The First Christmas
Matthew 2:1-7

Just what is Christmas? In many cases, it all depends on who you ask! If you ask merchants who began the Christmas push earlier each year, (right now I think it is before Thanksgiving for most), it is summed up in the phrase, “Profits, profits, and more profits.” Christmas is a time for them to get out of the red in their accounting books.

If you asked the average person—even including believers in the body of Christ—Christmas has become a time of stress, rush, and more stress. If you asked a pastor, Christmas is a time to prepare his best sermon, because it is his only opportunity to get the message to those who will not return until Christmas next year! For little children, Christmas is a time to get the latest and greatest toys. The holiday seems to take forever to arrive and they can hardly wait for Santa to bring home the goods!

Here are some actual letters written to Santa:

Dear Santa Claus,
When you come to my house, there will be cookies for you. But if you are real hungry, you can use our phone and order a pizza to go.

Dear Santa,
I want a puppy. I want a playhouse. Thank you. I’ve been good most of the time. Sometimes I’m wild.

Dear Santa, (From a 4-year-old)
I’ll take anything because I haven’t been that good.

Dear Santa,
I’m not going to ask for a lot. Here’s my list: The Etch-A-Sketch animator, 2 packs of #2 pencils, Crayola fat markers and the big gift...my own color TV! Well, maybe you could drop the pencils; I don’t want to be really selfish.

Our children often reflect the feelings and thoughts we are often too embarrassed to admit. A preacher visited a family for dinner. As he sat in the living room alone with the family’s 6-year-old son, he asked the little guy, “Well, what will we have for dinner?”

The little guy said, “An old goat.”

The preacher scratched his head and asked, “Are you sure it’s an old goat?”

“Sure. That’s what my dad said—Tonight we might as well have the old goat over!”

It is regretful most have forgotten just what Christmas is all about. To make matters worse, we are raising a generation of young people who know even less about the true meaning of Christmas.

History reflects Christians have been celebrating Christmas since 400 years after Christ’s death. The celebration focused on the birth of Jesus. Even the word “Christmas” focuses on Him. “Christ” means “Messiah” or “Anointed One.” This was the title given to Jesus. “Mass” was a religious festival. From the combination of these words we get the word “Christmas,” a Mass for Jesus.

In the West today, Christmas has almost become a non-religious holiday. More children believe in Santa Claus than in Jesus. For adults, Christmas Day has become no more than a time for eating and drinking too much and watching television. But the first Christmas found in our Bibles is nothing like what is celebrated by most today. The story is told in two different Gospels: Matthew and Luke chapters 1 and 2.

The farther away you get from the first Christmas, the less Christmas seems like Christmas. Maybe you’ve looked under the Christmas tree today and everything requested on your list is there, but you still have emptiness. It just doesn’t feel like Christmas.

Let’s talk about the first Christmas as told to us in Matthew. In Matthew chapter 2, we see the first Christmas began with men traveling from the East following a star. These men were Magi who were often referred to as kings. If they were kings, they more than likely had kingdoms. This makes the story even more extraordinary, for here you have kings leaving their kingdoms in search of another king!

It is likely the Magi came from the area known today as Iran or Saudi Arabia. We don’t know exactly how many came. It is suspected three because they brought with them three gifts.

In the unfolding of the story, we find they left their comfort zones in the East in search of this King, Whose birth was highlighted by a star. Their desire was to find Him so that, according to verse 2, they might worship Him. It is odd they came from such a distance, which may have spanned a number of weeks, maybe even months, with the only birth announcement being a star.

Finally, we are told the Magi arrived in Jerusalem, where they met another king. King Herod resided not too far from the place where Christmas was to take place. In contrast to the Magi, who looked at the event with excitement, Herod viewed the event with despair. Verse 3 tells us Herod was troubled. He was afraid he would lose his throne to Jesus, so he wanted to destroy the baby King. He called the priests and scribes who studied the Scriptures to tell him about this baby. You would think Herod knew better than to attempt to stop God’s plans.

In verse 7, King Herod asked the Magi at what time the star appeared, so he would have an idea how old the child was. He wanted to use the Magi only to satisfy his desire for the elimination of the competitor to his throne. King Herod thought when the child was located, he could destroy Him and secure his position.

And so in verse 8, Herod lied and asked the Magi to notify him of the child’s location so he could worship Him. But Herod stayed in Jerusalem and waited for the news from the Magi.

