Matthew 2 - Unrestrained Joy!

 Click Here New International Version (NIV)

Click Here The Passion Translation (TPT)

All Commentary Notes are from David Guzik's Enduring Word, or study notes from the TPT translation. (click on icons within text)

Today I will be using the TPT. 

The Wise Men Visit

1Jesus was born in Bethlehem  near Jerusalem  during the reign of King Herod.  After Jesus’ birth a group of spiritual priests  from the East came to Jerusalem 2 and inquired of the people, “Where is the child who is born king of the Jewish people? We observed his star rising in the sky  and we’ve come to bow before him in worship.” 

The wise men are also called "Magi". They were astrologers most likely from Persia, but TPT also calls them "spiritual priests". They were looking for a King/Messiah to come. The city Bethlehem meant "house of bread". When you remember Jesus said, "I am the bread of life" in John 6:35, it makes sense he would be born there. Bethlehem was also the home of King David. The covenant promise God made to David was that the Messiah would come from the "house and line of David". 2 Samuel 7:12-16

Jesus was born in the of land of King Herod. King Herod died in 4 B.C., which roughly is around the time Jesus was born.  Some people might ask if King Herod died in 4 B.C., and Jesus was born during his reign, then Jesus had to be born before 4 B.C.

King Herod was a prodigious king, who ushered in many prolific buidling projects, and he was a good politician. He was also ruthless and eliminated anyone who challenged his authority and power. 

If you are interested in this question here is a good article from GotQuestions.org. I use this website a lot for tough questions. 

What Year Was Jesus Born - Got Questions.org

What's ironic is that these Persian astrologers were seemingly more interested in the coming of the Messiah than some of the Jews, as we will soon see.

King Herod was shaken to the core when he heard this, and not only he, but all of Jerusalem was disturbed when they heard this news.  4So he called a meeting of the Jewish ruling priests and religious scholars, demanding that they tell him where the promised Messiah was prophesied to be born. - Guzik

Not only did King Herod feel threatened by possibility of a king being born, but the rest of Jerusalen was as well. The TPT suggests that it was not only 3 wise men, as has always been interpreted, but likely a large entourage of others, which might have caused the big stir. 

The fact that all Jerusalem was troubled with Herod is significant. This was due either to the fact that the people of Jerusalem rightly feared what sort of paranoid outburst might come from Herod upon hearing of a rival king being born, or because of the size and dignity of this caravan from the East. - Guzik

5“He will be born in Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,” they told him. “Because the prophecy states: 6And you, little Bethlehem, are not insignificant among the clans of Judah, for out of you will emerge the Shepherd-King  of my people Israel

This prophecy was from Micah 5:2,4, which the TPT translated Jesus as "Shepherd-King".  NIV translates as, "A ruler who will shepherd my leader." The Septuagint (which is the Greek version of the OT) also translates as "shepherd/king".  Why is this important?

Jesus was the King of kings, but he was also a shepherd. He was the Good Shepherd who laid down his life for the people. Jesus fulfilled 7 Old Testament prophecies regarding his birth. Here is an article about it:

Jesus Birth Prophecies  

7 Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. 8 He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”

Herod disguised his plot to eliminate Jesus by lying and saying he wanted to go and worship Jesus. 

The irony is strong. Herod claimed a desire to worship Jesus, when he really wanted to kill Him. - Guzik

9And on their way to Bethlehem, the same star they had seen in the East suddenly reappeared! Amazed, they watched as it went ahead of them and stopped directly over the place where the child was. 10And when they saw the star, they were so ecstatic that they shouted and celebrated with unrestrained joy. 

God then rewarded the wise men by guiding them directly to the place Jesus was about to be born. This reminds us of the biblical principle, "If you seek You will find!" 

And when they discovered the reality of finding what they had been searching for the result was "unrestrained joy". They could not contain this joy and they broke out in shouts of celebration. When someone is led to and finds the real Jesus it results in joy, which the world cannot give. We might say they were "ecstatic".

11When they came into the house and saw the young child with Mary, his mother, they fell to the ground at his feet and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasure chests  full of gifts and presented him with gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 12Afterward they returned to their own country by another route because God had warned them in a dream not to go back to Herod.

They saw the young Child with Mary His mother: We notice that Jesus here is called a young Child, likely being between 6 and 18 months old. We also notice that (against custom) the Child is mentioned before the mother. - Guzik

First, came the unstrained joy of seeking for and finding Jesus the Messiah. Next, when they saw Jesus, they fell to ground and worshipped him. I.e. Unrestrained worship. Finally, the gifts they gave to Jesus were extravagant and expernsive. It was not only the type of gifts but the amount of them. I.e. Treasure chests full of them. I.e. Unsrestrained giving.

Question of the Day: Have you ever experienced the unrestrained joy of seeking and finding him? How might that relate to how you worship him daily and at church on Sundays? Does how you give of your time, talents, and treasures reflect this joy?

