Chapter 2
A LESSON FROM THE MAGI
(Matthew 2:1-18)
Before we begin our study let us pray,
Dear Heavenly Father,
We come before You in the Name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Father, please open our ears, our eyes and our hearts so we can hear, see and receive the things that You are teaching us. As we look into the lesson from the Magi, help us to truly appreciate the tremendous Grace and Mercy You have extended to us through Your only begotten Son, Jesus Christ.
Amen
Before we proceed to explore the topic of this study it will be helpful for us to review the following background material.
BACKGROUND
First of all, it is interesting to note that at the time when the Magi or wise men arrived in Bethlehem Jesus, Mary and Joseph were no longer lodging in a manger. In reading Matthew 2:11 we discover that the wise men visited them in a house. To see this let us read from,
Matthew 2:11
"[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 and of incense and of myrrh."
Thus, the Magi's arrival occurred after the shepherds had already visited the baby Jesus and returned to their flocks.
This observation is also reinforced by the fact that when King Herod ordered the destruction of the boys in Bethlehem, he made sure they were two years old or younger. To see this let us read from,
Matthew 2:16
"[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."
Thus, at this time King Herod determined that Jesus was no longer a new born baby.
The second interesting thing for us to note is that the Magi or sometimes referred to as wise men were:
"Astrologers. They were also called magicians, sorcerers and diviners. In fact they were part of a priesthood within the Median, Babylonian, Persian and Parthian empires. These Magi were very powerful men and used the spiritual and occult worlds to their gain. They were also extremely influential in the affairs of the various kings and rulers of whom they served1,2."
To see this let us look at the following two examples. Our first example of the power of the Magi or magicians comes from,
THE WISE MEN OF EGYPT
The events we are about to read took place prior to Israel's exodus from the land of Egypt. It took place during the times when Moses implored Pharaoh to let the people of Israel go into the desert to freely worship God.
Since Pharaoh's heart was hardened to this request, God, revealed to Pharaoh and the Egyptians His power. He did this by performing, through the hand of Moses, various miracles of increasing intensity. Ultimately, Pharaoh gives up and sends the Israelites away from Egypt. What is extremely interesting to note is that in the beginning of Moses' confrontation with Pharaoh, the wise men of Egypt were able to duplicate God's miracles. To see this let us first read about,
The Turning of the Staffs into Snakes
This event is recorded for us in,
Exodus 7:8-13
"[8] The LORD said to Moses and Aaron, [9] "When Pharaoh says to you, 'Perform a miracle,' then say to Aaron, 'Take your staff and throw it down before Pharaoh,' and it will become a snake." [10] So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did just as the LORD commanded. Aaron threw his staff down in front of Pharaoh and his officials, and it became a snake. [11] Pharaoh then summoned wise men and sorcerers, and the Egyptian magicians also did the same things by their secret arts: [12] Each one threw down his staff and it became a snake. But Aaron's staff swallowed up their staffs. [13] Yet Pharaoh's heart became hard and he would not listen to them, just as the LORD had said."
There was also,
The Turning of Water into Blood
To see this let us read from,
Exodus 7:20-22
"[20] Moses and Aaron did just as the LORD had commanded. He raised his staff in the presence of Pharaoh and his officials and struck the water of the Nile, and all the water was changed into blood. [21] The fish in the Nile died, and the river smelled so bad that the Egyptians could not drink its water. Blood was everywhere in Egypt. [22] But the Egyptian magicians did the same things by their secret arts, and Pharaoh's heart became hard; he would not listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the LORD had said."
There was also,
The Plague of Frogs
The account of this plague is recorded for us in,
Exodus 8:1-7
"[1] Then the LORD said to Moses, "Go to Pharaoh and say to him, 'This is what the LORD says: Let my people go, so that they may worship me. [2] If you refuse to let them go, I will plague your whole country with frogs. [3] The Nile will teem with frogs. They will come up into your palace and your bedroom and onto your bed, into the houses of your officials and on your people, and into your ovens and kneading troughs. [4] The frogs will go up on you and your people and all your officials.'" [5] Then the LORD said to Moses, "Tell Aaron, 'Stretch out your hand with your staff over the streams and canals and ponds, and make frogs come up on the land of Egypt.'" [6] So Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt, and the frogs came up and covered the land. [7] But the magicians did the same things by their secret arts; they also made frogs come up on the land of Egypt."
