Jesus as a Child

1 Now when Jesus was born in Beth-lehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, 2 Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him. 3 When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born. 5 And they said unto him, In Beth-lehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet, 6 And thou Beth-lehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel. 7 Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, inquired of them diligently what time the star appeared. 8 And he sent them to Beth-lehem, and said, Go and search diligently for the young child; and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also. 9 When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was. 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. 11 And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh. 12 And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way.

Who Are the Wise Men?

In verse number one we are introduced to Herod the King

And wise men from the east

And to two cities: Jerusalem, and the city of Bethlehem.

Let’s Talk about Who the wise men are

The narrative of the wise men is found only in Matthew’s Gospel

and tells about magi who come to Israel looking for a newborn Jewish king.

The wise men are part of an underlying theme that Matthew is working into the narrative.

And that theme is about the Gentiles.

I know Matthew is focused on writing to the Jews

That is why he constantly bringing up Old Testament passages.

However, he is working on convincing them that they need to carry this Gospel to all Nations.

In Chapter 1 we saw how he deliberately added 4 gentile women into the linage of Jesus.

And then he tells this story about wise men from the east coming to worship Jesus as a child.

And it isn’t 100% clear how they even knew to come, as we will see in this lesson.

But the implication is that God had a plan to include the Gentiles in worshipping Jesus from day 1.

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Arrival in Jerusalem

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The text says these men arrive “from the east” (Matt 2:1) without revealing their exact point of origin.

They come because they have observed an astronomical phenomenon, a new star (τὸν ἀστέρα, ton astera) they interpret as a divine signal that a new Jewish king has been born (Matt 2:2). They apparently have no idea where this child might be, so they have come to Jerusalem, a logical place to look for a Jewish king.

The wise men gain access to the court of Herod the Great, who reigns under the Romans as the current “king of the Jews,” although he is a descendent of the Edomites rather than a Jew (a fact probably known to Matthew’s readers).

Herod is disturbed by the wise men’s expedition (Matt 2:3), having known nothing previously about this newborn Jewish king, a new potential rival. Herod’s fear of assassination was long-standing (and somewhat justified), so he takes this possible threat seriously.

What I found interesting is that it says not only was Herod troubled, but that all Jerusalem with him.

Why would they be troubled?

They were waiting for a Messiah to come be the King of the Jews.

They incorrectly assumed this Messiah would be a conquering King first before He played the role of Isaiah 53’s suffering servant.

The Jews knew that Herod was not the true King of the Jews

Because prophecy tells them that the Messiah would be from David’s bloodline,

And Herod wasn’t even from Jacob’s bloodline.

Herod was from Esau’s bloodline.

There is no possible way Herod is their Messiah.

Not by prophecy, nor by his actions.

Herod was in love with Greek and Roman culture.

The only reason Herod was sitting on any kind of throne was because of his love for the ruling Empire from Rome.

So, why was “all” Jerusalem troubled at this news?

We know Herod had good reason to be troubled, but why is everyone else?

At the birth of a King of Heaven, a king of earth is troubled; surely, earthly greatness is confounded, when heavenly greatness shows itself.

-Gregory the Great

Herod was renowned for his paranoia, killing several of his own sons who threatened him.

Herod held jealously to his kingship by might of arms and by bitter repressive measures.

In contrast, Jesus showed his kingship by self-sacrifice for others‌

Herod summons the city’s top priests and scholars to search the Jewish Scriptures for prophecies about the Messiah’s birthplace (Matt 2:4). This reaction reveals Herod’s assumption that the newborn king is the promised and long-awaited Messiah, God’s chosen person to lead Israel to restored prosperity and self-rule.

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The priests and scholars tell Herod that the prophet Micah identifies nearby Bethlehem, about 6 miles (10 km) south of Jerusalem, as the Messiah’s birthplace (Matt 2:5–6; Mic 5:2; see also Mic 5:4).

The Fulfillment Theme

Before we get further, I want to highlight this prophecy in Mic5.2. and the overarching theme of prophetic fulfillment in this entire book.

Micah 5:2 KJV 1900

2 But thou, Beth-lehem Ephratah, Though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, Yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; Whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.

The note of fulfilment is very prominent in Matthew’s Gospel.

The king who was to sit on David’s throne for ever would be born in Bethlehem.

That is what Micah had predicted seven centuries beforehand

—a perfect example of the way in which the New Testament fulfils the Old even to the smallest detail. It shows, too, that God’s overarching plan of salvation spans the millennia. This is already the third example of promise and fulfilment that Matthew has brought before his readers and we are just in chapter 2. There will be many others. It is an essential quality in God as the Bible depicts him as the promise keeper.

