Matthew 2:1-12 > Seeking Jesus - by Jeff Byerley
Outline:
1:1-2 Jesus born at Bethlehem and wise men arrive in Jerusalem.
1:3 King Herod troubled and all Jerusalem.
1:4-6 Herod learns from scripture that the new king was to be born at Bethlehem.
1:7-8 Herod deceives the wise men.
1:9-11 The wise men find Jesus, worship him and give him gifts.
1:12 The wise men are warned in a dream not to tell Herod.
Reflections:
1. Who were these wise men?
There are “Magi” (singular “Magus”). Herodotus provides some history about them. They were originally a Median tribe that became part of the Persian Empire. The Medes had tried to overthrow the Persians but failed. From then on the Magi ceased to pursue any kingly ambitions, but became a tribe of priests similar to the Levites of Israel. They were skilled in astrology, philosophy, medicine and natural sciences. They became teachers to the Persian royal household. Later the word Magi lost its lofty status and came to mean a fortune teller, magician, sorcerer and charlatan. Such was the description of Simon Magus and Elymus (Acts 8:9,11 & 13:6,8).
2. Why was Herod troubled and then all Jerusalem (v.3)?
He was called Herod the Great and in many ways he deserved the title since he built a number of great structures including the Temple. The Romans had made him (a puppet) king in 40BC but he developed insane suspicions over his position. He murdered his wife Mariamne, her mother Alexandra and three sons. Caesar Augustus had said that it was safer to be Herod's pig (hus in Greek) than his son (huios). He was half Jewish and half Idumean. Having Edomite blood in him meant that he had no true claim to be a king of Israel. The news of the birth of a new king was normally an occasion for great celebration, which no doubt was the expectation of the wise men. However, for the insane Herod it was a message of dread and all of Jerusalem feared his reactions. Herod clearly understood the wise men's message as referring to the long awaited Messiah (vv.4,8). Along with Herod, the Jewish leadership in Jerusalem had collaborated with the Romans and feathered their own nests at the expense of the people who hated them. The possibility of the people joining an eastern alliance and rising against them was real. The Parthians had attempted this a few decades earlier.
3. How could Herod be so foolish?
It seems incredulous that Herod accepted the divine prophecy laid out in Micah 5:2, but then plotted to thwart God's own divine promise. Indeed, we found that the hand of God is strongly seen in this passage with Jesus' birth, the new risen star, the calling of foreign dignitaries to come and worship and the warnings in dreams.
4. Why was it important for Herod to establish when the star first appeared (v.7)?
The time at which the star first appeared would give Herod the date of birth of the Christ child, whom he wished to kill. Indeed, we noted that whilst the passage begins with the fact of Jesus' birth, from verse 7 onwards it refers to Jesus as the “young child”, not “baby”. The actual Greek word is “paidion” and usually means an infant or a toddler. This explains Herod's later murderous targeting of Bethlehem infants.
5. What is the significance of the wise men's gifts?
Gifts of gold were customarily given to kings, frankincense to priests and myrrh for anointing the bodies of the dead. They all pointed to Jesus' status and roles.