Mat 2:1 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,
Mat 2:2 saying, "Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him."
The Greek term magos, mag'-os ("wise men") is plural, but nothing is said of the exact number of men, traditionally considered to be three because of the three gifts.
A magos (or "Magian") was a wise man or seer from a Median tribe in Persia who interpreted dreams and acted as priest. After an unsuccessful rebellion against the Persians, the magoi became a priestly tribe, much like the Levites of Israel.
Although they were not kings, the magi were elevated to positions of rule. They more than likely became familiar with the Jewish hope of a Messiah while Israel was under Persian rule (539-332 B.C.).
The wise men were acquainted with a well-known Jewish prophecy that the Messiah was to deliver Israel from its foreign rulers in the 77th generation.
They were experts in the study of the stars. Their title connects them with magic, but they were probably more like astrologers. But make no mistake; their presence in the biblical record is not a divine endorsement of astrology.
God gave them a special sign, a miraculous star that announced the birth of the King. The star led them to Jerusalem where God’s prophets told them that the King would be born in Bethlehem. They went to Bethlehem, and there they worshiped the Christ Child.
The historians Josephus, Tacitus, and Suetonius, and the poet Virgil attest to a universal expectation of a redeemer about that time.
Matthew shows that Jesus fulfilled prophetic utterances concerning both the place of the birth of the Messiah in Bethlehem, and the Gentiles, who would come bearing gifts (Ps. 68:18, 29; 72:10; Isa. 60:3-6), while the chief priests and scribes would reject Him.
The magi were seeking the King; Herod was opposing the King; and the Jewish priests were ignoring the King.
The Magi discover by faith that which is missed by Herod and the religious leaders of Judaism, who possessed the Scriptures.
Wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, "Where is He who has been born King of the Jews?
Mat 2:3 - When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.
Again let me say here that this verse is perhaps one of the reasons why we can’t limit the number of wise men to three. Dr. J. Vernon McGee says in his commentary that it could have been more like three hundred wise men who came from the east to Jerusalem because of the effect it had not only on King Herod but “all Jerusalem” as verse three says.
The wise men that came from the East evidently came from different areas. They had been studying the stars, and this new star appeared, they joined forces and converged upon Jerusalem.
The magi were seeking the King, but Herod was afraid of the King and wanted to destroy Him. This was Herod the Great, called king by the Roman senate because of the influence of Mark Antony. He basically bought his position from the Roman government.
Herod was a cruel man who permitted no one, not even his own family, to get in the way of his rule or prevent him from satisfying his evil desires. A ruthless murderer, he had his own wife and her two brothers murdered because he suspected them of treason.
He was married at least nine times in order to fulfill his lusts and strengthen his political ties.
It is no surprise that Herod tried to kill Jesus, for Herod alone wanted to bear the title “King of the Jews.”
But there was another reason. Herod was not a full-blooded Jew; he was actually an Idumean, a descendant of Esau. One commentator says the Herod family was more like a “first century Mafia.”
Mat 2:4 And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.
The KJV translation uses the word “demanded.” He didn’t just inquire or ask where the Christ was to be born; he demanded. I can imagine him saying in the manner of a Mafia Godfather, “I know you know where He is, now I want you to tell me.”
Mat 2:5 So they said to him, "In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet:
Mat 2:6 'But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, Are not the least among the rulers of Judah; For out of you shall come a Ruler Who will shepherd My people Israel.'"
These priests knew the Scriptures and pointed others to the Savior, but they would not go to worship Him themselves! They quoted Micah 5:2, as we see in verse five and six of our text but did not obey it. They were five miles from the very Son of God, yet they did not go to see Him!
It is interesting that the Gentiles sought and found Him, but the Jews did not.
The problem with the Jewish scribes was that their knowledge was academic rather than personal. And how similar in our day, we have people in the church who only have head knowledge of the Savior but no heart knowledge.
There knowledge is academic but not personal.
They know the Bible but it is nothing more than trivia to them.
Like for the Jewish scribes, it is all hypothetical and not heartfelt.
On the other hand, the Magi’s hearts were moved by the knowledge of the Messiah they had. They were moved to seek the Christ Child and find Him. They traveled long and hard and wearied themselves in order to find and worship the King. They knew something that many of us still haven’t learned: “He is worthy!”
Mat 2:7 Then Herod, when he had secretly called the wise men, determined from them what time the star appeared.
Mat 2:8 And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and search carefully for the young Child, and when you have found Him, bring back word to me, that I may come and worship Him also."
The heart of the wise men continues to be made known. They had come to worship the Child.
But notice, the words of that rascal King Herod. In verse 7, he secretly sends for the wise men and learns what time the star appeared and then verse 8 tells us he sends them to Bethlehem on a “search and discover” mission. He wants, like them, to worship the Messiah…or does he?
