Luke 2 and Matthew 2
Notes
Transcript
Meeting the King
Meeting the King
My dear friends, How are you today?
I hope and pray that you’ve had a good week. There are challenges which we face each day, but the joy of our faith is that we never face anything alone.
Jesus is always with His people.
That is our blessing...
And consider today! We have gathered to worship and here we are, a few days before Christmas! It is amazing that we can gather here and celebrate the first of two important events in our Christian faith.
This morning we are going to finish looking at the events surrounding the birth of Jesus.
We began in the Gospel of Matthew this morning and look at the coming of the 3 Kings who searched for a child born King.
So lets find Matthew chapter 2 and lets consider this first thought today...
1. Ambassadors from a Foreign Land...
One of the most intriguing facts that we encounter after the birth of Jesus, are those who came to worship Him.
Lets look at the text today... Matthew 2:1-3
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.” 3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him;
Now as we open the text, we find these events take place after the birth of Jesus.
The setting for what is happening is in two places: 1. is Jerusalem for Herod the King, and .
2. Mary, Joseph and the baby Jesus, they are still in Bethlehem.
We are not sure how much time has passed from His birth until this unique visit, but we find they are in a house now, so they have been able to leave those very humble accommodations of that stable area to a regular house of sorts.
But it is during this time, Verse 1 tells us that Wise men travel form the east..
Now from all we know today, they have traveled from those areas we would identify as Persia, which today we could say they are priests who served in their temples in areas like Iran and Iraq.
Now theses are called “wise men” also referred to as Magi, that is the more perfect title for them. They are wise, priests and experts in the mysteries of Persia and Babylon.
But being ambassadors, we know they studied the stars and the heavens, and so the rising of the star would capture their attention and have traveled from the east to worship this child born King of the Jews.
Now we might wonder, How would these men know about a coming King who would be the King of the Jews?
Remember the past, Israel had suffered in captivity because of their sins against God. Living in exile in Babylon, as the Old Testament bears witness too, the religious leaders of Babylon, the Wise men would have had access to the Jewish Scriptures. They would have studied those Scriptures, encountering those Old Testament prophecies.
Now a common belief of the day, when a new star appeared in the sky, it was believed it heralded the birth of a significant person in the land which the star arose.
So when this star arose, they went to see the one who had a legitimate claim to the throne of the land and its people.
So in that journey, as they traveled to find this new king, they appear first to the palace of Herod, He is the current ruler of the land.
And look at verse 3 Matt 2:3
3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him;
Herod was shocked, perhaps upset and angry at a possible rival to his power. So it troubled him and all the land with him. Listen if the King is upset, friends the people will suffer on account of it..
Herod had several of his sons, wives and others close to him put to death because he feared they were plotting to overtake him.
So these Magi, they come to Herod thinking he will know where this child is, their purpose is clear, they came to worship him.
So imagine with me, these 3 Magi, and maybe attendants and guards with them, a large group possibly traveling over 800 miles in about 40 to 50 days.
Wow....
Now Herod is shocked, he knows nothing of this so called child born King, so he reaches out the religious leaders of the Jews there to inquire more..
Now look with me at verses 4-6 Matt 2:4-6
4 and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. 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.’ ”
These Priests and Scribes of the Jews, they quote Micah 5:2 and tell Herod where the child was to be born in Bethlehem, the house and city of David.
And so secretly summoning the wise men, Herod told them where the Christ child was to be born. Now Herod is sneaky.. He told them to go there and search for the child but asked them to send word to him that he might go also and worship the child.
Now look with me at verse 9 Matthew 2:9-10
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.
Now Bethlehem lay just 6 miles almost due south from Jerusalem. And as these Magi set out for Bethlehem, the star, rose before them and did not stop until it came to rest over the top of the house where the Christ child was and they rejoiced when they saw this, they had great joy.
They were excited, they were moved inside themselves, for they had found the place where the child was...
They don’t understand the entire truth of who the Christ child is, and what he will one day do, but they know He is special and will one day be King..
And they have come to worship him, to pay homage to him and celebrate his birth
Now look at verses 11-12 Matt 2:11-12
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. 12 And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way.
Can you imagine the scene my friends!
They saw and fell down and worshipped Him. This is what the Scriptures tell us...
Wow, As I’ve said they don’t understand His divine nature but their actions provide a foreshadow of the things to come, where the gentile nations will worship Him as king in the future.
And look at the gifts they bring..
Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh...
A. Gold points to his royalty. He is king and He will one day sit on the throne of David.
B. Frankincense - reminds us that He is the great High Priest, and he is the one who is Divine, sent from the father. It was frankincense that was offered on the altar of incense before God as a sweet smelling fragrance.
C. Myrrh is the oddest of gifts. If you remember it was wine mixed with myrrh, which was offered to Jesus on the cross. Myrrh was also used often in preparing the body after death. Myrrh would point to the fact that Jesus will lay down his life as a sacrifice for sin, He will be a Savior.
What precious things were offered to this child in worship and adoration. These ambassadors came to welcome the this child born king, the one who was the ancient of days.
How beautiful, the witness of the wise men, and they should to point us to Jesus.
But lets move forward, and consider Jesus at the 8th day of life...
2. Presentation at the Temple..
Now every child, no matter if it was a boy or girl, there were things the family were required to do after the birth if that child.
These are all accounted for in the Old Testament laws God gave to Moses for the children of Israel.
And we will see some of that here in our text in the Gospel of Luke, so find Luke chapter 2 with me. We are going to look at verses 21-24...
