Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, 2 saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” 3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; 4 and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. 5 They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet:
6 “‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for from you shall come a ruler
who will shepherd my people Israel.’”
7 Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared. 8 And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him.” 9 After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. 11 And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. 12 And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way. Matthew 2: 1-12 ESV
Matthew 2: 1-12
4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5 He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them. Luke 2: 4-7
Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea - This was the town of David's youth, and the place from where Messiah was prophesied to come, as noted by the priests and scribes in verse 5 and the passage quoted in verse 6, which is from Micah 5 verse 2.
In the days of Herod the king -
The Herod mentioned here (Mt 2:1, 3, 7, 12, 13, 16, 19, 22) and Lk 1:5+ is known to history as Herod the Great, because of all the great works of building he accomplished, but in reality he was "Herod the Paranoid!" He ruled Palestine from 37 B.C. until he died in 4 B.C. His family was nominally Jewish but actually Idumaean (Edomite, Ge 36:1). He was known for his extensive building projects (including the temple in Jerusalem) and for his cruelty. (See Herod’s Temple in the Time of Jesus and Temple Complex in the Time of Jesus). The Romans had appointed his grandfather, Antipas (died 78 B.C.) governor of Idumaea, and Julius Caesar had made his father, Antipater, procurator of Judea (47 - 43 B.C.). The Roman triumvir, Mark Antony, appointed Herod the Great tetrarch of Galilee in 37 B.C. He greatly increased the splendor of Jerusalem, erecting the Temple, which was the center of Jewish worship in the time of our Lord. - Precept Austin
Wise men came from the east - I will not be able to fully exhaust that statement, but it does raise some questions, and the answers are well worth the digging. First, who are the wise men?
Magi (wise men)(3097)(magos) is derived from the Persian word magus meaning "great" (thus "great, powerful men") and in the plural ("magi") as in Mt 2:1, 7, 16, magi referred to the high priestly caste Persians (also Medes and Babylonians) who are affectionately called the "wise men." The other sense of magos is that of a magician or sorcerer, one who used magic crafts or "witchcraft." We know that the magi were not kings because this specific title means “wisemen” or more specifically, “astrologers.” BDAG adds that magos referred to "a Persian and then also Babylonian wise man and priest, who was expert in astrology, interpretation of dreams and various other occult arts (Herodutus, Josephus 20.142). The Septuagint uses magos in Daniel 2:2 when King Nebuchadnezzar desired to know the meaning of his dream and called "the magicians (epaoidos - one that uses charms or incantations), the conjurers (magos), the sorcerers (pharmakos)." Matt. 2:1; Matt. 2:7; Matt. 2:16; Acts 13:6; Acts 13:8
John MacArthur adds that the magi "were well-versed in astronomy and astrology, agriculture, mathematics, and history. They were involved in various occult practices and were famous for their ability to interpret dreams (cf. Da. 2:1ff.). Such was their political power and influence that no Persian ruler came to power without their approval....(and in his note on the use in Matthew adds) The magi from the east (the word literally means “from the rising” of the sun, and refers to the orient) who came to see Jesus were of a completely different sort. Not only were they true magi, but they surely had been strongly influenced by Judaism, quite possibly even by some of the prophetic writings, especially that of Daniel. They appear to be among the many God-fearing Gentiles who lived at the time of Christ, a number of whom—such as Cornelius and Lydia (Acts 10:1–2; Acts 16:14)—are mentioned in the New Testament. (For more on magi sermon Matthew 2:1: Who Were the Wise Men?) Precept Austin
Where is He Who has been born king of the Jews - So this question puts the birth in the past tense, and these men are the king makers. They were undoubtedly from the east, and by that Mesopotamia, from an order of pagan priests, who blended the science of astronomy with the superstitions of astrology. There is an interesting historical foot note here from a J Mac sermon, and it would explain Herod's paranoid and anxious response.
Now at the time of Christ, at the time of Christ in the Eastern Empire, there was a ruling body called the Megistanes. You don’t need to…that’s not going to be on the quiz so you don’t need to worry about. But there was a ruling house called the Megistanes, and those…this would be like the United States Senate. Okay. That’s just a name, Megistanes. And this ruling house ruled in the Parthian-Persian Empire at this time. Now listen, it was totally composed of Magi whose duty it was, now watch this, to have absolute choice for the selection of a king. They were kingmakers. And you know what happened? They had some real problems with the king that they had. They wanted to fight Rome and knock off Rome. But they had a loser for a king, Phraates the Fourth. And Phraates the Fourth had been deposed. And listen, the Magi were looking for a new king, a new king of the east, a new king of the Eastern Empire who could come against Rome.
When they arrived in Jerusalem Herod knew what was going on. They were kingmakers and when they wandered around town saying, “Where is this new king of the Jews?” Herod got panicky. When suddenly these Persian kingmakers appeared in Jerusalem, no doubt traveling in full force with all their oriental pomp. And they use to wear conical hats with points on the top and big deals clear down to the bottom of their chin, and they rode Persian steeds not camels. And when they came in they didn’t come alone. The estimates of history are they came with Persian cavalry. When they came charging into the city of Jerusalem and Herod peeked out his little palace window, he flipped. These are powerful men, and to make it worse his army was out of the country on a mission. And the Bible says Herod was troubled. I guess he was. The word in the Greek is he was agitated like your washing machine, he was shaking.
