Get the setting
Matthew 2:1a NASB
1a Now, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod, the king,
History records that the Herod of Matthew 2 is Herod the Great, and great he was. He was placed on the throne by Rome. He was a formidable political force. He used his influence and his power to rule Judea for around forty years. He oversaw massive building projects throughout Judea with Rome’s blessing, but those projects were expensive and resulted in exorbitant taxes on the people under his rule. He was thought to be highly intelligent, but he was also highly suspicious and narcissistic. So much so, that he ruthlessly eliminated any real or perceived enemies. He wiped out the entire clan of the Hasmoneans, a strict Jewish religious order. This included the execution of his first wife, Mariamne I, and several of his own children. Jewish and Christian historians revile him for his callousness and cruelty, even to those closest to him. Thus, we find that some of his motivations for his actions surrounding his interaction with the Magi surrounding the birth of Jesus.
Matthew 2:1b NASB
2b ..., behold, [a]magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem,
The word for ‘wise men’ used in Matthew is magi. According to Daniel 2:48, Daniel was made ruler of all of the wise men, or magi of Babylon, which is present day Iraq, under Nebuchadnezzar.
Daniel 2:48 NASB
48 Then the king [ar]promoted Daniel and gave him many great gifts, and he made him ruler over the entire province of Babylon, and chief [as]prefect over all the wise men of Babylon.
Daniel 4:9 NASB
9 ‘Belteshazzar, chief of the soothsayer priests, since I know that a spirit of the holy gods is in you and no secret baffles you, tell me the visions of my dream which I have seen, along with its interpretation.
Later, after Babylon fell to the Medo-Persian Empire, which today is Iran, King Darius established this order of magi as a priesthood and an arm of the government, all under Daniel’s leadership and supervision. Magi were regarded as the scientists of their day. They were earned in astronomy, astrology, divination, and mathematics. They would have relied on much of their knowledge to discern the time of the coming of the Messiah.
Daniel 6:25-28 NASB
25 Then Darius the king wrote to all the peoples, nations, and populations of all [r]languages who were living in all the land: “May your [s]peace be great! 26 [t]I issue a decree that in all the realm of my kingdom people are to tremble and fear before the God of Daniel;
For He is the living God and enduring forever,
And His kingdom is one which will not be destroyed,
And His dominion will be [u]forever.
27
He rescues, saves, and performs signs and miracles
In heaven and on earth,
He who has also rescued Daniel from the [v]power of the lions.”
28 So this Daniel enjoyed success in the reign of Darius, and in the reign of Cyrus the Persian.
Further evidence is found in the eleventh chapter of Daniel:
Daniel 11:1 NASB
1 “In the first year of Darius the Mede, [a]I arose to be of [b]assistance and a protection for him.
This resolves some of the mystery as to the origin of the three wise men or ‘magi’. They came from the east, which brings them from the Medo-Persian area directly east of Jerusalem.
Matthew 2:1c-2 NASB
1c saying, 2 “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.”
Finally, the star. Why did the magi follow the star. Surely, Matthews readers would have been familiar with the scriptures. Take a look at Numbers 24:16-17…
Numbers 24:16-17 NASB
16
The declaration of him who hears the [p]words of God,
And knows the knowledge of the [q]Most High,
Who sees the vision of [r]the Almighty,
Falling down, yet having his eyes uncovered:
17
I see him, but not now;
I look at him, but not near;
A star shall appear from Jacob,
A scepter shall rise from Israel,
And shall smash the [s]forehead of Moab,
And overcome all the sons of Sheth.
I submit, then, that the wise men, or magi were from the east, specifically Persia, and that they were members of a religious order that had once been headed by Daniel, the prophet, who never left the Medo-Persian Empire, but served as the leader of of the order of the magi. Daniel served under three different kings: Nebuchadnezzar, Darius and finally, Cyrus. He did not leave captivity after the end of the seventy years of exile. Now that we have addressed many of the major questions, let’s return to the narrative.
Matthew 2:1-2 NASB (revisited)
1 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, [a]magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, 2 “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.”
There is still so much that has not been addressed in these first two verses. The magi arrive in Judah and go to the seat of government, Jerusalem. After all, if you were looking for an infant king, you would go to the palace, wouldn’t you? After the birth of Jesus, the wise men show up in Jerusalem inquiring about the infant, Jesus. As state d above, Numbers 24:17 provides the first prophetic clue as to why the magi were following a star. I would argue that this order of magi would have taken further clues from the Book of Daniel, particularly surrounding the sixty nine weeks spoken of in chapter nine. Careful study of that prophecy (sixty nine prophetic weeks minus thirty years, the age Jewish priests begin ministry) would have allowed the magi to predict the birth of the Messiah to within about two years. And yes, they would have been looking for the Messiah of the Bible. And yes, they would have come to … worship.
(Verses 3-6 not included in lesson text…)
Matthew 2:3-6
3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 And gathering together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the [b]Messiah was to be born. 5 They said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for this is what has been written [c]by [d]the prophet:
6
‘And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah,
Are by no means least among the leaders of Judah;
For from you will come forth a Ruler
Who will shepherd My people Israel.’”
Micah 5:2a
2a But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
Too little to be among the clans of Judah,
From you One will come forth for Me to be ruler in Israel.