1 Kings 8:56 KJV 1900

56 Blessed be the Lord, that hath given rest unto his people Israel, according to all that he promised: there hath not failed one word of all his good promise, which he promised by the hand of Moses his servant.

Hebrews 10:23 KJV 1900

23 Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)

Herod meets again with the wise men and asks how long ago they first observed the new star (information he will use later; see Matt 2:16). Then he sends them to Bethlehem, asking that they let him know the newborn king’s location (Matt 2:7–8).

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Bethlehem

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As the wise men head toward Bethlehem, they are led by the same star they observed previously. This moving star is low enough in the sky to stop above the specific house where the child is located.

Numbers 24:17 KJV 1900

17 I shall see him, but not now: I shall behold him, but not nigh: There shall come a Star out of Jacob, And a Sceptre shall rise out of Israel, And shall smite the corners of Moab, And destroy all the children of Sheth.

So, the Jews would have expected this star, but apparently the eastern wise men did too.

‌There are lots of speculations as to what this star actually was.

Some say it was possibly Hailey’s Comet

Others are actually convinced it may have been a rare occurrence where Jupiter and Saturn converge and form what looks like one giant star. Although rare, it actually happened 3 times in 7BC

And that year is quite possibly the year this would have occurred.

Now, why would they interpret the star to mean a new Jewish King was born?

This is also speculation, but tradition holds that Jupiter, the largest planted is associated with kingship, and Saturn had a tradition of being associated with Isreal.

I don’t condone astrology, that is not my goal in bringing this out.

But these Gentiles from the east certainly did expect the star they saw to mean something

And, it isn’t too far of a leap to assume that is exactly how they would have interpreted the convergence of Jupiter and Saturn.

This is the best we can get to explaining why they came.

The Bible simply tells us they interpreted a star to mean a new Jewish king was born.

They didn’t know exactly where, so they started at Jerusalem,

And then prophecy from God’s word led them to Bethlehem.

And it seems that as soon as they started toward Bethlehem,

The star they saw in the East, was now south of them directly over Bethlehem.

This also points to evidence of the convergence of Jupiter and Saturn in 7BC appearing 3 separate times.

Either way, it led them straight to the house the second time. Notice it says house, and not stable.

So, the wise men enter the house, they see the young boy (not baby) with his mother, and fall down and worship the child.

They offer three valuable gifts:

Gold (probably coins),

Frankincense (precious resin from special trees burnt as incense),

Myrrh (another precious resin used as incense or medicine) (Matt 2:11).

‌The Gifts of the Magi

And so they came and found the child with his mother Mary and gave him their offerings. How significant those were, in the light of the fulfilment theme which is so interwoven with this Gospel!

Gold is the gift fit for a king

—and the king in toddler clothes was there.

Frankincense was in constant use by the priests

—in the temple, and the ultimate priest, the one who was to make final reconciliation between God and humankind, lay before them.

Myrrh was used to embalm the dead.

The man born to be the king was the man born to die for our sins. In those three gifts we see

who Jesus is,

what he came to do,

and what it cost him.

And, like the wise men, we bow in wonder before a God who could love us that much.

Misconceptions about the Wise Men

Christmas traditions have incorporated legendary details about the wise men that are not supported by the text of Matthew, the only early tradition available.

Number

Matthew refers to the wise men in the plural, but he does not specify how many there are.

Christmas traditions invariably include three wise men, likely because of the three gifts they bring. Some Eastern Christian traditions place the number of wise men at 12 (Encyclopaedia Britannica, “Magi”).

Names

Although Matthew does not identify the wise men individually, some traditions give them names.

—usually Melchior, Caspar, and Balthazar.

Royal Status

In many popular traditions, the wise men often are referred to as “kings.”

Matthew does not mention this, although their ready access to the court of Herod and the wealth they display in their expeditionary costs and their lavish gifts does make this seem plausible.

This tradition may have originated with Tertullian, who reports this as the tradition of the East. However, Tertullian is concerned to line up Matthew’s account with prophecies in various Old Testament texts (i.e., Zech 14:14; 2 Chr 9:14) that picture the kings of Arabia bringing gold to the king of Israel (Tertullian, Against Marcion, 3:13).

Others suggest that this tradition originated to show fulfillment of Psa 72:11, “May all kings bow down to him” (NIV).

Following the Star

Christmas pageants typically present three lavishly dressed men on camels, traveling at night and following a star across the desert, yet this scenario is unlikely for several reasons.

The lengthy journey from Babylon (or Persia) would have taken several weeks,

and the wise men likely would have pursued a northern route rather than the risk crossing the Arabian Desert.

