THE BIRTH OF
THE KING
MATTHEW 2
(under construction)
2:1-2
After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, 'Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.'
We learn from Luke's account of the birth of Christ, that Joseph and Mary had been compelled to leave Nazareth because of a decree of Caesar Augustus wherein all Jews were required to report to their home towns of origin and register there in Caesar's census. Joseph was of the line of David and, Bethlehem, was the city of David. So, that was why the Joseph family arrived in Bethlehem of Judea ... at the precise point in time that Mary went into labor and delivered her first born son, Jesus. This fulfilled, to the letter, Micah's prophecy of the coming Messiah as found in Micah 5:2, that says,
But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. His goings forth are from long ago, from the days of eternity. (NASV)
Doubtless, Matthew chose this scripture because it backed his theme that Jesus is the King of Israel ... from you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. I love this prophecy, by the way. Not only is it explicit as to where the Messiah was to be born ... and, who Messiah would be in relation to Israel ... but, it is also explicit as to who the Messiah was ... he would be none other than the everlasting and eternal God, himself, come to Earth in the flesh!In his account here, Matthew also reminds us that Bethlehem was in the territory of Judea. King David was of the tribe of Judah and, according to the Davidic Covenant, Messiah ... his descendant ... would be of that tribe as well (Genesis 49:8-12). Jesus completely fulfilled all these requirements. He was both the King of Israel, and the Lion of the Tribe of Judah. As you have it in Revelation 5:5-6,
Then one of the elders said to me, 'Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals.' Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing in the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. He had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth.
Let's move on now to Matthew's account here of the wise men, or Magi. First, this is the only place in the Bible where this story is found. Why do you suppose that is? Well, again, it buttresses Matthew's theme that Jesus is the King of the Jews. The Magi came saying ... Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? Although all of the writers of the gospels knew of this story, the others didn't include it in their accounts because it didn't fit their themes. Mark present Jesus as a servant. Mark presents him as a man and John presents him as God. So, this account only fits here in Matthew.
This is a fascinating account. The traditional Christmas pageant presentation of the 3 wise men ... and the traditional Christmas hymn ... We Three Kings of Orient Are ... are historically inaccurate. Some scholars estimate that the wise men who arrived in Jerusalem ... looking for the new born king of the Jews ... came into Jerusalem as a large caravan of a hundred or more Magi from the east! The star they had seen and were following, was an amazing phenomena! The Magi were astute astrologers and this particular new star was so unique that it could not be ignored. And, when they discovered that it actually moved ... they immediately set out to follow it ... correctly coming to the conclusion that the amazing new light in the heavens corresponded directly to a new Light that had appeared on Earth. As you have it in John 8:12,
When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, 'I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life'.
More specifically, they had rightly concluded that the new star meant that a new king had been born. Quickly, the Magi discovered that the star they were observing was far more than a mere star. Indeed, its brilliance and mobility didn't behave like any star they had ever seen before. And, it actually moved in such a way that it indicated that it was to be followed. So, follow it they did. However, I believe that it was not until it had stopped above Jerusalem did the Magi come to the conclusion that the new king was, in fact, the king of the Jews. Jerusalem was the ancient capital of Israel. It was the city from which the kings of Israel had reigned. Therefore, the star first came to Jerusalem to notify the leaders of Israel that their long anticipated Messiah and King had arrived. One can only imagine the stir that was created when these wise men from the east spread out over the city asking their question and declaring the intent of their mission, Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.
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2:3-8
When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. When he had called together all the people's chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Christ was to be born. 'In Bethlehem in Judea,' they replied, 'for this is what the prophet has written: 'But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will be the shepherd of my people Israel.' Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, 'Go and make a careful search for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.'
Make no mistake about it, when the news of the Magi and their questions and declaration reached the ears of King Herod, he was brought up short. Out of the blue, a direct threat to his throne and to the throne of his immediate descendants had come upon the scene. To say that he was not pleased is an understatement. His counter-attack was instant and threefold.
First, he called in the chief priests and teachers of the law ... to find out exactly where, according to the prophets, the Messiah, King of Jews, was to be born. The answer he received was immediate. All the leaders of the Jews knew exactly where Messiah was to be born. Bethlehem, they said, quoting from Micah 5:2.
Second, Herod called in the Magi ... and inquired of them as to the exact time when the star they were following had first appeared. He needed to know that in order to determine the exact time that the new king had been born. Make no mistake about it, Herod was already planning to murder the new king and, with the information supplied by the Magi, he would knew who to kill. Also, when we get to verse 16, we will see that Herod gave himself plenty of leeway ... ordering the death of all infants, 2 years and younger, at Bethlehem.
Third, he craftily enlisted the help of the Magi. Purporting that he wanted to help them, Herod instructed them that they must proceed to Bethlehem. Then, when they had located the new born king, he wanted the Magi to report back to him so that he too may go and worship him. To this, the grateful, unsuspecting Magi readily agreed.
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2:9-12
After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.
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2:13-15
Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, 'Arise, take the young Child and His mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I bring you word; for Herod will seek the young Child to destroy Him.' When he arose, he took the young Child and His mother by night and departed for Egypt, and was there until the death of Herod, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying,
'Out of Egypt I called My Son.'
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2:16-18
Then Herod, when he saw that he was deceived by the wise
men, was exceedingly angry; and he sent forth and put to death all the male
children who were in Bethlehem and in all its districts, from two years old and
under, according to the time which he had determined from the wise men. Then was
fulfilled what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying:
'A voice was heard in Ramah,
Lamentation, weeping, and great mourning,
Rachel weeping for her children,
Refusing to be comforted,
Because they are no more.'
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2:19-23
Now when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, saying, 'Arise, take the young Child and His mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the young Child’s life are dead.' Then he arose, took the young Child and His mother, and came into the land of Israel. But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea instead of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. And being warned by God in a dream, he turned aside into the region of Galilee. And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, 'He shall be called a Nazarene.'
Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.