Simple Study: The Gospel of Matthew Part Three

 Read Matthew 1:16-2:11

If there was one thing Herod the Great would not tolerate, it was

competition. When these wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, Herod

took notice.

For many years, the wise men had been studying the stars and had seen

something remarkable in them about a coming king which pointed them

to Jerusalem. We don’t know why they associated a star with a king, nor

how they identified it with Israel. The only related prophecy we know of is

Numbers 24:17 when Balaam said about the nation Israel, “A Star shall come

out of Jacob; a Scepter shall rise out of Israel.” The star and the scepter go

together—these wise men came out of the mysterious east in their search. The prophecies of Daniel, given in that section of the world, also revealed almost the exacttime when Christ was to be born. So when the wise men saw this unusual star, they knew what it meant. 

The wise men’s arrival in Jerusalem disturbed King Herod and the whole city.

The question has always been, where did they get their

information about the significance of this star? These men were

not superstitious people. The term “wise men” indicated they

ranked high in officialdom, equivalent to secretary of state or

prime minister. They were students of the stars, and they knew a great deal about them.

We don’t know how many magi there were, but only three wise men (as the

song goes) wouldn’t have caused a ruckus. More than likely, there were 300

or more. Now Herod the Great was a very superstitious and violent man—a

real first century Mafia. He had bought his leadership position from the

Roman government and would do anything necessary to protect it.

So, first Herod gathered the chief priests and scribes together and

demanded to know where the Messiah would be born. Surprisingly, they

knew—Bethlehem (only five miles or so from Jerusalem).

Then he shared that information with the wise men and asked them to go and

search for the child. “Let me know when you’ve found Him,” Herod cooed, “so

I can worship Him, too” (2:8). Herod, the old serpent, let these wise men find

Jesus for him. Of course, what he really wanted to do was kill Jesus.

Was it an eastern star? Scripture says, “We have seen his star

in the east.” But it was the wise men who were in the East, not

the star. If the star had been in the East when the wise men saw

it, they would have ended up in Shanghai, China, because that’s

the direction they would have gone. So it was not an eastern star

but actually a western star, and they traveled west—which is

how they came to Jerusalem.

The wise men didn’t have to search long; the star stood over the house

where Jesus lived. They were overjoyed! What a special star! This

supernatural star can’t be explained by modern astronomy. When Jesus

came, heaven and earth both responded to His presence in this world.

By the time the wise men arrived in Jerusalem, the tax enrollment was over

and the crowds had gone home. In the meantime, Joseph had moved his

family into a house and that’s where they found Mary and the toddler, Jesus.

If there ever was a time when Mary could have been worshipped, this was it.

But the wise men didn’t worship her—they worshipped Jesus and brought

Him gifts suitable for Jesus’ mission.

• Gold speaks of Jesus’ birth as a king.

• Frankincense speaks of the fragrance of His life, a pleasing offering

of worship.

• Myrrh speaks of Jesus’ death, since He came to die. The Cross was

always Jesus’ purpose for coming.

By the way, a prophecy regarding Jesus’ second coming in Isaiah 60:6

speaks of gold and incense—but no myrrh. Why didn’t they bring myrrh?

Because His death already accomplished our salvation, and when He comes

again it will be in victory.

When it was time for the wise men to return home, God warned them in

a dream not to tell Herod where Jesus was. God also warned Joseph that

Herod would be seeking them out to kill Jesus and that they should hide

in Egypt for a while. So Joseph obeyed. That night, he and Mary got out of

town and lived in Egypt until Herod’s death. This Egyptian exile fulfilled what

Hosea 11:1 had preached: “Out of Egypt I called my son.”

As you would guess, Herod was angry the wise men didn’t tell him where

Jesus was. In a rage, he killed all the baby boys under two years old in

the vicinity of Bethlehem, hoping one of them was Jesus. Sadly, this too,

fulfilled prophecy from Jeremiah 31:15, saying, “A voice was heard in Ramah,

lamentation and bitter weeping, Rachel weeping for her children, refusing to

be comforted for her children, because they are no more.”

It must have been a time of great weeping when whole towns lost their little

ones as this prophecy was literally fulfilled.

BACK TO NAZARETH

We’re not told how long Joseph, Mary, and Jesus lived in Egypt, but God

faithfully kept them informed through a dream when Herod was dead and

it was safe to return to Israel. But when Joseph learned that Herod’s son,

Archelaus (a brutal man like his father), reigned in Judea, he was afraid to

go back there. Once again, God directed their steps. He directed them to

Galilee, where they settled in the city of Nazareth.

Another prophecy fulfilled: First that Jesus is a “Rod from the stem of Jesse”

(Isaiah 11:1, He was in David’s family line) and that He was brought up in

Nazareth and called a Nazarene.

All four scriptural prophecies were fulfilled in a very normal way. The

Gospel of Matthew shows how literally, accurately, and easily Old Testament

prophecies were fulfilled without any strain on history. It came about as God

said it would.

1. Retell the wise men story you learned about here in your own words.

How is this the same or different than what you always heard about in the Christmas narrative?

2. How were Joseph and Mary used by God to protect Jesus and fulfill Old Testament prophecies?

3. The drama surrounding Jesus’ early years speaks to how God works all things together according to His good and for His purposes. How have you seen this truth in your life’s events?