The news of a newborn King of Israel brought trepidation. Heaven had not been heard from in over four hundred years, Why now? What might the ramifications be? Herod inquired of his advisors whether what the magi sought was true. They verified from the prophet Hosea, whose very name was a prophetic rendering, meaning, “He saves”, or, “Salvation”, that the magi were accurate. Interestingly, where the news of Christ’s birth has been received with rejoicing by the common folk, it his perceived as a threat by the elite in Jerusalem, the people in power.
Matthew 2:7
7 Then Herod secretly called for the magi and determined from them the exact [a]time the star appeared.
True to form, Herod inquires about the appearance of the star, with intentions that are less than pure. Political intrigue was his forte. He sought to win the trust of the magi. Rather than wield his considerable influence in a manner that might raise doubt in the minds of his guests, he presents an aire of real interest and concern.
Matthew 2:8
8 And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the Child; and when you have found Him, report to me, so that I too may come and worship Him.”
Based on information provided by his own advisors, Herod sends the magi to Bethlehem to continue their search for the child. He then instructs them to return to him with the news of the infant’s whereabouts, so that he, too, can come worship the infant Messiah.
Matthew 2:9-10
9 After hearing the king, they went on their way; and behold, the star, which they had seen in the east, went on ahead of them until it came to a stop over the place where the Child was to be found. 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.
While I have attributed most of the magi’s actions to their study of the signs in the heavens and their study of ancient scriptures, this passage defies easy explanation. Where their travels to Bethlehem could be classified as providential, it genuinely appears that God takes a more direct approach in guiding the magi to the home of Jesus. While there are many theories about what this second sighting of the star might actually have been,, I find it easier to just take the Bible at its word. The star literally ‘went before them’. More importantly, it led them to the child, Jesus.
There are many mysteries that any good bible student will encounter over a lifetime of studying scripture. Always remember that all roads lead to Christ. All clues eventually reveal Christ. All mysteries uncovered expose us to Christ. Don’t be misled. Don’t lose sight of the goal of scripture, Beloved, our ultimate desire is always Christ. The magi found him and they rejoiced.
John 5:39
39 [q]You examine the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is those very Scriptures that testify about Me;
___________
John 2:11
11 And after they came into the house, they saw the Child with His mother Mary; and they fell down and [f]worshiped Him. Then they opened their treasures and presented to Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
Worship. Before the magi gave, they worshipped. They answered the call to worship. Worship requires no material offering except one’s own self. No greater gift can one offer than worship. A heart set upon Christ will approach Him in humility and gratitude. A heart full of worship will give all. The magi worshipped first. After so long a journey, when they finally entered His presence, they worshipped. Beloved, the scriptures remind us to enter into the Lord’s house with an attitude of worship and reverence.
Psalm 95:6-7
6
Come, let’s worship and bow down,
Let’s kneel before the Lord our Maker.
7
For He is our God,
And we are the people of His [b]pasture and the sheep of His hand.
Gifts of great value, brought from great distances were then given: gold, frankincense and myrrh. Gold was and is representative of royalty, thus denoting Jesus off. Frankincense was representative ice as King. Frankincense was represented in scripture as being symbolic of prayers offered up to God. This was indicative of Jesus fulfilling the role of our Great High Priest, the great intermediary between God and man. Finally, the myrrh, which was used in the embalming process was representative of Christ’s death on the cross. The myrrh, then represented the prophetic office of Christ, in that it prophetically announced the means by which Christ would save. These gifts were gathered from as far away as Africa and Arabia, brought to a small village, Bethlehem and offered to a child who fulfilled the promise of God to save a sin stained creation.
Matthew 2:12
12 And after being warned by God in a dream not to return to Herod, the magi left for their own country by another way.
In the same way that God led the magi to Jesus, He now warned them not to return to Herod. Thus, they went home by a different route. Beloved, we too, can be led by God. In fact, the Holy Spirit, given as a deposit, just a shadow of our heavenly inheritance will lead us if we are willing. One of the signs of a believer is that we ‘hear’ the voice of our Savior. The Holy Ghost can lead us away from danger, as He did with Paul in Acts 16:7, or He can lead you to a place to the benefit of the Kingdom, as in Acts 16:10.
Acts 16:7
7 and after they came to Mysia, they were trying to go into Bithynia, and the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them
Acts 16:10
10 When he had seen the vision, we immediately sought to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.
Romans 8:14
14 For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons and daughters of God.
_____________________
John 2:13
13 Now when they had gone, behold, an angel of the Lord *appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Get up! Take the Child and His mother and flee to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you; for Herod is going to search for the Child to kill Him.”
Then, as if God intended to accentuate the point, Joseph has another visit from an angel warning him to leave immediately, to take his family to Egypt to live until further notice.
John 2:14-15
14 So [g]Joseph got up and took the Child and His mother while it was still night, and left for Egypt. 15 He [h]stayed there until the death of Herod; this happened so that what had been spoken by the Lord through [i]the prophet would be fulfilled: “Out of Egypt I called My Son.”
So Joseph took his family to Egypt and stayed there until prompted until after Herod’s death. When it was safe for him to return, the angel of the Lord prompted him to return to Israel, thus fulfilling the prophecy of Hosea…
Hosea 11:1
When Israel was a youth I loved him,
And out of Egypt I called My son.
Selah
No comments:
Post a Comment