Matthew 2 - The Wise Men Got It Right!
Verses for the Day: The Magi Visit the Messiah
2 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi[a] from the east came to Jerusalem 2 and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”
As you read through Matthew 2 and the details surrounding Jesus' first two years of life, you can see the many references to prophecies about Jesus. These include: Jesus being born in Bethlehem according Micah 5:2, Jesus would be called out of Egypt from Hosea 11:1, and he would grow up in Nazareth and be called a Nazarene from Jeremiah 31:15. This reminds us of God's sovereign hand in the Messiah's coming to earth.
Interestingly it is Magi who came from the east to worship Jesus, based on the star formation. We assume there were three Magi, because they brought three gifts. But the term "Magi" is just a plural term for Magus. We know these were astrologers from the far East, who were probably Persian.
These travelers are called wise men, which in the ancient Greek is magoi. Misconceptions and legends abound about these wise men. They were not kings but wise men, which means they were astronomers. There were not only three, but probably a great company. They seem to have come not on the birth night, but probably several months later. - Guzik
The wise men came first to Jerusalem, assuming that the leaders of the Jews would be aware and excited about the birth of their Messiah. The wise men are about to find that this wasn’t the case at all. - Guzik
The fact that a future king had maybe been born made King Herod paranoid. Israel had not had a king for over 600 years, although there was some anticipation of a future Messiah who would deliver the Jews from the Romans. But we see King Herod was more interested in the birth of Jesus affecting his power, than the possibility of the Messiah of Israel being born. It also says all Israel was disturbed with him. So maybe they were as guilty as Herod.
We also see the faithfulness of Joseph to leave Bethlehem with Jesus and Mary to go to Egypt. This would not have been an easy journey for any of them. Then, the angel called Joseph to go back with his family to Nazareth, where Jesus was raised.
The term Messiah in Hebrew meant "Anointed One". When David was made Israel's second king, the high priest anointed him with copious amounts of oil, signifying the presence of the Holy Spirit. In Greek the term was "Christos", which is where we get the term "Christ".
Herod inquired of the religious leaders, who told him that Bethlehem was prophesied to be the birthplace of the Messiah. He figured out the times the Magi visited was two years ago, so he ruthlessly killed all the Jewish boys, 2 years old and under. So you see Jesus was born into a very violent world. What is ironic is the Persian astrologers wanted to worship him and brought him expensive gifts, whereas the Jewish king wanted to kill him, and the Jewish people were disturbed.
So you see how different people's expectations were toward the Messiah. The interesting thing is the bible gave them the exact roadmap to be ready find Jesus lying in a manger in Bethlehem. But they were too preoccupied with their own agenda.
What does this story say to you? Are you more like King Herod, or the Magi? Do you look at what Jesus can do for you? Or, like the Magi, offer him your gifts in worship him of the True King?
Those who seek will find!
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