Luke 2:21-24
21 And at the end of eight days, when he was circumcised, he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.
22 And when the time came for their purification according to the Law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord 23 (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every male who first opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord”) 24 and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the Law of the Lord, “a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.”
So several things happening here as we open the text.
Every male child belonged to the Lord. And this child was the Son of God.
But every mal child, they were to be circumcised which was a sign of the covenant that God gave to Abraham and his descendents.
This had to take place on the end of 8th day, and it is here they would be officially named, and we know that Joseph, Mary’s husband named this child Jesus as the angel of the Lord had instructed Mary so many months before...
2. Purification was needed for them. The act of being born, blood having been released meant that mother and overall the family (Mary and Joseph) needed to be purified. Purification is
The family were required to enter the temple complex, and make the proper offering as Moses prescribed having received if from the Lords as told in the book of Leviticus.
Verse 24 tells us they were to offer a pair of doves or two young pigeons. This was a a gift prescribed by the Lord for the those depending on their abilities.
And so they went to offer these gifts and these would allow them to be found acceptable within the Jewish community, and not be unclean.
Now this state of being unclean is not sin, No. It is simply that the person has been exposed to blood and this was one thing that divided the community of keeps them separated and unable to worship the Lord their God.
These things took place to fulfill what was set in place by God and foretold through the law.
These are my friends, the many things that make us holy in front of the Lord, they were important,
And please know, there are things we need to bring before the Lord.
We submit our self and will before the Lord at Salvation, we must lay aside self in order to stand in front of him talking hold of His salvation
But also, when we are polluted with the things of the world, actions, attitudes, words.. we can come before the father and pray.
We can see the save the blessing of prayer and we can pray, repenting of our sin and seeking His favor again as we strive to walk with the Lord.
3. A Miraculous Meeting...
The last picture I want you to see this morning is two people who came in contact with this wonderful child, as they were in the Temple area on the 8th day.
Lets look at verses 25-32 Luke 2:25-32
25 Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 26 And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. 27 And he came in the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the Law, 28 he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said,
29 “Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace,
according to your word;
30 for my eyes have seen your salvation
31 that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,
32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
and for glory to your people Israel.”
So this first person is a man by the name of Simeon. For Simeon, this is the only place in the Scriptures where he is mentioned.
From what we can tell, he is advanced in years and He lives there in Jerusalem or very close by I would imagine since he is around the Temple.
Now there are some words that describe his life before God.. He is righteous and he is called devout.
He is one who lives his life, every step is in accordance with the word of God. He does his best to live according to the law, morally and spiritually.
And it says he was waiting on the consolation of Israel. What is this? The consolation of Israel, it is the comfort, the help God would extend to his people as He comes to rescue and comfort His people.
And here is why I think he is advanced in years, He was told by the Holy Spirit, that he would not see death until he has seen the Lord’s Christ. Literally, until he has seen the promised one, the anointed one of God.
Now look at verse 27, he came this day into the temple, but the Spirit of the Lord is upon him.
And seeing this child, he marvels, There HE is… the Christ… and he takes the baby Jesus in his arms and He praised and blessed the eternal God of heaven..
And lets breakdown what Simeon said..
A. You and fulfilled your promise Lord, and now I can depart this life in peace.. What God had promised, has come to pass...
B. For I have seen your salvation that you prepared for all peoples… Your salvation, prepared for both Jew and Gentile..
Praise the Lord that He loves us all..
C. And this Savior, this Christ was a light to the Gentiles, a witness that God loves all people and desires that all be saved.
And it brings glory to Israel, since they were the ones who already possessed God’s revelation, the truth that He saves and restores.
Simeon praised God for his faithfulness and His love for all mankind.
Now, look at verses 33-35 Luke 2:33-35
33 And his father and his mother marveled at what was said about him. 34 And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, “Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed 35 (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.”
The marveled, they wondered about all that was being said, this prophecy was one that made them think about the future of this child.
Simeon blessed them, He pronounced God’s blessing on them and this child and his final message is one that is unique. It again speaks to the future work of Jesus.
Some will reject the message he will carry to the nations, and they, in their pride and haughty nature will fall… But for others, they will receive it and will be blessed, raised up one day in heavenly places..
Some will harden their heart to the message of Jesus and some will receive it with gladness.
But Mary’s own heart would grief and experience sorrow in the future. She doesn’t know it yet, but Jesus would be rejected and crucified by those around Him.
She wouldn’t understand this during those moments, but a better time was coming.. Can you imagine seeing Him in the Upper Room on that third day… Wow...
But as soon as that meeting ends, another takes place, a older prophetess was there,living on the temple grounds.
Look at verses 36-38 Luke 2:36-38
36 And there was a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years, having lived with her husband seven years from when she was a virgin, 37 and then as a widow until she was eighty-four. She did not depart from the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day. 38 And coming up at that very hour she began to give thanks to God and to speak of him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem.
Here is a widow, at 84 years of age, after her husband had died she has remained at the temple, and she has done nothing for all these years, worshipping, fasting and praying…
And at that hour, as they have seen Simeon, she begins to give thanks to God and to speak of Him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Israel.
My friends, as the Lord, even as a child entered the Temple area, there has been a welcoming committee...
They have praised God for the coming one, who was now there that would bless and help the people of Israel. The coming Savior of the world.
How special…How wonderful.
And this morning we are just 3 days from Christmas..
Can we give thanks? can we praise the Lord for the gift of His Son?
Can we give thanks for God’s great love that he gave.
Oh what a blessing, what a blessing God has given us..
A Savior.. who is Christ the Lord.
Praise him, Praise him.
