The God Who Gives a Sign

2023 Christ’s Birthday Observance

The God Who Gives

Which should encourage us to give as well. What are the ways you can give of yourself, your resources, your hospitality, your story of salvation, and you worship to God?

The God Who Gives Favor

#1 Mary’s Amazing Surrender to God’s Plans

The God Who Gives a Message

#2 The Shepherd’s Selection as the First to Know and Tell

The God Who Gives a Sign

#3 The Wise Men’s Response to God’s Display tells us much of who Jesus is to be.

The God Who Gives His Son

#4 The Savior Sent for Us — Should encourage us to want others to hear and experience good news.

The Wise Men Come to King Herod

Matthew 2:1–2 ESV

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, 2 saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”

Matthew has the only Gospel record of the visit of the wise men, and the only note that Herod was visited soon after the birth of Jesus with news of the Messiah. But this record in Matthew 2 shows us a lot about the meanings of the Messiah.

Who Were These Wise Guys?

“Magi” originally referred to priests in Persia (fifth century BC), who were traditionally associated with secret wisdom, magic, and astrology.

So it was common for them to study the stars and the changes in the heavens over time and make predictions based upon were a new light appeared in the sky, when it appeared, if it were stationary or moved through the sky, whether it was dim or bright, had a comet’s tail or whatever.

Matthew doesn’t give any details about where the star first appeared to them, because astrology was not a practice of the Jews; instead, the heavens represented the glory of God, plain and simple.

Magi frequently visited kings and emperors of foreign countries in ancient Graeco-Roman literature.

Matthew does not specify the number of magi, give names, or call them kings; later legends eventually tried to fill in those details. details.

Tertullian, referring to Psa 72:10 in Against Marcion III.13, was the first to imply that the magi were kings.

This was widely accepted in the Western church in the 600s (Unterberger, “Magi,” 712).

Psalm 72:10–11 “10 May the kings of Tarshish and of the coastlands render him tribute; may the kings of Sheba and Seba bring gifts! 11 May all kings fall down before him, all nations serve him!”

and Isaiah 60:6 “6 A multitude of camels shall cover you, the young camels of Midian and Ephah; all those from Sheba shall come. They shall bring gold and frankincense, and shall bring good news, the praises of the Lord.”

Might foretell their visit, although Matthew doesn’t say anything about the magi in relationship to prophecy.

Matthew says that the magi came “from the east” (Matt 2:1).

Justin and Tertullian claimed this referred to Arabia, Jerome and Augustine said Babylon, and Clement of Alexandria and John Chrysostom claimed the magi were from Persia.

The gifts of frankincense and myrrh suggest an origin in Arabia.

Or perhaps the magi who sought the Messiah came from the Ishmaelite region in fulfillment of Old Testament expectations.

Augustine suggests that the magi represented the Gentile world.

The Venerable Bede who wrote in an early English we would not recognize (around AD 700), in his Exposition of the Gospel of Matthew, suggests that the magi represented three parts of the world (Asia, Africa, and Europe) and descended from the three sons of Noah. Following this tradition, many artists have depicted the magi as men of three races.

In another book of excerpts and collections of sayings, formerly attributed to to this same writer, the magi represent all age groups—Melchior with a gray beard, Gaspar young and beardless, and Balthazar with a dark beard (or possibly dark skin.

It’s not until we see it in an Armenian infancy gospel (14th-century manuscript) that we have the three names that are familiar in the West, Caspar, Melchior, and Balthasar which signify Arabia, India, and Persia.

Some Eastern traditions have 12 magi, with a variety of names given to them.

But the truth is, the only thing that Bible says is that there were a number of men known as Magi or Scholars who came from the East where they say the star that pointed them to a new king of the Jews.

The Consternation of the King

Matthew 2:3–4 ESV

3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; 4 and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.

