Journey with Jesus: Matthew 2:1-12

Matthew Chapter 2: 1-12

Since there is so much in chapter two, we will take this in two or three parts. First, the visit of the Magi. Matthew is the only Gospel that records this incredible story.

The Visit of the Magi

1. These were men interested in dreams, astrology, magic, and things of the future. The first century Jews had an interest in the formation of the stars. Imagine living in this time and considering the mystery of the heavens. Paul wrote in Romans 1 that “only the fool says there is no God”. He appealed to creation, or general revelation, as the reason why all non-foolish men would believe in God. Back then, they didn’t have telescopes or know much about science and the universe. Since then, especially in our day, we have learned more about the universe and science. As a result, more and more people do not believe in God. Instead of increasing faith, science has decreased faith. I believe that when we get to Heaven, we are going to find out that the “enlightenment age” was God’s way of ushering in the final days. If men were without excuse in the year 45AD, how much more are we without excuse when God has given us glimpses into space and back in time? We see star formations that have already exploded but take light years to get to earth. We see stars that are as large as the diameter of the orbit of Pluto around the sun (all the space in between). We see a comet bruise on Jupiter that is larger than the Earth. This could be God's way of saying, "You can't understand me". This is revelation from our Creator that He is out there. Scientists now speak of a multiple-universe theory. They refer to hidden realms and multiple dimensions. If multiple universes do exist, that would greatly change the scientific view of space and time and all of the sudden, eternal life isn't outside the realm of scientific possibility. God is outside of space and time. Heaven is outside of space and time. Heaven is so much more than we can imagine.

2. The wisemen state their mission, “where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east, or at it’s rising, and have come to worship him.” The wisemen speak of him not merely as one destined to become king, but one as possessing kingly status at his birth. Christ came to us in human flesh. God became a man. He entered into our humanity. I hope those words jump off the screen at you. Just think about it for a moment. God became a man! God stepped into our space and time and became a baby. How fortunate we are to live in this relatively early church period of history. We are only 2000 years removed from God walking on earth.

3. These Magi are Gentiles. They are the first to worship Jesus in the book of Matthew.

4. Their zeal to worship the child demonstrated by their long journey, stands in stark contrast to the indifference of the Jews, none of whom join them for the short trip from Jerusalem to Bethlehem, and the hostility of Herod. This reminds me of our spiritual brothers and sisters in the prison-state of North Korea. These brothers and sisters would give anything to enjoy the spiritual fellowship we have available to us 24/7 in the American Church. If you are a Christian in North Korea, you “go to church” on Sunday by meeting one other person on a park bench. While sitting on the park bench, you may share a Bible verse with your brother/sister and then pray out loud, with your eyes open. If you are fortunate, you may be part of an underground house church of 8-10 like-minded Christians. We are so spoiled in the American Church. We have so many resources given to us, yet we don’t care to use them at all. There is a parallel between the zeal of the wisemen/lack of zeal of the Jews and the apathy of the American Church. When I was in China, I was told by a house church leader that when the people join together, sometimes up to 100 at a time, they are told to “sing quietly” so as not to be heard. I will write more about China another time. So many lessons learned.

5. The star is suggested to be a comet, a supernova, or a planetary conjunction. Johannes Kepler, a German astrologer (died 1630) pointed out that in the year 7 BC there occurred, “a conjunction of the planets Jupiter and Saturn in the zodiacal constellation Pisces, a sign sometimes connected in ancient astrology with the Hebrews.” It occurs once in 794 years, but in that year it occurred 3 times! The following year, Mars joined the conjunction. Herod the Great died in 4 BC, and he ordered the killing of “all the boys…who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi”, there is a strong case to be made for this view. It could also have simply been a star miraculously placed by God. Once again, we need to be careful not to exclude God’s using His own created nature, in it’s own course of time, as a miraculous sign. In other words, the stars themselves are miraculous. Even with all of our 20th century understanding, we still have not even scraped the surface of understanding our universe. We got to the moon once and can’t really get back. Yes, our understanding and knowledge will continue to increase as the years go by, but still we will never uncover the deep mysteries of God and His awesome creation. Therefore, I am happy to ascribe a miracle to planets lining up together because the planets themselves are miracles! I believe that God “teases” us when He gives us a glimpse into the awesome universe through the Hubble Telescope. What we see is beyond comprehension and cannot even be measured mathematically. It is like God is saying to us, “you can’t understand me.” Even non-religious scientists are baffled by what they see.

6. In Numbers 24:17, we find an oracle of Balaam, “A Star will come out of Jacob; a scepter will rise out of Israel” Isaiah 60:3 reads, “Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn.”

7. Matthew’s theology=the kingship of Jesus and the salvation of the Gentiles. With the star, that is exactly what happens. Gentile Magi are drawn by the star and obey him by worshiping him. Those of us who live in America live in what Christ and the Apostles referred to as the “far reaches of the earth.” Thank the Lord now for the miracle of the spread of the Gospel to our land. Thank him that you are one of the chosen and elect spoken of so often throughout Scripture. What a glorious calling we have.