Matthew 2:1-12 – The Visit
Jesus was born in Bethlehem during the time of King Herod who was in the authority of the Roman government. The Magi or Wise Men heard about the birth of the Christ child and saw His star and wanted to go and worship Him. They inquired if anyone had seen the King of the Jews. When Herod heard this, he was disturbed and jealous thinking he might lose his throne. He deceived the Magi telling them he wanted to worship Him, too and told them when they found this King of the Jews; they were to report back to him. His real motive was to kill Him.
The Magi continued to follow the star and it stopped over the place where the child was. When they found Him, they bowed down, worshipped Him, and presented Him with gifts. These gifts had spiritual meanings of who Jesus is, was, and always will be. The gold recognized Jesus as God; the frankincense recognized Jesus as the perfect Lab sacrifice; the myrrh recognized Jesus as the groom of the bride of Christ. The wise men were warned in a dream not to go back the Herod so they returned home another way.
They gave their most treasured gifts which was true worship. We give gifts to Jesus today, though we don’t give directly to Him. We give through our tithes and offerings to be used on His behalf for the benefit of others. We also give gifts to each other, but to Christians the gifts given at Christmas is a celebration of His birth and symbolic of the tributes made to the baby Jesus by the Wise Men. Not only do we give gifts, but Jesus was given as a gift to us. He Himself is the greatest gift of all.
Do you give Jesus your most treasured gifts or your leftovers?
Who were these Magi or Wise Men? Christians often call them kings because Psalm 72:10-11 describes kings who bring gifts to a great ruler. They were Persian priests. They studied philosophy, magic, dreams, medicine and astronomy. They were not Jewish, but apparently studied ancient Jewish Scripture. They knew the prophecy of the star and were prepared to follow it when it appeared. They were looking for a newly born king of the Jews and believed Him to be important. God probably gave them the desire to seek Him and led them to the truth of who Jesus was. They responded and were obedient to the light of the star. They chose to follow the light. We assume there are three wise men because of the three gifts mentioned, but there may have been more.
There are several groups of people mentioned in these verses, but they responded in different ways to the birth of Jesus:
- Herod and all of Jerusalem – All were disturbed by this King of the Jews. Herod wasn’t a Jew, but the Romans made him king over Judea. He was known as Herod the Great. He was a great builder, great in politics and great in cruelty. He wanted to be in control and was jealous and felt his power threatened.
- Priests and Teachers (Scribes) of the law – They were very religious on the outside, but their hearts were far from God. They understood the Biblical information correctly, but failed in application to their lives. They ignored the news of the promised Messiah and made no attempt to go with the Magi to see and worship Him. To ignore Him is to rebel against Him.
- Magi
–
They were overjoyed of His birth and went to worship Him presenting Him with
expensive gifts. Being warned in a dream
to return home another way, they listened and obeyed God’s instructions. We really don’t know how many wise men came,
but by tradition there were three. They teach us a lot
about worship of God. God speaks to
those who are watching and listening.
They gave their true worship by giving Him gifts of their most treasured passions. When they came into His
presence, they bowed in honor.
We all respond to Jesus in one of these ways; like Herod some display an open hatred and hostility for Him; some are indifferent toward Him; many look religious like the chief priests and scribe; some seek Him out and worship Him like the Wise Men.
Which group do you identify with?
There were many wise people in the Bible and there are many wise in the world today. God is looking for wise men who will imitate the qualities of the wise men of Matthew 2. They came to worship the newborn King. We should have the same attitude. He is our Lord, Redeemer and Friend. Following the true light results in a personal relationship with Jesus, guidance from God, and a life of joy.
Micah 5:2 speaks of Christ’s prophesied deity, humanity, and kingship. “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.” Ruth 4: 11-13, 18-22 and 1 Samuel 16:1-13 link Bethlehem with Christ’s great ancestor David. Bethlehem was David’s home town and Samuel came there to anoint David.
Principle: Those who look for Jesus will see Him and those who truly see Him will worship Him and never be the same.
Matthew 2:13-18 – The Escape
When Herod found out that the Magi had outwitted him, he ordered all the baby boys under 2 years old to be killed thinking the baby Jesus would surely be killed. An angel of the Lord warned Joseph in a dream that they were in danger and told him to take Mary and Jesus and escape to Egypt where Herod had no authority. Joseph obeyed and they made the long journey.
The hostility shown in Matt. 2:16 is repeated all through the life of Christ. In Luke 20 the teachers and priests were always trying to trap Him with questions. He was despised and then arrested and put to death. Matt. 26 the chief priest and elders plotted against Him. He was arrested. His own disciples fled and said they didn’t know Him. John 1:11 – “He came to that which was His own, but his own did not receive Him”. John 10:31 – “Again the Jews picked up stones to stone him”.
Knowing that Jesus
came from a despised and an unexpected place encourages us that if Jesus could
suffer so much, surely we can suffer a little.
Our suffering is very small compared to His. God will be there with us no matter what,
just as He was there with Jesus.
We believers are
often mocked and ridiculed because of our relations with Christ. People question our faith. They reject and persecute us for our
beliefs. Many Christians even die for
their beliefs. Many countries today kill
and persecute Christian. America seems
to be on a path with our religious freedoms being tested daily.
According to Open
Doors World Watch List of 2021, these are the top 10 countries out of 50
countries where Christians are persecuted:
1. North
Korea
2. Afghanistan
3. Somalia
4. Libya
5. Pakistan
6. Eritrea
7. Yemen
8. Iran
9. Nigeria
10. India
Most of these countries have been on the top 10 since 2015. Open Doors claim that this is the “worst year in modern history for Christian persecution” and that 309 million Christians experience “very high” or “extreme” levels of persecution and discrimination. They define persecution as any hostility resulting of one’s identification with Christ.
God spoke in dreams in the Old and New Testaments. He spoke of warnings, instructions, and announcements. Now more often, He speaks to us through His Word and His Holy Spirit guides us.
There are a lot of lessons to learn from the book of Matthew:
Mary trusted God when she was with Child. Joseph trusted God when he took Mary as his wife, when God warned him to flee Egypt and again when they left to go to Nazareth. The Magi trusted God when they were warned to go home another way.
Principle: Being identified with Christ may result
in persecution.
Matthew 2:19-23 – The Return
The family stayed in Egypt until Herod died. After it was safe an angel appeared again to Joseph in a dream telling him it was safe to return to Israel. The prophecy from Hosea 11:1 was fulfilled. “Out of Egypt I called my son.” Joseph obeyed immediately. He was still afraid and was warned in another dream about Herod’s son, Archelaus who was now reigning and was just as cruel and his father. So they went to Galilee and made their home in a small town called Nazareth. This was their home town. Jesus grew up in Nazareth and is referred to as “Jesus of Nazareth”.
Principle: Obedience to God’s direction is our greatest protection.
Join me here next week as we continue our study of Matthew -- I encourage you to trust in Jesus.
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