Paul tells us in 1 Corinthins to be "joyful givers",  "not under compulsion but willingly", and it is in response to the "indescribable gift" God has given us in Jesus.  2 Corinthians 9:7

God warned them to go back to their country by another route, so they wouldnn't run into the vindictive King Herod. 

They Escape to Egypt

13After they had gone, Joseph had another dream. An angel of the Lord appeared to him and said, “Get up now and flee to Egypt. Take Mary and the little child and stay there until I tell you to leave, for Herod intends to search for the child to kill him.”

14So that very night he got up and took Jesus and his mother and made their escape to Egypt 15and remained there until Herod died. All of this fulfilled what the Lord had spoken through his prophet:

I summon my Son out of Egypt. 

This response is consistent with both the character of Herod and humanity in general. It doesn’t speak well of humanity to notice that when God added humanity to His deity and came to earth – in the most non-threatening manner possible – the almost immediate reaction of one section of humanity was to try as hard as they could to murder Him. - Guzik

We see in this passage God works in many ways. He used stars to direct the wise men to the baby Jesus. He used dreams to warn the wise men. In this passage the angel warns Joseph to take Mary and baby Jesus to Egypt to save him from Herod's wrath. 

We see Joseph's continuing obedience as "that night", as he gets up and takes Jesus and "his mother" to Egypt. He remained there until Herod died. The fact that Jesus and his mom and dad ended up in Egypt fulfilled another prophesy from Hosea 11:1, "Out of Egypt I called my Son!". It is interesting that God called Israel out of Egypt to deliver them from Pharoah, and now he is calling Jesus to Egypt and eventually out of Egypt to deliver him from King Herod. 

This will not be the first time Jesus will be delivered from those who want to kill him. But God would not allow it until the time came for Jesus to go to the cross to die for the sins of the world. 

It is important to note Jesus could never orchestrated the fulfillment of any of these prophecies. As a baby he could have not have arranged to have been born in Bethlehem or be taken to and out of Egypt. Fulfilled prophecy is some of the most convincing evidence that Jesus was and is the Son of God!

16When Herod realized that he had been tricked by the wise men, he was infuriated. So he sent soldiers with orders to slaughter every baby boy two years old and younger in Bethlehem and throughout the surrounding countryside, based on the time frame he was given from interrogating the wise men. 17This fulfilled the words of the prophet Jeremiah:

18I hear the screams of anguish, weeping, and wailing in Ramah. Rachel is weeping uncontrollably for her children.  And she refuses to be comforted, because they are dead and gone.

We see what a ruthless and evil man King Herod is, as he ordered every boy 2 years and under to be killed. Note by using the guideline of two years he was being aggressive and killing a lot of kids just to make sure he has eliminated Jesus. We don't know if this meant Jesus could have been two years old or younger, or if Herod was just a evil tryant obsessed with maintaining his own power. 

Though there are no exact descriptions of this event in secular history, it is entirely in character with Herod’s well-known ruthlessness.

i. “Incredible? Anything is credible of the man who murdered his own wife and sons. This deed shocks Christians; but it was a small affair in Herod’s career, and in contemporary history.” (Bruce)

ii. Especially in his last years Herod was cruel and suspicious. When he knew that his death was approaching, Herod had many Jewish leaders of Jerusalem arrested on false charges. He ordered that as soon as he died, they should all be killed – he knew well no one would mourn his own death, so he was determined that some tears be shed when he died - Guzik. 

They Return to Nazareth

19After Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared again to Joseph in a dream while he was still in Egypt, 20saying, “Go back to the land of Israel and take the child and his mother with you, for those who sought to kill the child are dead.”

Once again God used an angel to communicate to Joseph to take Jesus back to Israel. Interestingly he uses the words, "Take the child and mother with you." He doesn't necessarily refer to them as his wife and son. 

So he awoke and took Jesus and Mary and returned to the land of Israel. 22But when he heard that Archelaus, Herod’s son, had succeeded him as ruler over all of the territory of Judah, he was afraid to go back. Then he had another dream from God, warning him to avoid that region and instructing him instead to go to the province of Galilee. 23So he settled his family in the village of Nazareth, fulfilling the prophecy that he would be known as the “Branch.”

Joseph went back to Israel but somehow he learned that Herod's son succeeded him and was also known to be equally ruthless. Then, Joseph received another message in a dream to go North to the province of Galileem and settle the family in Nazareth. The root word of "Nazereth" is "Nazer", which means, "Branch". The metaphor for Branch is used many times in the bible. We have the "tree of life", "the seven braches on the golden Lampstand in Revelation", and Jesus is called "the branch" in John 15, also known as, "the vine". 

The Vine of Christ runs through the bible. Jesus being the branch is also another fulfilled prophecy from Zechariah,  Daniel 11:7, Isaiah 11:1