You see, Herod had a title. You know what Herod’s title was? King of the Jews. He got it from Caesar Augustus. Caesar Augustus crowned him king of the Jews. And he realized the great dream of his life was to get that little buffer state under his power, and here he was in the middle of two huge contending empires. And all of a sudden this massive coterie of Persians arrive in the city and he is panicked. And they say, “We’re coming to find the new king.” Now at the time Herod was close to death. And Caesar Augustus was really old and hanging by a thread. And since the retirement of Tiberius the Roman army didn’t even have a commander-in-chief. And they knew that this would be the time to bring about an eastern war against the west. It was right. And so Herod was shaking. - J Mac
How did they know a king had been born? For we saw His star when it rose, that is the answer we are given by their profession in the text. So, some interesting points here:
1. They are in Jerusalem asking Herod, and not in Bethlehem, which was prophesied in Micah 5:2, but Micah was a postexilic prophet, living back in Israel.
2. They are Magi which were from the Medes and Persians, very much into studying the stars and trying to interpret dreams.
3. During the Babylonian captivity and transferring into the rule of Medo-Persia, there was a man, who was put over all the wise men, and his name was Daniel. He was a Hebrew, familiar with the prophets, and even notes a prophecy of Jeremiah.
1In the first year of Darius son of Xerxes, a Mede by descent, who was made ruler over the kingdom of the Chaldeans— 2in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, understood from the sacred books, according to the word of the LORD to Jeremiah the prophet, that the desolation of Jerusalem would last seventy years. 3So I turned my attention to the Lord God to seek Him by prayer and petition, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes.… Daniel 9: 1-3
These men came looking for a new king who had been born King of the Jews, so where would they get an idea like that? From Daniel, and when they read the story of the prophet Balaam, who was also likely from their eastern tradition, they would have seen and have had Daniel to explain to them the prophesies about Messiah.
…16the prophecy of one who hears the words of God, who has knowledge from the Most High, who sees a vision from the Almighty, who bows down with eyes wide open: 17I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near. A star will come forth from Jacob, and a scepter will arise from Israel. He will crush the skulls of Moab and strike down all the sons of Sheth. 18Edom will become a possession, as will Seir, his enemy; but Israel will perform with valor.… Numbers 24: 16-18
And in Isaiah, which was written before the Babylonian exile, but Who are all these people looking for? It seems that everyone waiting for Messiah was waiting in expectation of His Millennial reign, wanting to be rid of Roman and all other broken rule:
…2For behold, darkness covers the earth, and thick darkness is over the peoples; but the LORD will rise upon you, and His glory will appear over you. 3Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn. 4Lift up your eyes and look around: They all gather and come to you; your sons will come from afar, and your daughters will be carried on the arm.… Isaiah 60: 2-4
Jesus is the light of the world, and some think that this star was actually the Shekinah glory like the Hebrews followed in the wilderness, the fire by night and cloud by day. The Shekinah was also present in the tabernacle above the mercy seat on the ark of the covenant, but here is a really interesting video by a gentleman who looked at this from the perspective of astronomy. Great video using the science started by Johannes Kepler's search.
…78because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the Dawn will visit us from on high, 79to shine on those who live in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace.” 80And the child grew and became strong in spirit; and he lived in the wilderness until the time of his public appearance to Israel.… Luke 1: 78-80
…15But outside are the dogs, the sorcerers, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood. 16“I, Jesus, have sent My angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the bright Morning Star.” 17The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” Let the one who hears say, “Come!” And let the one who is thirsty come, and the one who desires the water of life drink freely.… Revelation 22: 15-17
Ascertained from them what time the star had appeared - So being that they were coming to see a king who was already born, based upon the star, he would determine the age of the child. It was quite a distance that the Magi came from.
The star they had seen - Now they are seeing the star again and it comes to rest over the place where the child now is. They see the child in the house and fall down to worship Him. He is not any king, but a prophesied King, the Son of God.
Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh - Gold was a gift for royalty, and Matthew continues to develop the reality of Christ as King. Gold is also refined so as to represent purity and that which is rare, set apart for special things. Frankincense, whether this crossed the mind of those worshiping Him or not, I don't know, but it is an incense offered to God, in reference to Christ's deity. Myrrh, some would suggest, and I agree, points to His death, the reason of His first advent, the child growing up in the shadow of the cross. Myrrh was used when they wrapped and embalmed the body, it provided a sought after sent. It is interesting too, how much this covers, as J Mac points out, the gold would provide the money necessary for the families survival in Egypt.
38Afterward, Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus (but secretly for fear of the Jews), asked Pilate to let him remove the body of Jesus. Pilate gave him permission, so he came and removed His body. 39 Nicodemus, who had previously come to Jesus at night, also brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds. 40So they took the body of Jesus and wrapped it in linen cloths with the spices, according to the Jewish burial custom.… John 19: 38-40
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