A Christmas Nativity – Magi & a King

We began our nativity with Joseph and Mary, then Jesus, and last week the shepherds. It seems like no matter how many years I read the nativity accounts and how many sermons I preach on it, I am always amazed at what new things God reveals!

This week we are going look at the last group of people in our list.

POP QUIZ:

• Who came looking for the child to give him gifts?
• Who did they ask concerning where to find the child?
• Where did they find him?
• What did they give him?

Keep your answers handy, we are going to find the answers as we read the story:

Matthew 2:1–12 NIV
1 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi 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.” 3 When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. 5 “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written: 6 “ ‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’” 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.” 9 After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 11 On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. 12 And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.

Laura and I received a puzzle as a gift for Christmas this year. It is a Thomas Kinkade painting turned into a puzzle. You have probably herd of him as a artist – at one point it was estimated that 1 in 20 homes in the US has one of his paintings on display. Here is the link to the image: can anyone tell me what might not be quite correct about this picture?

a) the stable made of wood
b) the baby in the manger when the magi arrive
c) the magi were not kings

The incident with the Wise Men seems to be one of those obscure events that appears out of place in the narrative. Yet, Matthew packs this section full of details, especially the first two verses:

OK, let’s back up and look at the narrative together:

Matthew 2:1–2 NIV
1 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi 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.”

Magi – that is what the NIV calls them. Some translations call them “wise men”. Do you know what NO translation calls them? “kings”.

magi (μάγος) – magician.

mage n. — any person well respected in the pagan world for their knowledge in the (occult) arts; especially astrology, medicine, and dream interpretation.

Daniel would have been considered a “mage” as he was an interpreter of dreams. He was a servant of the king, but certainly NOT a king. As a matter of fact, I cannot think of a single king that was also considered a “mage”.

Daniel 2:48 NIV
48 Then the king placed Daniel in a high position and lavished many gifts on him. He made him ruler over the entire province of Babylon and placed him in charge of all its wise men.

As the chief mage, Daniel was given great wealth and mush power. But he would never have been given the title of king.

So, how many were there? WE do not know. It was more than two because it is plural. But an entourage traveling any distance with expensive cargo probably traveled with a guard. So there could have been a dozen ore more on this journey. It could have been 2 magi or it could have been 50. We do not know. The tradition of 3 comes from the 3 gifts that were given. But we do not know.

Matthew 2:1–2 NIV
1 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi 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.”

Magi from the “east”. That would mean they were not from Africa. Where might they have come from? As you go EAST of Bethlehem you might end up in:

• Persia, with it’s capital at Susa (think Esther & Daniel) Perhaps it was Babylon or Persia that knew about Yahweh from Daniel?
• Assyria, with it’s capital at Nineveh (think Jonah) Maybe it was Assyria that heard about Yahweh from Jonah.
• Babylon, Chaldeans, Medes, etc.
• Sheba – this city was still in prominence as a place for caravans and trade. It might have been Sheba who learned about Yahweh from the queen’s visit to Solomon all those years before. The queen of Sheba visited Solomon and gave him great gifts and said:

1 Kings 10:9–10 NIV
9 Praise be to the LORD your God, who has delighted in you and placed you on the throne of Israel. Because of the LORD’s eternal love for Israel, he has made you king to maintain justice and righteousness.” 10 And she gave the king 120 talents of gold, large quantities of spices, and precious stones. Never again were so many spices brought in as those the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.

We are not given the exact location. We we know is that they came from the West and were not Israelites.

That the exact details are left out tells is the visitors themselves are not significant. The fact that people from the East found their way to Jerusalem is probably the more telling part.

Matthew 2:1–2 NIV
1 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi 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.”

The came to Jerusalem asking about the king of the Jews.

This makes sense because Jerusalem was the city of the kings. It was the capital. The wise men did NOT go straight to Herod, they asked the people in Jerusalem. Imagine the scene in Jerusalem as an entourage from the east shows up and starts asking about the new born king of the Jews? What a STIR that would have caused? We have a new king? Where is he? Who is he? Are we finally going to get rid of terrible king Herod? Are we finally going to be free from Roman rule? What a buzz this would have created!

Matthew 2:1–2 NIV
1 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi 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.”

“Saw his star when it rose”. Apparently, the birth of Jesus did a lot more than just change our calendars. It changed the heavens. Magi were often astrologers who studied the stars. They noticed a new one and decided to figure out who it belonged to. It is my guess that they knew, or were made aware of, this passage in Numbers:

Numbers 24:17 NIV
17 “I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near. A star will come out of Jacob; a scepter will rise out of Israel. He will crush the foreheads of Moab, the skulls of all the people of Sheth.