When Herod is Troubled, Everyone Else Was In Danger

Herod married 10 women and fathered 15 children by them. The names of his wives were Doris, Mariamme I, Mariamme II, Malthace, Cleopatra, Pallas, Phaedra, and Elpis (the names of the remaining two wives are unknown; Packer, Nelson’s Illustrated Encyclopedia, 635). According to Josephus, Herod was so protective of his favorite wife, Mariamme I, that he instructed his soldiers to kill her if anything were to happen to him while traveling abroad. Herod’s motives for marrying the young Hasmonean Jewess were partly to gain approval with the Jews. Along with her beauty, Mariamme I is said to have had a temper and a constitution to speak her mind.

After Herod had both of Mariamme I’s parents killed, her arguments—and the wishes of his sister—caused him to have her tried and executed. After her death, Herod was terribly distraught and became ill. Herod later ordered the execution of two of his sons with Mariamme I, Alexander and Aristobulus, over suspicion that they were jockeying for his position as ruler of the kingdom.

Herod had been a governor of Galilee by Caesar’s appointment since he was 25. He was appointed King of Judea when he proved his loyalty and ability to collect taxes. He made a name for himself with a lot of building projects, including the temple where Jesus would be dedicated, where he went for festivals, where he upturned the money-changers’ tables, and where he would teach.

The Counselors Reply

Matthew 2:5–6 (ESV)

5 They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet: 6 “ ‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’ ”

Micah 5:2 (ESV)

2 But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days.

The Conspiracy of Herod to Find His Rival

Matthew 2:7–8 ESV

7 Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared. 8 And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him.”

The Conspiracy of the Stars Confirm the Place

Matthew 2:9–10 ESV

9 After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.

The Magi Meet the Messiah

Matthew 2:11 ESV

11 And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh.

The first visitors mentioned in Matthew are the magi, whereas in Luke it is shepherds (Matt 2:1–12; Luke 2:8–20) But Luke probably was right, for the shepherds saw the babe in the manger, and the wise men found him in a house, likely months later, because of the time it takes to travel the trade routes from Media, Persia, or Babylon, where they were when the special star for the new-born Jewish king rose.

The Magi Gave Homage to Jesus

They put their foreheads to the ground and honored this child of the stars—who is really the son of God.

It is interesting that they found the child and Mary; Joseph’s name isn’t here in this greeting, but he gets a dream to get them out of town the next day.

The Magi Gave Gifts to Jesus

The appropriate gesture for greeting a king is to offer gifts to honor their rank, their management, and to gain their favor.

The Gift of Gold

The Gift of Frankincense

The Gift of Myrrh

Divine Direction Diverts Their Departure

Matthew 2:12 ESV

12 And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way.

One writer sees this whole interaction with Herod and an intentional kind of Ironical or satirical humor against Herod the Great, who thought he had his world in his own control.

The Message in Meeting the Magi

So why do we have this story in our record of the Birth of Jesus?

It’s not to prove the corruption of Herod. It’s not to share the values of astrology. It’s not to give us a middle-eastern history lesson.

Instead, we have this record in Matthew, right after the long Genealogy of Jesus in Chapter 1, and the visit of the Angel to Joseph to confirm that God was in on this pregnancy, in order to say that Jesus is born not just for the Jews, but instead is the Gift of God’s Son to the whole of mankind.

Our Messiah Savior is for all. And God loves every one of us so much that he will keep after us, and invite us to find out just what his love means and just how important we are to him no matter where we are from, no matter what language we speak, no matter what color we are and no matter what religion we were surrounded by before we met Jesus.

God knows we all start out as unbelievers, and outcast sinners unless we have the means of grace available to us. And God’s grace draws us to his Son

Although these Magi were not members of the Jewish faith, they identified a celestial sign - an exceptional star in the sky - as a sign of a great King’s birth.

God's grace granted them the opportunity to witness and react to this divine message.

He led them to choose a path of faith. He led them to Jesus, the promised Messiah who is for all people as the angels had announced to the shepherds.

This shows without question God’s love and acceptance of all nations, cultures, and individuals.

Why? Because it is His desire to bring everyone to the transformative presence of Jesus Christ.

God’s grace and mercy are not limited to a select few; it is an invitation to all men, women, and children to be reconciled with God through the Person of Jesus Christ.

May we, like the Magi, seek Him with open hearts and minds, ready to encounter His glory and respond in faith, regardless of our past beliefs or spiritual journey.