As we continue to read about the encounter Moses had with Pharaoh we finally come to the time when God's power was too overwhelming for the magicians. This occurred when,
God Turned the Dust into Gnats or Lice
To see this let us read from,
Exodus 8:16-19
"[16] Then the LORD said to Moses, "Tell Aaron, 'Stretch out your staff and strike the dust of the ground,' and throughout the land of Egypt the dust will become gnats." [17] They did this, and when Aaron stretched out his hand with the staff and struck the dust of the ground, gnats came upon men and animals. All the dust throughout the land of Egypt became gnats. [18] But when the magicians tried to produce gnats by their secret arts, they could not. And the gnats were on men and animals. [19] The magicians said to Pharaoh, "This is the finger of God." But Pharaoh's heart was hard and he would not listen, just as the LORD had said."
Let us notice the following verse,
18 - 19 The time finally came when the magicians or Magi could no longer duplicate the miracles that were performed through the hands of Moses and Aaron. These wise men now realized that what they were witnessing was being performed by God. It is interesting to note is that even though with the admission of the wise men, Pharaoh still would not listen to Moses or believe he was sent by God.
In reflecting upon the above events we are reminded that Satan with his demonic forces do possess great power. Consequently, we are exhorted to not only respect or take heed to Satan' power but are also warned to not take things into our own hands. In other words, in our conflicts with the devil we are to do it in Jesus' Name. It is only by the power of God that we can overcome the wiles and power of the evil one. A great example of this lesson is provided to us in,
Jude 9
"[9] But even the archangel Michael, when he was disputing with the devil about the body of Moses, did not dare to bring a slanderous accusation against him, but said, "The Lord rebuke you!""
Our second example of the wise men is,
THE MAGI OF BABYLON
In the book of Daniel we discover that King Nebuchadnezzar consulted these men. Not only did King Nebuchadnezzar consult the wise men for advice concerning various political decisions but he also consulted them to interpret his dreams. To see who these wise men or Magi were, let us read from,
Daniel 2:1-4
"[1] In the second year of his reign, Nebuchadnezzar had dreams; his mind was troubled and he could not sleep. [2] So the king summoned the magicians, enchanters, sorcerers and astrologers to tell him what he had dreamed. When they came in and stood before the king, [3] he said to them, "I have had a dream that troubles me and I want to know what it means." [4] Then the astrologers answered the king in Aramaic, "O king, live forever! Tell your servants the dream, and we will interpret it.""
Let us notice the following verse,
2 These wise men were magicians, enchanters, sorcerers and astrologers.
With this background let us now begin our study of the lesson from the Magi. As we do we will,
1. Discover two major spiritual truths illustrated by the arrival of the Magi at the time of Jesus' birth, that is (a) even the demons knew Him and (b) every knee must bow before Jesus Christ.
2. Explore the implications of King Herod's unbelief.
We begin by reading about,
THE ARRIVAL OF THE MAGI
To do this let us read from,
Matthew 2:1-2
"[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 in the east and have come to worship him.""
Here we are at the time of the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and look who shows up to worship Him Magi. Remember these were men who were intimately involved with various occult activities, such as astrology, sorcery, etc. In reflecting upon this one must certainly wonder: "What is going on? What is happening?" As we read the Holy Scriptures we find the message of their arrival is twofold.
First of all we find that,
EVEN THE DEMONS OR FORCES OF THE OCCULT KNOW HIM
The truth of this statement comes to light as we recall that throughout Jesus' ministry those who were demon possessed not only recognized Him but gave Him glory. To see this let us read about two of many examples of this phenomenon. For our first example let us read what happened,
In the Synagogue in Capernaum
To do this let us read from,
Luke 4:33-36
"[33] In the synagogue there was a man possessed by a demon, an evil spirit. He cried out at the top of his voice, [34] "Ha! What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are--the Holy One of God!" [35] "Be quiet!" Jesus said sternly. "Come out of him!" Then the demon threw the man down before them all and came out without injuring him. [36] All the people were amazed and said to each other, "What is this teaching? With authority and power he gives orders to evil spirits and they come out!""
