The Chief Priests and Scribes - faith without works
Matthew 2:3-6
3 When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.
4 And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born.
5 And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet,
6 And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel
This is all that is said about the chief priests and scribes at the time of Christ’s birth. I don’t see anything about faith. And that’s the point.
We know they heard the story of the wise men – Herod was troubled and all Jerusalem with him. This could hardly not include them. They heard the wise men were looking for the king of Israel and that his birth had been announced by a star. When Herod asked them where Christ was to be born, they were ready with the answer, Bethlehem. And it was the right answer - they knew the Scriptures and the hope of Israel.
So, they heard the report of Christ being born. They told Herod where to look. And that’s the last we read of them. The wise men go on to Bethlehem to worship Christ. Herod seeks to have Christ murdered. They. Do. Nothing. Absolutely nothing. They just go on like nothing has happened. What?!? What is this? Unbelief. Well, for my purpose today it is faith without works. And as James said: faith without works is dead, being alone.
Now wait a minute. They
were the chief priests, as such they were very involved in the worship of the
temple. That’s works. They were scribes, active in the study and copying of
Scripture. That’s also works. How can I then accuse them of having faith without
works? In Hebrews 6:1 Paul mentioned repentance from dead works. These
are real works or activities, but they are useless, lifeless; having a form of
godliness but denying the power thereof. Jesus said to the Jews, including the
scribes, Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and
they are they which testify of me. And ye will not come to me, that ye might have
life.” (John 5:39-40) Their faith was lifeless. This is why I say they had faith
without works – They could give the right answers, but did not act on
the right answers.
The knew the Scriptures and the hope of the Coming One, but it made no difference in their lives. The wise men arrive and share a supernatural testimony that Christ has been born - they do not believe it. Herod asks them where Christ is to be born - they’re the experts in all things Jewish – they are ready with the correct answer, then go back home. The wise men are moved to worship Christ; Herod to kill the Child; they do nothing. How sad is this? How this must have grieved the heart of the Father – His own people can tell where Christ was to be born, but the report of his birth moves them not an inch. Oh how unbelief hardens the heart!
Take heed, Jeff, lest you think this could not be you. “Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief.” (Hebrews 3:12)
Do they tell us anything about Christ? Yes!
[Herod] demanded of them where Christ should be born. And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet,
And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, art not the least among the princes of Judah: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel.
First, it is written by the prophet. This reemphasizes the importance of the Old Testament and the vital role it plays in the Gospel itself.
Second, And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea. The prophecy was incredibly specific!
Third, out of thee shall come a Governor. The wise men, Herod, and now the priests speak of Christ as king. I’m not the sharpest kid in class, but even I catch this. We almost exclusively talk about Christ as Savior, they’re all talking about Him as king. Must be something to this! This is how the opponents of Paul described his preaching, these all do contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus. (Acts 17:7) Maybe we need to give our current preaching a tune-up?
They offer a slightly paraphrased quote Micah 5:2, probably from the Septuagint:
And thou, Bethleem, house of Ephratha, art few in number to be reckoned among the thousands of Judah; yet out of thee shall one come forth to me, to be a ruler of Israel; and his goings forth were from the beginning, even from eternity.
But notice how they only quoted the first part of the verse. In their defense it may be because they had so little regard for Herod they didn’t want to cast their pearls before swine. But the rest of the verse tells us who this Ruler/Governor/King is:
and his goings forth were from the beginning, even from eternity.
This is amazing! His goings forth were from eternity! This is the Son of God, “begotten of his Father before all worlds” (Nicene Creed). He has been going forth from the beginning: to create all things, to speak to Israel (He is the Word of the LORD), to deliver and save His people Israel, and now to be born of the Virgin. No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him. (John 1:18)
Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
Not a bad testimony from folks who had a dead faith!
King of kings and Lord of lords
Glory (Clap) Hallelujah (2x)
Jesus, Prince of peace
Glory (Clap) Hallelujah (2x)
(Sophie Conty, Naomi Batya, 1980)
Thursday: Zacharias
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