wise men from a distant land worshiped Jesus.
Jesus is King of kings and Lord of lords and all people everywhere must submit to Him. Jesus was not just a great threat to Herod, He was and remains the legitimate king of the entire world. God began an insurrection of sorts when this baby was born. This is not some silly insurrection with a weird guy dressed like a buffalo all painted up. Jesus is the legitimate king over all things. Kings and governments are in the process of being overthrown right now in a move that began at the birth of Christ. We don’t proclaim that Jesus will be King of kings and Lord of lords, but that He is currently King of kings and Lord of lords. The baby born there, lying in a cradle in Bethlehem was king over all and he remains so today. And the message today is that you must submit to Him. You must submit your whole life to Him.
Jesus is King of kings and Lord of lords and all people everywhere must submit to Him.
Worship The King of kings and Lord of lords (Matthew 2:1-11)
Let’s begin by taking a look at the wise men. Our text describes them as “wise men from the east” (Matthew 2:1). These men were probably wise men from Babylon. Hundreds of years earlier Daniel was made “chief prefect over all the wise men of Babylon.” (Daniel 2:49 ESV). And later he was also described as “chief of the magicians, enchanters, Chaldeans, and astrologers” (Daniel 5:11 ESV). Daniel prophesied much about the king who would one day come and the great peace He would bring. And it seems that some of these people were looking for His coming these many years later. That means that these people who had been told of the coming king were using pagan means, astrology, to find Jesus.
The wise men saw “His star” and came to worship the king (Matthew 2:2). This star is a peculiar star, and so it makes sense to call it His star. We don’t know much about its behavior, but what we do know tells us that it was thoroughly supernatural. Later we will see it moving and resting over the home of Jesus. That’s not normal star behavior and it’s not something we should expect to be able to find from ancient astrology. And this supernatural star led the wise men to Jerusalem.
When the wise men made it to Jerusalem, they began asking questions. They wanted to know where the baby was. It would make sense that the king would live in Jerusalem. And I believe they assumed that the baby would be in this town somewhere. But the people didn’t have an answer. They were troubled along with Herod, not excited at the news at all. But Herod did assemble the best and brightest together to discuss where the king would be born. As the story unfolds, we find that Herod’s reasons are far different than theirs, but he was told “Bethlehem of Judea” (Matthew 2:5).
Bethlehem was a small town just outside of Jerusalem. It was about 6 miles away. There is an interesting thing that the chief priests and scribes do when discussing Bethlehem. They quote Micah 5:2, but not exactly. They seem to change the wording to show that Bethlehem, though it would seem like the least of the communities in this area, is certainly not least because the king would be born there. It is simply a way of accentuating the idea that he king would be born in the little town of Bethlehem.
Now that Herod had his answer, he informed the wise men secretly. But Herod was not trying to help the wise men. He was trying to get some answers. He wanted to know when all this began (Matthew 2:7). Then he sent them to Bethlehem and told them to “search diligently for the child, and when you have found Him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship Him.” (Matthew 2:8 ESV) We will see that Herod is lying, but he did give them the answer that they sought. And so, they left grateful to receive the answer.
While the wise men were on their way they saw the star again (Matthew 2:9). This is no natural star. It supernaturally guided them and rested over the home of Jesus. Their long journey had finally ended with them finding the King, and so they rejoiced (Matthew 2:10).
The wise men came to the house of Jesus and saw Mary holding the little baby. There they worshiped Jesus. We don’t know how many wise men there were that day. It was at least enough to carry these expensive gifts. I would say that it was at least three, possibly more. And here they offered up the gold, frankincense, and myrrh (Matthew 2:11). And these expensive gifts were likely a tremendous blessing from the Lord because the family was about to need funds to begin moving around to stay safe. After the wise men worshiped the King of Kings and gave Him gifts they were visited by an angel that told them to not return to Herod, they understood the danger that was ahead of them and took another way home to escape (Matthew 2:12).
The Wise Men did exactly what they were supposed to do. They worshiped the Lord. These men travelled from far away to find the baby who was born king and worship Him. They had the testimony of Daniel concerning the coming of the King and they did everything in their power to worship Him.