Unbeknownst to the Magi, Herod wants to kill Jesus. Verses 12 and 13 tell us that Herod didn’t want to worship the Christ Child, he wanted to wipe Him out.
Mat 2:9 When they heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was.
Let’s talk a little more about this star.
According to Matthew 2:2, the Magi came to Jerusalem asking the question, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.”
This tells us that the star appeared in the night sky sometime before the wise men appeared in Jerusalem.
Now, considering the fact that they did not travel at that time by train, plane or automobile, they probably didn’t get to Jerusalem for a considerable amount of time after the appearance of the star. Traveling by camel caravan, it may have taken as much as a year to get there.
Notice that in verse seven Herod doesn’t know anything about the star until he hears their question about it—so after hearing of the star, he asks them what time it appeared.
When they leave Herod, making their way to Bethlehem, the star reappears and goes before them. Verse ten in the NIV tells us that when they see it, they get “overjoyed.” But I like the way the NASB, NKJV and the KJV put it. In these translations it says, “they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.”
The fact that they got excited about seeing the star lends credence to the theory they must have traveled a long time from the East to Jerusalem without seeing the star.
The unusual behavior of the star also answers some of the guesswork you might hear today about there being “a confluence or convergence of certain stars in space that happened right at the time the wise men were traveling.” Our text lets us know that this was an unusual star, a supernatural star.
Mat 2:11a And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him.
Did you notice that the place Mary and the Child Jesus were staying was a “house” not a manger? By the time the Magi arrived, Jesus was not in the stable behind the inn. By this time the census was over and the multitudes of people who had filled the inns causing there to be “no room” had gone back to their homes.
Why didn’t Joseph take Mary and the baby Jesus back to Nazareth in the city of Galilee?
Once Jesus was born, what mother in her right mind would make a 120-mile trip on camelback with a newborn? Even in our day with luxury cars this is something that one would think twice about.
The Bible says when the wise man entered into the house they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. They didn’t exalt Mary. They didn’t worship Mary and the Child; they worshipped Him.
If you ever wanted to know what the first birthday party for Jesus was like, it included worship. If you call yourself celebrating Christmas and not worshipping Him, you are not celebrating Christmas.
You may also need to know that it not only included worship, it included gift giving. But the gifts were given to Him. Mary and Joseph didn’t get any gifts. They didn’t give gifts to each other. The wise men didn’t even give gifts to each other.
Matthew 2:11 says, “…when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.” They presented their gifts to Him!
It's interesting that we don't know the names of the wise men, but we know what they gave. I’m always suspicious of the donors of large gifts who want their names associated with their gifts.
Recently, I read the story of a successful businessperson who gave to a college in South Jersey by the name of "Glassboro State College” a gift of 100 million dollars. Suddenly the name of the school changed to "Rowan College". Need I tell you the name of the person who gave the large donation?
But then there are those godly men and women who give out of a pure motivation or desire to honor the Lord. There are the kinds of people who don't care to have their names mentioned. This is why at New Vision, we try to avoid sounding a trumpet when people give—we don’t want to rob you of your reward from the Lord.
The wise men gave gifts fitting not just for a king but fitting for the King of Kings.
The gifts were a part of their worship. They bowed down before Him, and they offered Him gifts. One commentator points out, "They had known Christ but one day; He had performed no miracles; No one else was giving Him honor; He was but a helpless Babe, yet they fell down and worshipped Him."
There were three kinds of gifts given to Jesus by the Magi. They were gifts not just fit for a king but fit for the King
Together, the three types of gifts represent three roles of Jesus the Messiah:
* His kingly office is represented by gold
* His deity by frankincense
* His humanity by myrrh.
They offered him incense as their God; gold as their king; and myrrh, as to a human who would be subject to suffering and death.
Also, it's clear that the providence of God is seen in these gifts. The value of these gifts provided the means necessary for a long and expensive journey into Egypt, and to sustain Joseph, Mary and Jesus in a foreign land where they would stay for a considerable amount of time.
The first gift mentioned was gold.
Gold was the usual offering presented to kings by their subjects, or those wanting to pay respect. It seems that the metal we know as gold has always held extremely high value - as long ago as 2,500 BC, gold was highly sought after, and used as a medium of exchange.
But why has gold always represented great value? There are several reasons:
Gold is scarce. Gold is dug from the earth. The law of “supply and demand” keeps its value relatively high.
Gold is, as one writer put it, "warmly beautiful". On Edmondson Avenue, there is a church with a doom coated with gold, shimmering in the sun. I have to be careful not to gaze at it too long while driving by—it’s beautiful!
Gold is enduring, and can withstand all natural acids and even fire. Attention is drawn to this characteristic during a wedding ceremony. The ring becomes the symbol of a marriage, which will hopefully endure the tests of time, tribulation, hardships, disagreements, illness and bereavement.