Also, they likely would have traveled with an entourage of support personnel, not merely as a trio.

The star in Matthew’s account guides the wise men only on the last leg of their journey, from Jerusalem to Bethlehem. No across a desert.

At the start of the story, they set out specifically for Jerusalem because they believe the star is signaling a new Jewish king.

Worshiping at the Manger

Christmas traditions that harmonize the birth narratives in Matthew and Luke have led to scenes of the wise men arriving at the manger shortly after the shepherds. The two accounts do not support this overlap, however, for they share little more than the location of Bethlehem and the persons of Mary and Jesus.

Luke’s story concludes with the shepherds finding the baby Jesus lying in a manger on the night of his birth, while Matthew’s account presents the wise men worshiping a toddler-age Jesus in a house, not in a stable or manger. Matt 2:11

Matthew 2:11 KJV 1900

11 And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.

Herod’s Wrath

Matthew 2:12–23 KJV 1900

12 And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way. 13 And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him. 14 When he arose, he took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt: 15 And was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called my son. 16 Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Beth-lehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently inquired of the wise men. 17 Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet, saying, 18 In Rama was there a voice heard, lamentation, and weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, and would not be comforted, because they are not. 19 But when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeareth in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, 20 Saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and go into the land of Israel: for they are dead which sought the young child’s life. 21 And he arose, and took the young child and his mother, and came into the land of Israel. 22 But when he heard that Archelaus did reign in Judaea in the room of his father Herod, he was afraid to go thither: notwithstanding, being warned of God in a dream, he turned aside into the parts of Galilee: 23 And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, He shall be called a Nazarene.

A dream warns the wise men to avoid Herod (Matt 2:12), so they return home without passing through Jerusalem. When Herod hears of their departure, he becomes furious and orders all male children under the age of two to be killed (Matt 2:16). That’s why he asked earlier what time the wise men first saw the star. Herod used that information to kill his assumed rival, shedding light on his intentions. He didn’t want to go worship Jesus. He wanted to kill him. This also means the arrival of the wise men in Bethlehem likely occurred around two years after Jesus’ birth. Which is why we see a “young child” mentioned instead of a baby in a manger.

I talked a little about this on Sunday night, but the devil always tries to kill kids that have a destiny.

He doesn’t always succeed, but it doesn’t stop him from trying again and again.

There is a striking parallel in this story and the story of Moses.

Matthew knew it would ring a bell for the intended Jewish readers.

Moses was almost killed as a baby by a worldly king in Egypt.

Before eventually leading God’s people to border of Isreal.

Jesus was almost killed as a toddler by a worldly king in Isreal,

Before escaping death by fleeing to Egypt.

In both cases, it was the parents that saved the babies.

Moses’ mother saved him by hiding him in a basket in Egypt.

Mary and Joseph saved Jesus by hiding him in Egypt.

The parents of children who have a destiny play a key role in protecting them when they are young.

This is why the Bible tells us to train up a child.

If we don’t protect our kids, pray over them, teach them the Bible, take them to church…

Then how do we expect to keep them safe when the world tries to lure them in?

You can’t always protect them, and they will grow up to make their own decisions

But statistics show that children that are taken to church, taught to pray and read their Bible

Will end up more likely to follow Jesus as an adult.

Especially if the father leads the family.

They might fall away, and experiment with the world, and we hate to see it happen

but when they are old, the Bible says they won’t depart from it.

Teaching our kids the truth is so important.

They need to know Apostolic truth as soon as they can talk.

This massacre of the kids, is once again a fulfilment of prophecy.

According to verse 17 and 18,

Matthew 2:17–18 KJV 1900

17 Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet, saying, 18 In Rama was there a voice heard, lamentation, and weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, and would not be comforted, because they are not.

Rachel was buried in Bethlehem according to the Old Testament.

The Nazarene

In the remaining verses of chapter 2, we continue to see the theme of fulfillment taking place.

Joseph, Mary, and Jesus are told in a dream that Herod is dead

And that it is safe to return to Isreal.

They were also afraid of Herod’s successor, but because God had warned them,

They still came back to Isreal, they just avoided Judea.

Which is the territory surrounding Jerusalem

Where the king lived.

Instead they went to the region of Galilee where Joseph was originally from,

And lived in the city of Nazareth.

And Matthew ties that back to a prophecy where the Messiah would be called a Nazarene.

Next Week

Read Chapter 3 and 4.

We are going to dive into Chapter 3, and we will be talking about John the Baptist and his ministry,

And since it is a short chapter, We may also get into chapter 4 which discusses the temptation of Jesus and start of his ministry.

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