It is what we are to do today. The often-used phrase around this time is that “wise men seek Him still”. And this is no lie. We are to worship the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
I also want you to notice the great vigor and steadfastness with which they sought the King. No one cared. They talked with the people in Jerusalem, who lived 6 miles from Jesus, and they did not go with them to find the baby. They were agitated at the questions. As we will see later, it was probably fear of Herod that kept them from thinking much about this. But they did not go take a walk with the Wise Men to try and find Jesus. They didn’t even ask for further information. They just went about their way.
Christian, I am sure you can relate.
How many times is your word about Jesus met with a person who simply does not care? They simply do not give a second thought to the matter. And to be honest, they think that this Jesus stuff is more trouble than He is worth. I am certain that was the attitude that met the wise men that day. The wise men were not deterred, nor should you be. Trust the Lord and worship Him though the whole world doesn’t care or is even hostile, like Herod.
The Powerful Must Bow Before The King Of Kings (Matthew 2:1-20)
The wise men came and asked around town about the child who was “born king of the Jews” (Matthew 2:2). And Herod, whose family was Jewish, surely would have known about the prophesies concerning the coming king. But the news did not cause him to rejoice. He was troubled.
We know the reason for his being troubled. Herod loved the power that he had and would do anything to keep it. The promised king was only 6 miles away from Herod, who was himself an illegitimate king. The help Herod sought was not to go and worship the king, but to eliminate a political enemy. He told the wise men to come back to him after finding the king, but he never told them about his true intentions. It was the angel that helped them out in this manner.
When the wise men did not return, Herod did what he could to ensure that his power was not threatened. From his conversations he figured out a timeline of when this promised king would have been born and he made a plan to eliminate the competition. Every boy under the age of three was to be murdered in the village of Bethlehem. Herod would stop at nothing to retain his power. And he gave plenty of cushion in the range of dates. In his mind it was better to kill more children and ensure he remained in power than to miss this king.
This may seem like a strange story, but it is how Herod operated. Herod was maniacal, especially late in life. Early in his reign, Herod divorced his wife to solidify power. He married Mariamne to make peace with the Hasmonians, who were a priestly family of Jewish leaders. Though this marriage was one of political expediency, he loved Mariamne greatly. But when he suspected she might usurp him he murdered her. He did the same with her two sons, her brother, grandfather, and mother. Later he would disinherit and kill his firstborn son, whom he had named Antipater. Herod was a very cruel man who would stop at nothing to retain his power. And these children in Bethlehem are part of the Herod body count.
For Herod, God’s judgment against Him began in this life. Of this I am convinced. Though Matthew records the death of Herod in very simple terms, history records its gruesome details (Matthew 2:19-20). Josephus records that he had bowel problems, swollen feet, and even worms crawling out of him when doctors helped him with some sort of purification. ABC News had an article some years back detailing what doctors today say that he died from and its gruesome enough that I don’t want to express it here. Herod’s decent into madness and his physical ailments were God’s punishment upon Herod begun in this life that was to continue into the next.
6 miles from Herod was the biggest threat to the thing most important to him, political power. He had a choice to make. Would he submit to the rightful king of the world or fight against him so as to keep his power? Herod is a living and walking example of Psalm 2. God’s King is here and the rulers of the earth set themselves against Him. But they’d better turn from their sin and align their selves with the Son.
“Why do the nations rage
and the peoples plot in vain?
The kings of the earth set themselves,
and the rulers take counsel together,
against the LORD and against his Anointed, saying,
“Let us burst their bonds apart
and cast away their cords from us.”
He who sits in the heavens laughs;
the Lord holds them in derision.
Then he will speak to them in his wrath,
and terrify them in his fury, saying,
“As for me, I have set my King
on Zion, my holy hill.”
I will tell of the decree:
The LORD said to me, “You are my Son;
today I have begotten you.
Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage,
and the ends of the earth your possession.
You shall break them with a rod of iron
and dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.”
