What does First B Jackson teach about wise men?
Drawn from the messages where it was actually addressed: the words said from the front, the passages taught, and where to hear the whole thing.
At First B Jackson, the teaching on the wise men keeps returning to a single observation: these were pagan outsiders, likely astrologers from the Far East, who had no formal connection to Israel's covenant, and yet God was drawing them toward Jesus by speaking to them in a language they already understood. The star was not an accident. Psalm 19's claim that creation pours forth speech in every language was brought to bear on this moment, with the point being that the great commission was already being illustrated at the very birth of Jesus. God was pulling people from the uttermost parts before anyone had been told to go there.
The Magi also serve as a sharp contrast to Herod and the religious establishment in Jerusalem. The chief priests and scribes knew Micah's prophecy well enough to quote it on the spot, locating Bethlehem as the birthplace of the Messiah without hesitation. But they were not the ones following the star. The wise men were. The pattern the teaching draws out is that receiving accurate information about Jesus is not the same thing as acting on it honestly. Every time the Magi received direction, from the star, from the dream warning them away from Herod, they responded. They went home another way. That is the same simple obedience the teaching traces through Joseph, through the shepherds, and through the Magi alike.
The gifts the wise men brought are not left as mere ceremony in these messages. The gold, frankincense, and myrrh given to a poor family in Bethlehem likely became the traveling money that got Mary, Joseph, and Jesus safely to Egypt when Herod ordered the killing of the children. God provides for those who are obedient. The Magi gave in worship, and what they gave made survival possible. That connection was used more than once to press the same impulse forward: giving to those in need is an act of worship toward Jesus, the same instinct the wise men carried across the desert.
Taught from Matthew 2:1-11 · Matthew 2:1-23 · Micah 5:2 · Galatians 4:4-5 · Psalm 19
The passage taught · 2 Corinthians 8:9
9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that you through his poverty might become rich.
World English Bible
Messages that go deeper
- December 25, 2024 Christmas Eve Service 2024 - 6pm A Christmas Eve message from First Baptist Jackson on the birth of Jesus, the purpose behind God becoming flesh, and what it means to act on that good news.
- December 13, 2021 Son of David, Son of Abraham A Christmas sermon from Matthew 1-2 tracing Jesus' genealogy, the Magi's journey, and Joseph's quiet obedience, showing how God's promises to all nations came true in Bethlehem.
- December 24, 2017 Christmas Eve Candlelight Services (3) A Christmas Eve service from First Baptist Jackson featuring scripture readings, carols, and a message about Jesus as the light of the world that darkness cannot extinguish.
- December 25, 2016 Christmas Day (3) A Christmas morning sermon on Matthew 2, tracing God's on-time, on-purpose plan through the wise men and Joseph's simple obedience, from Bethlehem to the final judgment.
- December 24, 2015 Christmas Eve Candlelight Service (3) A Christmas Eve service from First Baptist Jackson traces the nativity from Isaiah's prophecy to the wise men, and calls believers to carry Christ's light into the world.