It must have been a significant source of light. For when I look up at the stars on a clear night in northern NY you can see thousands of them! How could you notice one new star in a sea of stars unless that one new star really stands out!

And if a new star appeared, and the magi believed it signified the birth of someone, then that someone must be special! Only God is the maker of stars, and if God announced this person’s birth with a new star, this person must be either very important to God, or must be a god himself. So what was the response of the magi?

Matthew 2:1–2 NIV
1 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi 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.”

They came to WORSHIP.

• The angels that appeared to the Shepherds worshipped.
• The shepherds worshipped.
• Two prophets (Simeon & Anna) in the temple worshipped.

Luke 2:28–32 NIV
28 Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying: 29 “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you may now dismiss your servant in peace. 30 For my eyes have seen your salvation, 31 which you have prepared in the sight of all nations: 32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel.”

But those were the armies of Yahweh and the people of Yahweh. What are THESE magi doing worshipping Yahweh? People from the “east” are generally not allies of Israel. They are certainly not Jews. BUT, after the army of angels worship, and the Israeli shepherds worship, and a few prophets in the temple worship (which we did not cover), foreigners worship God in the flesh.

Part of the significance of this event is that Jesus came for all the nations. Though he was born of the lineage of David, and was the king of the Jews, he is the God of the universe and savior of the world.

Luke 2:28–32 NIV
28 Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying: 29 “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you may now dismiss your servant in peace. 30 For my eyes have seen your salvation, 31 which you have prepared in the sight of all nations: 32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel.”

It was some time after Simeon said those words that these magi showed up to worship the child.

There is one more phrase I want to unpack in these first 2 verses:

Matthew 2:1–2 NIV
1 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi 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.”

“born king of the Jews”

I want us to understand that people are not BORN kings. They are born to become kings. The cannot assume the throne until they come of age. They must be appointed as kings, etc. And, in the Jewish context, they were to be honored, but never worshipped. Only Yahweh is worthy of worship.

The magi came and said they were looking for the one “born king of the Jews” not “born to become king one day. He was born royalty, he was a king in the body of a child. The king of kings let his throne to become a human, but he never ceased to be king. And they were seeking him to worship him. Now, it would have been common for some people to worship their kings, especially if those people were from the east where it their kings were also considered gods. But, if these magi were smart enough and knew enough about the Jewish writing to see the star, know what it was, and seek out the child, then they certainly know it was not couth to worship anyone or anything buy Yahweh in Jerusalem.

Jesus was king even though he was a baby. Jesus was king even if Herod sat on the throne. Jesus was king even if people did not want him to be king. He is king even if people refuse to acknowledge him as king.

Jesus WAS king from birth. Just before being crucified, he was accused to being king of the Jews. Pilot will ask Jesus, “are you king of the Jews?”. He will be crucified by the Romans with a sign above his head that read, “king of the Jews”.

The Jews used this title to kill Jesus. The Romans used this title to mock Jesus. The magi used this title to honor Jesus when he was just a child.

NOW that we have that foundation, let’s move on to the rest of the story:

Matthew 2:1–4 NIV
1 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi 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.” 3 When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born.

King Herod was disturbed because he was a usurper of the throne. He was NOT an Israelite and had no right to the throne. He was ruthless and even killed family members to protect his throne. This is not an announcement of good news for Herod, this is threat that must be eliminated. So he called together “the people’s teachers” – not his, because he was not a Jew – and asked them where the child would have been born.

Matthew 2:5–6 NIV
5 “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written: 6 “ ‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’”

The teachers of the law and prophets sure referenced this verse:

Micah 5:2 NIV
2 “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.”

After learning the location of the child…

Matthew 2:7–8 NIV
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 did NOT want to worship him, he wants to destroy him. He called the magi secretly, which is another tipoff of his motives. He gave them the location and then sent them to go find the child for him.

Matthew 2:9–11 NIV
9 After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 11 On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.

THE STAR. Why? Why not just tell the magi where the baby was. That is what the angel did to the Shepherds. PERHAPS to show that all of creation declares the wonders of God like we learned in Romans.

They followed the star, came to the inn? No, came to the manger? No, came to the HOUSE where Mary and the “child” were. Who is not mentioned? Joseph. Right.

Matthew 2:9–11 NIV
9 After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 11 On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.

They immediately bowed and worshipped the new born king. It would not have been “normal” for Gentiles to enter the home of a Jew. It would not have been normal for an entourage of magi, most likely with a security detail, to show up in Bethlehem. It was certainly not normal for men who served in the court of kings to bow and worship a child – a baby.

• Their worship included bowing before him. They worshipped in humility and submission.
• Their worship including giving gifts to him. They honored God with the best of their gifts.