Now therefore, O kings, be wise;
be warned, O rulers of the earth.
Serve the LORD with fear,
and rejoice with trembling.
Kiss the Son,
lest he be angry, and you perish in the way,
for his wrath is quickly kindled.
Blessed are all who take refuge in him.
(Psalm 2 ESV)
Herod is not peculiar here. The maniacal Herod functions the way governments often function in the face of a threat to their power. Political leaders will, time and time again, plot together and counsel together to attempt to cast off the chains of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
Leaders throughout the Bible attempted to cast off the Lord to get or keep power. The first example comes early in Scripture with the building of the Tower of Babel, but it doesn’t end there. Time after time in the Old Testament prophets went to kings and were rejected. Ahab went so far as to call Elijah, the “troubler of Israel” (1 Kings 18:17). And Pilate knew that it was the envy and self-interest of the Pharisees that brought Jesus to him for crucifixion (Matthew 27:18). The entire plot to have Jesus crucified was cooked up by religious leaders to eliminate the great threat to their power and Pilate knew it. But this did not end with the Bible. Nations have repeatedly stood against Christians over the years for this very reason. The USSR murdered millions of Christians in the period that followed World War II all the way up to 1991. And Chinese authorities raid churches, close churches, and imprison pastors. And we are told in Scripture that this behavior will continue in the Book of Revelation. Governments will stand against the Lord and His people. Those in power seek to stay in power and see Christ as a threat to their power.
There is a personal application here that applies to those who are without Herod’s power as well. There are a lot of people with a lot less power than Herod had who do not want to bow the knee to Christ. You’d rather bring great trouble and condemnation upon yourself than submit to the King of kings and Lord of lords. You’d rather chase after the things of this world than submit tot Christ. I have news for you. Christ is king over all and you are not. And He now commands all people everywhere to repent and trust in Him. You will either find refuge in this great king or bow the knee to Him as you’re cast off into judgment. One day you will bow and the plea that I have for you today is to go to Him now, as the wise men did.
The Christian claim is that there is a king who sits upon the throne. He is King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Over and over again the testimony of history is that leaders do not like being informed that there is one that sits on a throne greater than theirs and they will soon be judged.
Herod really existed and really did the terrible thing outlined here, but he is not some strange figure in history. The number of children killed in Bethlehem were probably less than 20. It was a small town and was simply normal behavior for this area and time period. Rome repeatedly rounded up and murdered Christians for their faith. The Communists killed millions. Who knows what China has done with their intense secrecy? But we do know that they are doing a lot right now. Pastors in Canada have been imprisoned for holding church services. A pastor in Finland has been imprisoned for preaching the truth of God’s Word. Churches got into massive legal battles here in America over whether or not they could open during Coronavirus shutdowns in California. “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever.” (Revelation 11:15 ESV) And the rulers of this world do not like it.
But people, for the most part don’t disagree. That is why these wicked rulers remain in power.
All People Must Bow Before The King Of Kings And Lord Of Lords (Matthew 2:3, 16-18)
The wise men had asked about “He who has been born king of the Jews” (Matthew 2:2). Their coming marked something new, salvation overflowing to the gentiles. The One True God was always God over all things and all people. But He had expressed Himself more openly and plainly to the Jewish people and now this salvation was going to bring the nations to the Lord.
The wise men coming illustrated this salvation freely being given to the gentiles. The nations were now coming to the light of the Lord (Isaiah 60:3). And this continues even to today.
God the Son took on human flesh when He was “conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary”. He lived a perfect life and accomplished all righteousness on behalf of sinners, doing everything that was necessary for us to do in order to merit righteousness before God. And Jesus also died on the cross to pay the punishment for sin. He bore the wrath and justice of God in place of sinners. And all those who trust in Him can have fellowship with God because they are credited with the righteousness of Christ and their sins have been paid for by Christ on the cross. And this message of salvation has gone forth and the nations have come to His light (Isaiah 60:3). Gentiles all over the globe have become a part of God’s Kingdom. But even while the nations were beginning to come to Christ, the Jews who heard the news didn’t bother to check it out.
