UNTANGLED: Three Wise Guys • Pathway Church Shorewood • 12/14/2025

I joked about saying “Merry Jesus-mas,” but the point is serious: Jesus—not sentiment, schedule, or tradition—is the point. We opened Matthew 2 and looked closely at the Magi. They did not arrive at a manger the night of His birth; Matthew says they came to a house and found a young child. Scripture never names them, never says there were three, never calls them kings, and never mentions camels. Tradition can be memorable and sometimes helpful, but it must never carry the same authority as Scripture, and it must never shape doctrine. There’s a line between creative license and distortion, and Scripture warns us soberly not to add to or take from God’s Word. We should correct harmful inaccuracies with grace, especially where misinformation shapes belief or manipulates people.

Who were these men? Matthew calls them Magi—scholarly priest-types from the East, likely influenced by Daniel’s legacy in Babylon. They would have had Daniel’s writings, including the “seventy weeks” framework that set a timetable of expectation for Messiah. They also would have read Numbers 24:17 about a star from Jacob and Genesis 49 about the scepter in Judah. So they watched the skies—but they were not practicing horoscopes; they were responding to revelation. The “star” could have involved rare natural phenomena or a purely supernatural sign. Either way, God led them precisely.

They knew Daniel, but they lacked Micah; so they went to Jerusalem and Herod had to ask the scribes for Bethlehem. It’s a sober contrast: the Magi had incomplete information but obedient hearts; Herod had complete access to Scripture with no intention to obey. Knowledge without surrender turns worship into theater. When Christ appears, He threatens our personal throne. We either abdicate or resist.

Their gifts preach: gold for a king, frankincense for the Divine, myrrh for burial. They likely funded the family’s flight to Egypt. More, they signal that Jesus is King for all nations—near or far, rich or poor, quick responders or long seekers. The heart of it all: those who truly seek Him will find Him. So, don’t compare your journey. Be obedient with the light you have. Expect obstacles—even religious ones. Offer Him what costs you. And when you meet Jesus, you cannot go back the same way.

Key Takeaways

• 1. Those who truly seek will find God meets shepherds in a night and scholars over months. He uses angels, Scripture, study, and even the cosmos to lead humble hearts to Christ. The path may be long or short, but the promise is the same: seek Him honestly and you will be led. Your story’s pace is not the measure—His presence is. [51:25]
• 2. Scripture, not tradition, guides worship Tradition can help memory, but it cannot set doctrine, redefine God’s character, or alter the gospel. We must handle creative portrayals with grace while refusing to let them teach error, especially to the young. Scripture is the plumb line; anything that adds to or subtracts from it is dangerous. [22:42]
• 3. Knowledge without obedience hardens hearts Herod had access to all the right answers and still opposed the rightful King. The Magi lacked Micah but obeyed what they knew, and God guided them the rest of the way. Intellectual assent without surrender breeds hypocrisy; obedience opens the door to revelation. [45:19]
• 4. Worship offers costly, honest tribute Gold, frankincense, and myrrh confess royalty, divinity, and sacrifice—truths about Jesus that demand response. Sometimes worship looks like proclamation; sometimes like quiet discernment that avoids Herod. Bring what you have—time, repentance, obedience, resources—and lay it at His feet. [49:04]
• 5. Meeting Jesus changes your direction No one meets Christ and leaves unchanged. The shepherds returned to ordinary life, but not as ordinary people; the Magi quite literally took another road home. If your habits, loyalties, and routes remain untouched, perhaps you watched from a distance rather than worshiped at His feet. [56:11]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [00:18] - Merry Jesus-mas and purpose
• [05:50] - Reading Matthew 2:1-12
• [08:50] - House, not stable: timeline matters
• [10:56] - Three kings, camels, and tradition
• [19:58] - Creative license and sober warnings
• [27:50] - What was the star?
• [33:08] - Who were the Magi?
• [38:24] - Daniel’s seventy weeks countdown
• [44:10] - Herod, Micah, and missing Scripture
• [48:26] - Gold, frankincense, and myrrh
• [50:09] - Christ for all who seek
• [52:32] - Five applications for seekers
• [56:11] - When you meet Jesus, change direction
• [57:43] - Closing prayer

1. In Matthew 2:11 the visitors enter a “house” and see a “young child.” What does that detail suggest about the timing of their visit in relation to the night of Jesus’ birth? ([08:50])
2. What title does Matthew give these visitors and where are they from? How is that different from calling them “three kings”? ([33:08])
3. In Matthew 2:4-6, who provided the missing information about Bethlehem, and what does that reveal about who had access to Scripture? ([44:10])
4. What are the three gifts named in Matthew 2:11, and what meaning was highlighted for each? ([49:04])

1. The visitors had incomplete information yet obeyed what they knew; Herod had complete access yet resisted. What does this contrast teach about the danger of knowledge without surrender? ([45:19])
2. What is the healthy line between creative retelling and distortion, and how should believers correct inaccuracies with grace without letting misinformation shape doctrine? ([19:29])
3. God led different people to Jesus by very different means and timelines. What does this reveal about God’s heart for seekers and why comparing spiritual journeys is unhelpful? ([50:09])
4. How do gold, frankincense, and myrrh proclaim Jesus as King, Divine, and Sacrifice, and what kind of response does that identity call for? ([49:04])

1. Where are you right now in the “seeking” journey—more like the shepherds who came quickly or the Magi who traveled long—and what is one simple next obedience you can take with the light you already have? ([52:32])
2. Are there Christmas traditions or Christian assumptions you’ve treated like Scripture? Which ones need to be held loosely or gently corrected, especially with kids or new believers, and how will you do that with grace this week? ([15:34])
3. In what area do you have plenty of biblical knowledge but are resisting surrender because it would dethrone your plans? What would “abdicate the throne” look like for you this week—specifically? ([45:52])
4. What costly, honest tribute is Jesus asking of you right now—time, repentance, generosity, reconciliation, holiness? Name one costly step you will take and when you’ll do it. ([55:02])
5. What obstacles are trying to derail your seeking—especially religious-sounding ones that quote Scripture but don’t aim at obedience—and how will you discern and respond? ([46:31])
6. If meeting Jesus changes our direction, what “road” needs to change for you this week—calendar, media habits, a relationship, a route you keep taking in temptation? What is your “another way home”? ([56:11])
7. Where are you tempted to look for guidance outside of God’s Word (cultural trends, horoscopes, viral spiritual advice)? What will you put in place to keep Scripture as your plumb line? ([17:27])