They gave him three gifts that were mentioned: gold frankincense and myrrh. Is there a significance of the three items mentioned? Perhaps, but it is not obvious other than the fact that they were expensive items fit for and used by royalty.

Matthew 2:12–15 NIV
12 And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route. 13 When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up,” he said, “take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.” 14 So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, 15 where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: “Out of Egypt I called my son.”

If I was Joseph, I might come down with a severe case of Somniphobia (fear of sleeping!). First an angel appeared in a dream and said to marry Mary, she was a virgin though with child and the child was from God. NOW, an angel shows us and says pack up and get out of Bethlehem ASAP and go to, of all places, Egypt because Herod wants to kill your child. Joseph, of course, obeyed.

Matthew 2:16 NIV
16 When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi.

While this was certainly not a large number of children that were killed, it was horrific! Herod was so power hungry and paranoid that he make sure the threat was eliminated.

Apparently, the star first appeared roughly two years prior. That does NOT mean that the magi spent two years traveling, though they may have. They may have noticed the star and spent a year researching what the new star could mean, which then led them on their journey. It is implied in the passage in Matthew 2 that the star appeared when Jesus was born, but even that we cannot be certain of.

Since they fled to Egypt immediately after this, then these events took place AFTER the circumcision (8 days after birth) and after the purification period was completed so they could present Jesus in the temple.

Specifically, a woman became ceremonially unclean upon giving birth. The child would be circumcised on the eighth day, after which the mother remained unclean for an additional thirty-three days (sixty-six if the child was female). At the end of this period, she would offer a sacrifice, and the first son would be presented to the Lord and then symbolically “bought back” with an offering.

Since Bethlehem was not far from Jerusalem it would have made sense to stay there until after the presentation.

Did they stay longer? We do not know. We know they were in a house when the magi arrived, but it could have been a relative’s house. We know it was at least 41 days after the birth and up to 2 years later. The rest is fuzzy and there is no reason to attempt to place the exact time since it is not given. There was every reason for them to stay in Judea because family was there.

So, with an infant in tow, Joseph and Mary took Jesus and headed 74 miles to the border of Egypt. If they went to a city in Egypt, that would have been another 100 miles. On foot. It was a journey that would have taken weeks, if not a month.

Matthew 2:19–23 NIV
19 After Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt 20 and said, “Get up, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who were trying to take the child’s life are dead.” 21 So he got up, took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel. 22 But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning in Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. Having been warned in a dream, he withdrew to the district of Galilee, 23 and he went and lived in a town called Nazareth. So was fulfilled what was said through the prophets, that he would be called a Nazarene.

Another dream. Notice, Joseph wanted to go back to Judea but was afraid to. Judea was not “safe” so they headed to Nazareth in Galilee and fulfilled yet another prophecy.

We have magi, astrologers, from pagan lands that went to worship God the child. And we have a king of the Jews who was hellbent on killing off the God child. One group went out of their way to find the child, gave something of value to the child, and worshipped the child. The other sought him to kill him and protect their own dynasty.

I think there are at least two takeaways for us this morning:

Takeaway #1 – Jesus IS king, and as such he deserves our allegiance.

Jesus IS God, and as such he deserves our worship. We worship him by submitting our lives to him and offering our gifts to him.

The second takeaway is addressed when I think about the questions I still have unanswered:

“Why is the star mentioned 4 times in this passage?” Why did God use a star, when he could have just told the magi “go to Bethlehem and you will find the child…” like he did the shepherds?

Because God used Gentiles and a terrible usurper King to accomplish his will.

Matthew, over and over use the phrase “this was to fulfill…” pointing to the reality that all of what God says will happen. Nothing God says will be undone.

We recognized this when the angel visited Mary. See it in this passage as well.

When the angel first appeared to Joseph, before he became somniphobic…

Matthew 1:20–23 NIV
20 But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23 “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).

The birth took place as foretold. He was named Jesus as was foretold. And no matter what Satan tried to do, even using Herod to kill off the children, nothing could stop the rest of that word from Yahweh from coming true: “He WILL save his people from their sins”. For that to happen, he needed to live and eventually be put to death but in the meantime:

• Jesus was born, as promised
• The star did appear announcing a descendant of David
• God protected him by warning the magi and Joseph in dreams
• God even financed the trip to Egypt through the gifts given by the magi

Takeaway #2 – God’s plan and purpose always prevail. We have a God who can be trusted to bring about all that he has promised – from salvation to eternity his words are true and can be trusted.

Do you trust God? Have you placed your trust in Jesus as YOUR king?
If you have, how do YOU show your worship and allegiance to your king?