The people of Jerusalem were troubled along with Herod (Matthew 2:3). This doesn’t make complete sense because the people hated Herod. This is evident from historical writings. But they did fear Herod greatly. And for good reason, the man was unhinged. So, why were the people troubled that the legitimate king was born 6 miles away in Bethlehem? Well, because the illegitimate king had a tendency to go off from time to time and they were afraid of him. They feared Herod more than they desired to worship the King of kings and Lord of lords.
I was reading Lenski’s commentary, and it helped me to see something I’d never really considered when thinking through this account. Government only has power that the people give to it. This is part of our understanding of how government works. For instance, governors and presidents must be careful what they mandate, and Congress has to be careful about the laws they create. If they mandate or create laws that everyone ignores then they lose power and credibility. Had the people simply decided that finding the Messiah was something they would do, then they would have found the Messiah and the illegitimate ruler’s power would have been lessened or usurped. But that is not at all how this worked out. The people simply feared Herod and could not find it in them to do what they should have done, walk 6 miles to Bethlehem in search of the true King.
Herod then slaughtered the children of Bethlehem, every boy below three years old, because he thought someone in that group was a great threat to his power. What a horrible occurrence! What a monster he was!
There is a sense in which Israel brought this pain and sorrow upon herself. Jeremiah 31:15 is the passage Matthew quotes in Matthew 2:18. In the passage Rachel is weeping for her children because they sinned and would be slaughtered. They sinned by seeking safety in geopolitical authorities. They feared Assyria so much that they sought safety everywhere but in the Lord. We discussed this a few weeks ago in the sermons from Isaiah, and so it is no surprise to you that I am saying this now. Something similar is taking place in Matthew 2:18. The people had rejected the King of kings and Lord of lords because they loved their safety more than they longed to worship the Lord. And this rejection did not ease the suffering of those in the region, it intensified it. All the boys under the age of three were killed in Bethlehem, probably less than 20 children because it was a small town. But Rachel was again weeping for her children. They had again rejected the Lord and again there was tremendous loss and sorrow.
The people of Jerusalem that were in conversation with the wise men did not see the coming of the King of Kings as something that they should care about or concern their selves with. In fact, they feared their ruler so much that they thought seeking out the King of Kings and Lord of Lords would probably cause Herod to be upset and murder a few people. They were probably correct in their assumption, but wrong in their value assessment.
This situation is not unique. It has often arisen and will arise again. The question before you in light of this is whether you will worship the Lord if it costs you. Will you follow the Lord even when it requires something of you?
Will you go to church when going to church might get you thrown into prison?
Will you seek Christ when seeking Christ might make our political leaders angry?
Will you go to church when going to church makes you an undesirable and lessens the amount of money in your pocket or ability to buy certain things, like China’s social credit system?
Jesus was not worth it to the people of Jerusalem. The King of Kings and Lord of Lords was not worth getting off the couch for because that might anger Herod.
That baby in a manger is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. And that baby laid down His life for the salvation of the world. All those who trust in Him are part of a kingdom greater than the kingdom any ruler of this age presides over. And His people will be with Him for all eternity. And so, we see the afflictions of current rulers and authorities as being light in comparison to the weight of glory that we will receive when the King of Kings and Lord of Lords makes all things right.
And this salvation has gone forth from Bethlehem and is expanding even as we speak. People from all nations, tribes, people, and languages will be together in the New Heavens and New Earth. The wise men came from afar and that signaled that people from every tribe, nation, and tongue were coming into the Kingdom of God. The gentiles who did not have God’s revelation came while the people who knew exactly where the King of Kings and Lord of Lords was to be born stayed at home.
I must ask it today. Are you like those villagers in Jerusalem who were so very close to the Kingdom of God? Have you sat here and heard God’s Word declared to you week after week and still remain seated because you can’t be bothered to trust in the Savior? Do you fear the reaction of the people around you? Do you think it is too much of a bother to give your life to Christ, to entrust your whole self to Him and be baptized? Is that you as you sit through this sermon today?
