Matthew 2 - The Visit of the Magi and Jesus' Family Escapes to Egypt More Confirmation Jesus Truly Was the Messiah!

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 “A stir begins as soon as Christ is born. He has not spoken a word; he has not wrought a miracle; he has not proclaimed a single doctrine; but ‘when Jesus was born,’ at the very first, while as yet you hear nothing but infant cries, and can see nothing but infant weakness, still his influence upon the world is manifest. ‘When Jesus was born, there came wise men from the east,’ and so on. There is infinite power even in an infant Savior.” (Spurgeon)

The Magi Visit the Messiah

There are many important aspects to the story of the wise men visiting Jesus. The term "wise men" is more accurately rendered "astrologers, magicians, diviners". They were probably from Persia. They could have been Jewish men returning from exile, or Gentiles. I prefer Gentiles, because it shows how Gentiles were drawn to worship Jesus, the King.  Also, they did not know where Bethlehem was so this gives further credence for this argument. 

A couple of historical points. Bethlehem was the town prophesied in Micah 5:2, where the Messiah would be born. It was a small town, 6 miles south of Bethlehem. Then, we see the responses of the leaders of the Jews. First there was Herod, who was a very gifted builder, but also brutal with anyone who opposed him. He tried to manipulate the 3 astrologers into telling him where Jesus would be born to "worship him". We know this was not his motive. And the priests and teachers of the Law, who were at best indifferent. 

Catch the irony of the people who should have been expecting the Messiah, were either opposed or indifferent.  But the astrologers from the East, who were eager to find Jesus even if only because they thought he was an earthly King.  

When, guided by the star, another sign of God's sovereign plan, they found Jesus, they "worshipped him", and brought gifts fitting for a king. God warned them of Herod's intent to kill them and they went back home.

Questions for Reflection

1. What do you think of the 3 different responses to Jesus birth from the King Herod, the religious leaders, and the wise men. 

2. What did your search for Jesus look like? What gifts do you have to offer him as you discover He IS THE MESSIAH?

3. Pray for other people who are searching for Jesus that they, like the wise men, might find him and worship him. 

As you read through the rest of the chapter we see the angel's warning Joseph to escape to the land of Egypt, where another Old Testament figure Joseph had gone to help his people. This also fulfilled Hosea 11:1. 

We see the ruthlessness of Herod, as he figured out he had been fooled by the Magi. He killed all the boys in Bethlehem, who were age two and under. This could either point to the fact that Jesus was around 2 at the time, or the fact that he wanted to eliminate anyone close to baby Jesus' age. Either way his decreee is brutal  cruel and the weeping of the families fulfilled Jeremiah 31:15. 

Later after Herod died, the angel instructed Joseph, Mary, and baby Jesus to go back to Nazareth to be a safe distance from the Herod's son, who was the new ruler and equally ruthless. 

This Archelaus was as cruel as his father Herod the Great, but without any of his greatness. “A man of kindred nature, suspicious, truculent (Josephus, Antiquities, 17,11,2), to be feared and avoided by such as had cause to fear his father.” (Bruce) 

Nazareth was the hometown of Mary and Joseph, and as we later find out a very remote and unknown town. Though there was no Old Testament prophecy about this town, the term "Nazareth" came from the root word "Nazer", which signified the "the Branch". This was a term which meant the Messiah from Isaiah 11:1. 

When you see all of Matthew's attention to historical details and fulfillment of so many Old Testament prophecies, how does this give you confidence that Jesus was a real person and we serve the real God not a fairy tale?