Let us notice the following verse,
34 The demon recognized Jesus Christ as the "Holy One of God."
36 It is interesting to observe that the Bible does not tell us that the people wondered or discussed the fact that the demons called Jesus to be the "Holy One of God." The Bible only reveals to us that the people wondered about Jesus' teaching and power.
For a second example let us read about,
The Healing in Gerasenes
To find out what happened in Gerasenes let us read from,
Luke 8:26-31
"[26] They sailed to the region of the Gerasenes, which is across the lake from Galilee. [27] When Jesus stepped ashore, he was met by a demon-possessed man from the town. For a long time this man had not worn clothes or lived in a house, but had lived in the tombs. [28] When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell at his feet, shouting at the top of his voice, "What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, don't torture me!" [29] For Jesus had commanded the evil spirit to come out of the man. Many times it had seized him, and though he was chained hand and foot and kept under guard, he had broken his chains and had been driven by the demon into solitary places. [30] Jesus asked him, "What is your name?" "Legion," he replied, because many demons had gone into him. [31] And they begged him repeatedly not to order them to go into the Abyss."
Let us notice the following verse,
28 When the demons saw Jesus they not only fell at His feet but also proclaimed Him to be the Son of the Most High God.
The second message from the arrival of the Magi at the time of Jesus Christ's birth is that,
EVERY KNEE MUST BOW BEFORE JESUS CHRIST
We find this truth clearly presented to us in,
Philippians 2:9-11
"[9] God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, [10] that at the name of Jesus every knee should (must) bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, [11] and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."
Another interesting facet about the events surrounding and following the arrival of the Magi is that King Herod had a different view or reaction. Instead of recognizing who Jesus was and wanting to worship Him, Herod wanted to kill Him. This brings us to the second portion of our study.
THE UNBELIEF OF KING HEROD
To explore in a bit more depth King Herod's actions we begin by reading what happened after the Magi arrived in Jerusalem. The events of interest are recorded for us in,
Matthew 2:1-15
"[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 in the east 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 Christ 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 be the shepherd of 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 make a careful search 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 in the east 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 and of incense and of myrrh. [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.""
Let us notice the following verses,
4 King Herod summed the chief priests and scribes to find out where the Christ, that is the Messiah or Lord's Anointed, was to be born. In other words, King Herod had a great suspicion that a prophecy of God might have been fulfilled.
5-6 The priests and scribes quoted to King Herod God's prophecy given through the prophet Micah. Now King Herod should have become convinced that God's Messiah had been born.
7-8 King Herod found out the time when Jesus' star appeared. He then asks the Magi to report back to him after they find the Messiah.
12-15 Knowing that King Herod planned to destroy Jesus, God warned the Magi to not return to King Herod. Furthermore, God also told Joseph to take Mary and Jesus and flee to Egypt.
As I reflected upon the above events, actions and intent of King Herod I must admit that I could not understand what was going on. I could not see how the Magi, who were practicing occult activities and even the demons, would come recognize who Jesus was and give Him glory. Whereas, King Herod and many of the people for whom He came to save would try to destroy Him.
As it was with the arrival of the Magi, the answer to this dilemma is two fold. First of all, we are witnessing the fulfillment of the prophecy God gave through the prophet Jeremiah. In other words, God knew way back in the days of the prophet Jeremiah, approximately 627-586 BC3 that King Herod was going to try and destroy Jesus. To see this let us proceed with our reading from Matthew and read,
Matthew 2:16-18
"[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. [17] Then what was said through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled: [18] "A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more.""
It is noted that in Jeremiah's prophecy quoted above by Matthew in verse 18, Ramah designates the geographical area of Bethlehem4. It is also noted that after Rachel, Jacob's wife, died in giving birth to their son Benjamin, he buried her in the region of Bethlehem. To see this let us read from,
Genesis 35:19-20
"[19] So Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem). [20] Over her tomb Jacob set up a pillar, and to this day that pillar marks Rachel's tomb."
It is further noted that Bethlehem belonged to the tribe or house of Benjamin that is descendents of Rachel's son, Benjamin.
Thus, the above prophecy of Jeremiah is telling us that Rachel was prophetically crying for her grandchildren who were living in Bethlehem when King Herod ordered their destruction.