Gold is soft enough to be easily molded but also can easily be combined with other metals to provide an even greater strength.
In both the Old Testament Tabernacle and the Temple, gold was used plentifully. In the Bible we also find that gold is also associated with worship.
In Exodus 25 God gives instructions on how to make the Ark of the Covenant. He says to Moses“…you shall overlay it with pure gold, inside and out you shall overlay it, and you shall make a gold molding around it. And you shall cast four gold rings for it, and fasten them on its four feet, and two rings shall be on one side of it and two rings on the other side of it. And you shall make poles of acacia wood and overlay them with gold. And you shall make a mercy seat of pure gold, two and a half cubits long and one and a half cubits wide. And you shall make two cherubim of gold, make them of hammered work at the two ends of the mercy seat.”
The lamp stand was made of pure gold. The snuffers and trays were made of pure gold. The clasps holding the curtains together were pure gold. The curtain rods and rings used to hang the curtains were made of pure gold.
What if God required the furnishings in our church to be made of gold? As Christians, we can be glad the Lord does not require this kind of gift from us.
But don’t think that you are “off the hook.” While many of us do not have gold to give to the King Jesus, He does however, require a “golden reverence” to Him as King.
* As Gold is scarce so is the committed and surrendered Christian.
Mat 7:13 "Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it.
Mat 7:14 "Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.
The committed Christian, like gold, is hard to find. John 4:23 tells us that God is seeking “true worshippers.”
* As Gold is "warmly beautiful" the Scripture says in Romans 10:15, "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, Who bring glad tidings of good things!"
* As Gold is enduring, and can withstand all natural acids and even fire, the Bible says the Lord knows the way of the Christian under hardships, trials and tribulation and “when He has tested me, I shall come forth as gold.” (Job 23:10)
* Gold is soft enough to be easily molded but also can easily be combined with other metals to provide an even greater strength. Peter teaches us that the Christian who adds to his faith things like virtue, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, brotherly kindness and love, will be not barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. (2 Peter 1:5-8)
No, many of us may not be able to give to the Lord gold but we can offer Him, who is our King, a “golden reverence”.
When the Magi presented gold, they were honoring Jesus with the very best that they possessed, and they were also recognizing that Jesus was King.
The second gift that came out of the treasures of the Magi was frankincense.
Frankincense is a very costly and fragrant gum distilled from a tree that is found in Persia, India and Arabia, as well as the East Indies. It is a white resin or gum, and is obtained by slitting the bark of the "Arbor Thurisfrom", and allowing the gum to flow out.
The word actually means "whiteness", referring to the white colored juice, which flows out of the wound in the tree. This gum is normally gathered at the end of the summer, hardened for three months and sold in the form of "tears", or clumps of hardened resin.
Frankincense is highly fragrant when burned, and was, therefore, used in worship, where it was burned as a pleasant offering to God.
Exodus 30:7,8 gave instructions to Aaron who “must burn fragrant incense on the altar every morning when he tends the lamps. He must burn incense again when he lights the lamps at twilight so incense will burn regularly before the LORD for the generations to come.”
Leviticus 16:12 says, “He is to take a censer full of burning coals from the altar before the LORD and two handfuls of finely ground fragrant incense and take them behind the curtain.”
Frankincense was also used as medicine and as perfume.
The primary lesson from frankincense is that our worship is to be pleasing to God. Remember, this sweet smelling resin comes pouring out when the tree is cut and wounded.
Who among us has never been wounded? When we are wounded, how do many of us behave? We behave like a wounded animal. Hunters will tell you the most dangerous animal in the wild is a wounded one. When cornered, they fight back. When injured, they will try to kill you.
The gift of frankincense reminds us that when we can worship God in the midst of our pain, sorrow and our brokenness, then it is a sweet smelling offering to Him. That's why David said, "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise." (Psalms 51:17 )
There is a lot of emphasis in worship today on "celebration". There seems to be no time for agonizing and tears, only for shouts of joy and victory.
What many forget is that a time of true praise and worship is so many times followed by a period of mourning, repentance and cleansing.
James 4:8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
James 4:9 Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom.
James 4:10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.
No I am not knocking joyful praise, which is acceptable to God. What I am saying is, tears of repentance, like frankincense resin, oozing out of our hurts and broken hearts are especially pleasing to the Lord as a sweet smelling sacrifice.
Anyone can dance and shout when their team is winning. Anyone can praise the Lord when everything is going their way. But true worship happens when one overcomes the feelings of self-pity, fear and doubt that come from the guilt and shame of sin.
Frankincense is highly fragrant and was burned as a sweet-smelling offering to God.
The last gift brought by the Magi was Myrrh.
Myrrh is an fragrant gum produced from a thorn-bush that grew in Arabia and Ethiopia, and was obtained from a tree in the same manner as frankincense.