You are commanded to worship the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. Turn from ruling your own life and trust in Him no matter the cost.
The King of kings and Lord of lords Will Rule Over All Forever (Matthew 2:13-23)
There are many things in this portion of the text that we will not discuss this morning, but I want you to see the main thing. God ensured that His King, who is His Son, would rule and reign over all. And God will do the same forevermore.
We see that God supernaturally intervened to protect this baby, the King of kings and Lord of lords. An angel came and warned them of the danger ahead and told them to flee (Matthew 2:13-14). Joseph led the family away at the command of the angel in the middle of the night in secret. This was a rather dramatic escape and it is very good that they had been provided with expensive gifts from the wise men so they could afford the trip. This kept Jesus from being slaughtered by Herod.
Matthew writes that this fulfilled Hosea 11:1, “out of Egypt I called my son.” It seems like a peculiar statement, but again it is helpful when we understand the context. At the time of writing “my son” obviously described Israel and their exodus out of Egypt. But Jesus is going to make His own exodus, a great exodus. Israel was brought out of physical bondage by the power of God. Jesus was supernaturally rescued here so that He could lead a greater exodus from the chains of sin and death through His very own life, death, and resurrection. He had to make it out of infancy and the grasp of Herod to accomplish this. And God ensured that it would happen.
When Herod died, an angel appeared again to Joseph. Joseph intended to take his family to Judea, somewhere near Jerusalem (Matthew 2:19-21). He trusted the angel’s announcement concerning who his son was and thought it would be better for them to live as close to Jerusalem as possible. But this was just not possible. Joseph found out that Archaelaus was not ruling over the area. This was a late change in Herod’s will. Archalaus was one of Herod’s children that had survived their father’s bloody suspicion. This bothered Joseph and an angel warned him not to go there in another dream. So, plans were changed and the family moved to Nazareth.
God supernaturally brought the child to safety by bringing Jesus to Nazareth, that land North of the Sea of Galilee where the bright light was to come from. The place that Isaiah said would see much anguish and darkness now saw the great light of Christ and the salvation that He brought. And all of this happened by the power of God. God ensured that all of this would take place.
“But there will be no gloom for her who was in anguish. In the former time he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the latter time he has made glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations.
The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light;
those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness,
on them has light shone.
You have multiplied the nation;
you have increased its joy;
they rejoice before you
as with joy at the harvest,
as they are glad when they divide the spoil.
For the yoke of his burden,
and the staff for his shoulder,
the rod of his oppressor,
you have broken as on the day of Midian.
For every boot of the tramping warrior in battle tumult
and every garment rolled in blood
will be burned as fuel for the fire.
For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given;
and the government shall be upon his shoulder,
and his name shall be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Of the increase of his government and of peace
there will be no end,
on the throne of David and over his kingdom,
to establish it and to uphold it
with justice and with righteousness
from this time forth and forevermore.
The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this.”
(Isaiah 9:1-7 ESV)
We are told at the end of Isaiah 9:7 that the strong desire of the Lord to accomplish these glorious things is why we can rest assured that it will happen. And in this event we get a picture of what that means. God will ensure that His salvation will come.
God ensured that the King of Kings and Lord of Lords would survive His childhood. God ensured that His Son would live and accomplish salvation for sinners. And God will ensure that our salvation will be complete, that we will live in this place where peace will know no end. “The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this.”
Conclusion
What a story? The drama that fills this account is astounding! But the message is clear. Everyone, everywhere is commanded to worship the Lord. God has sent His Son into the world, He is King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He has accomplished salvation and entrance into the Kingdom of God. And now God commands that all people, everywhere repent and trust in the Savior. Repent and worship the Lord.
Jesus is and always will be the rightful king of the world and is to be worshiped and adored. Coming out of the Christmas season, let us understand that everyone everywhere is to worship Jesus. No one stands outside of that command. And no ruler, authority, or anyone else in our life is to keep us from worshiping Jesus Christ, who is King of kings and Lord of lords.
R. Dwain Minor