The Magi kept following the star until it stood over the place where Jesus lay in Bethlehem. And when they found the child, they found Christmas. According to verse 10, they rejoiced with great joy. When they entered the manger, they saw the young child with Mary and fell down and worshipped Him.

The Magi did not come like so many of us today, looking for presents. Instead, verse 11 says they opened their treasures and presented to the child gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. Gold was a gift fit for a King. Frankincense was for burnt offerings in the worship of God.  Myrrh was a sign of mortal humanness – it was used to bury the dead.

When we acknowledge Christmas, it is to celebrate the birth of the child Jesus. Christmas is about the Object of the Magi’s attention. It is about Jesus. As we review their story, we learn what happened on that first Christmas Day. Verse 2 reminds us Christmas for them was coming to worship Jesus.

I know we can do this in the quietness of our homes, but Jesus is too big to share only with our immediate families.

The first lesson: The Magi came together collectively to worship the King. As members of the body of Christ, on this special day we really need to come together with other believers so we, too, can worship Him!

The second lesson: They came rejoicing with exceedingly great joy! It is impossible to find Jesus and not have great joy.

The third lesson: When they entered Jesus’ presence they fell down and worshipped Him. I know we don’t come to Church and fall on the floor when we worship anymore, but just standing before the Creator of the Universe ought to make us want to fall down and worship.

The fourth lesson: They didn’t come expecting gifts. Instead they brought gifts to Jesus. We may not have the expensive gifts of gold, frankincense, or myrrh to give Him; but we can make Him rejoice when put our trust in Him for salvation.

The Magi experienced all of these things, and so they have often been called WISE! When we experience these things, we realize the true meaning of Christmas and are also called WISE!
Christmas is much more than giving gifts to friends and relatives—we can do that on our birthdays. Without Jesus, there can be no Christmas celebration. When you have Him, the greatest Gift ever given, you have it all!

Let me close by telling you a story:

Many years ago, there was a very wealthy man who shared a passion for art collecting with his son. They had priceless works by Picasso and Van Gogh adorning the walls of their family estate.

As winter approached, war engulfed the nation, and the young man left to serve his country. After only a few short weeks, his father received a telegram. His son had died.

Distraught and lonely, the old man faced the upcoming Christmas holidays with anguish and sadness. The joy of the season had vanished with the death of his son.

On Christmas morning, a knock on the door awakened the depressed old man. As he walked to the door, the masterpieces of art on the walls only reminded him his son was not coming home. As he opened the door he was greeted by a soldier with a large package in his hands. He said, “I was a friend of your son. I was the one he was rescuing when he died. May I come in for a few moments? I have something to show you.”

The soldier mentioned he was an artist and then gave the old man the package. The paper gave way to reveal a portrait of the man’s son. Though the world would never consider it the work of a genius, the painting featured the young man’s face in striking detail.

Overcome with emotion, the man hung the portrait over the fireplace, pushing aside millions of dollars’ worth of art. His task completed, the old man sat in his chair and spent Christmas gazing at the gift he had been given. The painting of his son soon became his most prized possession, far eclipsing any interest in the pieces of art for which museums around the world clamored.

The following spring, the old man died. The art world waited with anticipation for the upcoming auction. According to the will of the old man, all the art works would be auctioned on Christmas Day, the day he had received the greatest gift. The day soon arrived and art collectors from around the world gathered to bid on some of the most spectacular paintings. Dreams would be fulfilled that day.

The auction began with a painting that was not on any museum’s list of desired collectibles. It was the painting of the man’s son. The auctioneer asked for an opening bid, but the room was silent. “Who will open the bidding with $100?”

No one spoke. Finally someone said, “Who cares about that painting? It’s just a picture of his son. Let’s move on to the good stuff.”

The auctioneer responded, “No, we have to sell this one first. Now, who will take the son?”

Finally, a neighbor of the old man offered $10 dollars. “That’s all I have. I knew the boy, so I’d like to have it.”

The auctioneer said, “Going once . . . going twice . . . gone.” The gavel fell.

Cheers filled the room and someone exclaimed, “Now we can bid on the real treasures!”

The auctioneer looked at the room filled with people and announced the auction was over. Everyone was stunned. Someone spoke up and said, “What do you mean, it’s over? We didn’t come here for a painting of someone’s son. There is millions of dollars’ worth of art here! What’s going on?”

The auctioneer replied, “It’s very simple. According to the will of the father, whoever takes the son…gets it all!”