This thorny tree, called "balsamodendron myrrha", is similar to the acacia. It grows from eight to ten feet high, and is thorny. When it oozes from the wounded shrub, myrrh is a pale yellow color at first, but as it hardens, it changes to dark red or even black color.
Now, if frankincense represents sweetness, myrrh represents bitterness, at least to the taste. In fact, the name itself was given to it on account of its great bitterness.
The Hebrew word for myrrh is similar to the name given the waters that were bitter when Moses and the people were coming out of Egypt. "And when they came to Marah, they could not drink of the waters of Marah, for they were bitter: therefore the name of it was called Marah.” (Exodus 15:23)
In the book of Ruth, Naomi says to her daughters-in-law - "Call me not Naomi, call me Mara: for the Almighty hath dealt very bitterly with me.” (Ruth 1:20)
Myrrh was used primarily in embalming the dead, because it had the ability to keep things from decaying. (John 19:39).
It was used a lot in Egypt and in Judea as a means of exchange, (Genesis 37:25) and was an ingredient of the holy ointment of Exodus 30:23.
It was also used as a pleasant perfume (Esther 2:12; Psalms 45:8; Proverbs 7:17). For many of the ancients, myrrh was considered to be a favorite perfume, said to keep its fragrance for several hundred years when kept in an alabaster pot.
Myrrh also had medicinal qualities, sometimes mingled with wine to form a tonic. Such a drink was given to our Savior, when He was about to be crucified, to deaden the pain. The Bible makes it clear that Jesus would not drink it. (Mark 15:23; Matthew 27:34).
It's also interesting to note that the Greek word for myrrh, "smurna", is the same as the name of the city and church, which received a letter from the Apostle.
Smyrna was the second of the seven churches of Asia that John was instructed to write to in the early chapters of the book of Revelation. This church was distinguished by it being persecuted (Revelation 2:8-11) - they understood the bitterness of being mistreated for the sake of the Gospel.
As the wise men brought myrrh as a gift, the providence of God ordains it to acknowledge the human suffering that Jesus partook of when He came into the world.
Do you know why Christ refused the drink offered to him while on the Cross? He refused it because He wanted to experience the full-brunt of the pain of suffering. But there may be another reason.
Perhaps He refused to drink the mixture of wine and myrrh because He had already drunk it. Remember, in the Garden of Gethsemane, He had prayed at first that He could be spared the cup, but then He submitted to His Father's will and drank the bitter cup of His suffering (Matthew 26:42). He had already drunk the bitter cup of suffering!
Gold was brought to honor Him as King. Is there a way that you and I can offer our King a golden or priceless reverence this Christmas?
Frankincense was brought to worship Him as God. Some of you have been wounded. Some of you are hurting—there is much pain in your life at this time. Rather than recoil like a wounded animal, worship God in the midst of your pain, sorrow and brokenness; then it is a sweet smelling offering to Him
The gift of Myrrh was symbolic of His humanity. Jesus suffered through the bitterness of paying for your sins and for mine. Remember the words of Simeon to Mary, “Behold, this Child is appointed for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and for a sign to be opposed--and a sword will pierce even your own soul-- to the end that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed." (Luke 2:34-35)
Don’t get so caught up in the commercialism of Christmas and forget that Jesus came to suffer and die and that is just what He did on Calvary’s Cross.
The invasion of Jesus Christ into the world was met by gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. The Bible teaches that Jesus will return to the earth one day and men, even the Gentiles, will come at this time as well, bearing gifts.
Isa 60:1 "Arise, shine; for your light has come, And the glory of the LORD has risen upon you.
Isa 60:2 "For behold, darkness will cover the earth, And deep darkness the peoples; But the LORD will rise upon you, And His glory will appear upon you.
Isa 60:3 "And nations will come to your light, And kings to the brightness of your rising.
Isa 60:4 "Lift up your eyes round about, and see; They all gather together, they come to you. Your sons will come from afar, And your daughters will be carried in the arms.
Isa 60:5 "Then you will see and be radiant, And your heart will thrill and rejoice; Because the abundance of the sea will be turned to you, The wealth of the nations will come to you.
Isa 60:6 "A multitude of camels will cover you, The young camels of Midian and Ephah; All those from Sheba will come; They will bring gold and frankincense, And will bear good news of the praises of the LORD.
Did you notice the gift that is left out at His second coming? They do not bring myrrh because that speaks of his death.
When Jesus came the first time He came to die.
When He came the first time, He came to die upon the Cross-for the sins of the world.
When He comes the second time He will come to reign!
When He comes the second time, He will come as King of kings and Lord of lords.
He is worthy of our gifts this Christmas! The best gift that you and I can give Jesus Christ is our life.
Are you willing to give Him your life?
