What Made The Wise Men So Wise?

“WHAT MADE THE WISE MEN SO WISE?”

MATTHEW 2:1-12

2:1 In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem,

2 asking, "Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage."

3 When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him;

4 and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born.

5 They told him, "In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet:

6 'And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who is to shepherd my people Israel.'"

7 Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared.

8 Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, "Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage."

9 When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was.

10 When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy.

11 On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

12 And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.

Everyone does it. When life isn’t going very well it’s normal to complain a little. You let everyone know that you’re not happy with someone or something. Now, some people complain a little and some people complain a lot. Some people complain when they have a good reason to complain and some people complain when they really shouldn’t be complaining at all.

That’s what happened after a man found out that he was going to receive an inheritance from a recently deceased aunt. Now everyone knew that the man was hard to please. So, they weren’t surprised when he complained because the inheritance wasn’t as big as he thought it should be. Unfortunately, his poor wife got the brunt of the complaining. One day after reiterating again his conviction that his aunt had short changed him, the husband announced that he was going to buy some land with the money. That way he could build a home out in the country for their retirement years. “What do you think I should name my new spread?” the husband asked. “Oh, I don’t know,” the wife replied sarcastically. “Why don’t you call it ‘Belly-Acres?’”

Everyone complains a little when things aren’t going very well. Eventually though, the best thing you can do is take the problem to God. You turn to God and pray that things will get better. Over the years though I’ve noticed that people are very different when it comes to the way they want God to help them. You see, some people bow their heads and pray, “Lord, life is really tough right now. So, please change everyone around me so things will get better.” Others bow their heads and pray, “Lord, life is really tough right now. So, please help me change, so things will get better.”

The first approach is the one that people turn to when they’re looking for the easy way out. The second approach is the one that people turn to when they want to use the problem to help them become better, stronger and wiser.

The wise men had to decide which of those approaches they were going to use shortly after they got to Bethlehem. You know the story. Unbeknownst to the wise men Herod was using them. He was hoping that the wise men would lead him to the Christ child. Herod wasn’t interested in paying homage to the Christ child though. What he really wanted to do was to eliminate the Christ child. That’s because Herod saw that tiny baby as a threat to his throne. Now the wise men didn’t have a clue about what was really going on until that angel showed up and warned them in that dream.

“And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed for their own country by another way.” (RSV)

Now the wise men could have taken the easy way out when they found out what was going on. They could have prayed and asked God to change Herod’s wily ways. After all Herod was the problem here, not them. That prayer would have gone something like this: “Lord, please make Herod less paranoid. Help him to see the error of his ways. Or at the very least help him understand that this is all part of Your divine plan and there isn’t anything he can do to stop it anyway. So, he might as well smarten up and get on board.”

It wouldn’t surprise me if that’s what the wise men wanted to do. After all, they probably weren’t too thrilled when they were told they had to go home by another way. That other way was undoubtedly longer and more difficult and they were probably exhausted after their long journey to Bethlehem. Not only that but they must have realized that Herod wasn’t going to be too happy when he found out they weren’t coming back to give him the information that he wanted. What if Herod sent his soldiers out to find them? What if those soldiers found them and brought them back to Herod? Besides, like I said, Herod was the problem here not them.

We all feel that way from time to time. Change him Lord. Change her Lord. Why should I be the one who has to change? I’m not the problem here.

The wise men didn’t do that though. Instead of asking God to change Herod’s hateful heart they changed their plans. They took the hard way home.

It isn’t easy to do what the wise men did, is it? Making changes in yourself or the way you live your life is never easy. That resistance to change can be seen in a poem that was written by an elderly man. The poem expressed his feelings about living in a world full of computers. This is what he wrote:

Once upon a time, computers were only on TV, In science shows of note.

A window was something you hated to clean, A ram was the cousin of a goat.

An application you filled out for employment. A program was a TV show.

A cursor was someone who used bad words, And a keyboard was on your piano.

Log on was adding wood to the fire. Hard drive a long trip on the road.

A mouse pad was the place where a rodent lived, And a backup was in your commode.

Cut you did with a pocket knife. Paste you did with the glue.

A web was the place where a spider lived, And a virus you got with the flu.

I guess I'll stick to my paper and pen, And the memory that’s in my head.

I hear nobody dies in a computer crash, But when it happens they wish they were dead!

Yes, when things aren’t going very well it’s a lot easier to expect someone else to change than to actually change yourself. God didn’t solve the wise men’s problem though by making Herod a warm and fuzzy kind of guy. God didn’t change Herod. God told the wise men that they were the ones who were going to have to make some changes.

Maybe God is saying the same thing to you. Instead of changing someone who’s making life difficult for you, maybe God wants you to change the way you’re dealing with the problem. Instead of making a headache at work go away, maybe God wants you to change and be a little more patient. Instead of making a dream come true, maybe God wants you to change and do something else with your life.

Instead of asking God to change someone or something, you allow God to change you. That’s what you do if you want God to help you to grow as a person. That’s what you do if you want God to help you become a stronger person. That’s what you do if you want God to help you become a wiser and better person.

That’s what happened one day to former President Jimmy Carter. Many years ago he wrote, “"Perhaps because of my Navy training, punctuality has been almost an obsession. Rosalynn has always been adequately punctual, except by my standards. A deviation of five minutes or less in our departure time would cause a bitter exchange. One morning I realized it was Rosalynn's birthday and I hadn't brought her a present. What could I do that would be special for her? I hurriedly wrote a note: 'Happy birthday! As proof of my love, I will never make an unpleasant comment about tardiness.' I signed it and delivered it in an envelope, with a kiss. More than four years later, I still keep my promise. It has turned out to be one of the nicest birthday presents for Rosalynn - and for me." (Reader's Digest, July 1989, p. 183.)

Ask God to change the world or let God change you? The wise men didn’t ask God to change Herod. They let God change them. That’s why the wise men were so wise, and the beauty of it is that we all can be wise men and women. Amen.

Rev. Dr. Richard A. Hughes

January 9, 2005