This now brings us to the second message resulting from the unbelief of King Herod. Specifically, what we are also witnessing is the horrible reality that during this point in time of Israel's history God's judgement has once again fallen upon them. Their hearts were hardened, their ears were plugged and their eyes were veiled. To see this let us read what Jesus said to His disciples when they asked Him why He spoke in parables. Let us read His response as recorded in,
Matthew 13:10-15
"[10] The disciples came to him and asked, "Why do you speak to the people in parables?" [11] He replied, "The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. [12] Whoever has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. [13] This is why I speak to them in parables: "Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand. [14] In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah: "'You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving. [15] For this people's heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.'"
Let us notice verses,
14-15 As it was with the slaughter of the children of Bethlehem, the unbelief of Herod and the majority of the people of Israel were foretold. It was through the prophet Isaiah (740-680 BC5) that God foretold this would happen when Jesus Christ, the promised Messiah, would come to save them.
It is noted that Jesus did not end His explanation to His disciples with Isaiahs prophecy of unbelief. As we continue to read His explanation we come to realize that the true disciples of Jesus Christ are truly, truly blessed. To see this let us now finish reading Jesus' explanation from,
Matthew 13:16-17
"[16] But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear. [17] For I tell you the truth, many prophets and righteous men longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it."
THE MESSAGE
As we reflect upon all we have covered one is left with the question of: "What is the Message? What is the point of this study?" To find out let us read the following excerpt from the Apostle Paul's letter to the Romans.
Romans 11:1-39
"[1] I ask then: Did God reject his people? By no means! I am an Israelite myself, a descendant of Abraham, from the tribe of Benjamin. [2] God did not reject his people, whom he foreknew. Don't you know what the Scripture says in the passage about Elijah--how he appealed to God against Israel: [3] "Lord, they have killed your prophets and torn down your altars; I am the only one left, and they are trying to kill me"? [4] And what was God's answer to him? "I have reserved for myself seven thousand who have not bowed the knee to Baal." [5] So too, at the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace. [6] And if by grace, then it is no longer by works; if it were, grace would no longer be grace. [7] What then? What Israel sought so earnestly it did not obtain, but the elect did. The others were hardened, [8] as it is written: "God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes so that they could not see and ears so that they could not hear, to this very day." [9] And David says: "May their table become a snare and a trap, a stumbling block and a retribution for them. [10] May their eyes be darkened so they cannot see, and their backs be bent forever." [11] Again I ask: Did they stumble so as to fall beyond recovery? Not at all! Rather, because of their transgression, salvation has come to the Gentiles to make Israel envious. [12] But if their transgression means riches for the world, and their loss means riches for the Gentiles, how much greater riches will their fullness bring! [13] I am talking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch as I am the apostle to the Gentiles, I make much of my ministry [14] in the hope that I may somehow arouse my own people to envy and save some of them. [15] For if their rejection is the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead? [16] If the part of the dough offered as firstfruits is holy, then the whole batch is holy; if the root is holy, so are the branches. [17] If some of the branches have been broken off, and you, though a wild olive shoot, have been grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing sap from the olive root, [18] do not boast over those branches. If you do, consider this: You do not support the root, but the root supports you. [19] You will say then, "Branches were broken off so that I could be grafted in." [20] Granted. But they were broken off because of unbelief, and you stand by faith. Do not be arrogant, but be afraid. [21] For if God did not spare the natural branches, he will not spare you either. [22] Consider therefore the kindness and sternness of God: sternness to those who fell, but kindness to you, provided that you continue in his kindness. Otherwise, you also will be cut off. [23] And if they do not persist in unbelief, they will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again. [24] After all, if you were cut out of an olive tree that is wild by nature, and contrary to nature were grafted into a cultivated olive tree, how much more readily will these, the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree! [25] I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in. [26] And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: "The deliverer will come from Zion; he will turn godlessness away from Jacob. [27] And this is my covenant with them when I take away their sins." [28] As far as the gospel is concerned, they are enemies on your account; but as far as election is concerned, they are loved on account of the patriarchs, [29] for God's gifts and his call are irrevocable. [30] Just as you who were at one time disobedient to God have now received mercy as a result of their disobedience, [31] so they too have now become disobedient in order that they too may now receive mercy as a result of God's mercy to you. [32] For God has bound all men over to disobedience so that he may have mercy on them all. [33] Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! [34] "Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor?" [35] "Who has ever given to God, that God should repay him?" [36] For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen."
Blessed be the Lord Forever!
AMEN and Amen