Matthew 2:1-12
A Response of Wisdom (Matthew 2:1-2) Most believe that this visit from the wise men happened several months after the birth of Jesus. Verse 11 says they were in a house and not in the manager. The later part of Luke 2 indicates that she, Mary, would have gone through here time of purification, Jesus was circumcised on the eighth day, and they offered a pair of turtledoves instead of a lamb. This fact shows that they were poor. Here comes the Magi or the wise men. What we know about them is that they were from the East. They were known to be astrologers, students of the stars. We don’t know how many, most likely they traveled in a great number. They were wealthy gauging by the gifts they gave. Some church tradition tells us that these wise men were from eastern areas of Ethiopia, India, and Greece. It was said that Thomas baptized them. Where they were from and there baptism is not in scripture. This all became legend during the Middle Ages. Isaiah 60:1-6 prophesied about this event. Written 700 years before Jesus, Isaiah said: “Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the Lord will arise upon you, and his glory will be seen upon you. And nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising. Lift up your eyes all around, and see; they all gather together, they come to you; your sons shall come from afar, and your daughters shall be carried on the hip. Then you shall see and be radiant; your heart shall thrill and exult, because the abundance of the sea shall be turned to you, the wealth of the nations shall come to you. A multitude of camels shall cover you, the young camels of Midian and Ephah; all those from Sheba shall come. They shall bring gold and frankincense, and shall bring good news, the praises of the Lord.” Astronomers know of three planets aligning in BC 6 and 5, Jupiter, Saturn, and Mars) forming a very bright appearance, but really the star is just known to be a miracle of God to guide the wise men.
A Resolve to do Wrong (Matthew 2:3-8) What we see here is the opposition of Jesus! Many are in opposition of Jesus. Herod was given the leadership of Judea by the Romans in 40 BC. He was known to be a bloodthirsty tyrant. He was known to kill wives and sons whom he thought revealed the throne. Although Herod called on religious leaders, they were really corrupt politicians. Let’s be reminded that as we see the chief priest and scribes that a mere knowledge of Scripture is not enough. A person can know the text and never know Christ. Herod was all about deception in this context.
A Reason to Worship (Matthew 2:9-11) They had found the most important item of anyone’s quest, Christ Jesus. It was a tradition in the ancient East to give gifts. Each gift we believe is symbolic for then and was foreshadowing of what was to come. Gold was for Jesus’ royalty, Frankincense for Jesus’ deity, and Myrrh for Jesus’ humanity. John 19:38-42 tells us that Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea used myrrh to prepare Jesus’ for the tomb. So this tells us that Jesus was born to die! They worshiped the Savior! We have every reason to worship the Savior! One of the most heart-warming reasons that God came on earth in the form of man is to save us by death. Listen to Hebrews 2:14-15 “Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, 15 and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery.” Made us children of God, destroy the power of death, and deliver us from death.
The Result of a Different Way (Matthew 2:12) They were convicted of not going back to Herod. They went a different way. After you’ve encountered Jesus, you can’t return the same way! The global purpose of God is the praise of Jesus Christ among all tribes of this earth! John Piper says: “God wields the universe to make his Son known and worshiped. He arranges the sky to announce His Son!”