Seeking (Matthew 2:1-23) MOVEMENT
Notes
Transcript
1 Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod. About that time some wise men from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem, asking, 2 “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star as it rose, and we have come to worship him.”
3 King Herod was deeply disturbed when he heard this, as was everyone in Jerusalem. 4 He called a meeting of the leading priests and teachers of religious law and asked, “Where is the Messiah supposed to be born?”
5 “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they said, “for this is what the prophet wrote:
6 ‘And you, O Bethlehem in the land of Judah,
are not least among the ruling cities of Judah,
for a ruler will come from you
who will be the shepherd for my people Israel.’ ”
7 Then Herod called for a private meeting with the wise men, and he learned from them the time when the star first appeared. 8 Then he told them, “Go to Bethlehem and search carefully for the child. And when you find him, come back and tell me so that I can go and worship him, too!”
9 After this interview the wise men went their way. And the star they had seen in the east guided them to Bethlehem. It went ahead of them and stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were filled with joy! 11 They entered the house and saw the child with his mother, Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasure chests and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
12 When it was time to leave, they returned to their own country by another route, for God had warned them in a dream not to return to Herod.
13 After the wise men were gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up! Flee to Egypt with the child and his mother,” the angel said. “Stay there until I tell you to return, because Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.”
14 That night Joseph left for Egypt with the child and Mary, his mother, 15 and they stayed there until Herod’s death. This fulfilled what the Lord had spoken through the prophet: “I called my Son out of Egypt.”
16 Herod was furious when he realized that the wise men had outwitted him. He sent soldiers to kill all the boys in and around Bethlehem who were two years old and under, based on the wise men’s report of the star’s first appearance. 17 Herod’s brutal action fulfilled what God had spoken through the prophet Jeremiah:
18 “A cry was heard in Ramah—
weeping and great mourning.
Rachel weeps for her children,
refusing to be comforted,
for they are dead.”
19 When Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt. 20 “Get up!” the angel said. “Take the child and his mother back to the land of Israel, because those who were trying to kill the child are dead.”
21 So Joseph got up and returned to the land of Israel with Jesus and his mother. 22 But when he learned that the new ruler of Judea was Herod’s son Archelaus, he was afraid to go there. Then, after being warned in a dream, he left for the region of Galilee. 23 So the family went and lived in a town called Nazareth. This fulfilled what the prophets had said: “He will be called a Nazarene.”
How Long Did it Take?
How Long Did it Take?
In this text, Jesus is referred to as a paidion, which means “young child”
Compare this with Luke’s account...
In Luke 2, Jesus is referred as a brephos, which means “baby, infant, newborn child” when the shepherds arrived. HOWEVER, to complicate things, when Jesus is 8 days old he is taken to the temple. In that passage in Luke (Luke 2:22-40) Jesus is referred to as a paidion (remember, meaning child).
So, this really does not clarify things as I had hoped it would!! At 8 days old the term child is used, which is the term Matthew used when the disciples arrived.
The Magi's Journey
The Magi's Journey
Herod
Herod
There’s a couple of things to remember...
Herod the Great was CRAZY and he died in the year 4BC (Christ was NOT born at year 0 or 1…)
What Was the Star?
What Was the Star?
A supernova...
Halley's Comet: Astrologers have been able to research and find that Halley’s Comet appeared in the skies above earth in 12 BC. It appears every 75-76 years and it is visible to the naked eye.
Aligning of stars
Some have suggested that this one star is actually a misinterpretation; or more realistically and optical illusion. It wasn’t one star that appeared in the sky but a cluster of stars that seemed to be one star. Since it was a cluster of stars it would have been brighter than normal and drawn attention to it.
Jupiter, Saturn, and Pisces
According to some research, in 7BC (which is a likely time for the birth of Christ. We know he had to be born before 4BC because that is when Herod died). In 7BC the planets Jupiter and Saturn appeared to overlap each other in the constellation Pisces.
Now maybe that doesn’t bless your soul, but this might. Jupiter was considered by astronomers to be the planet of royalty.
Saturn was considered to be the planet of Palestine (that’s the area of Jerusalem).
Pisces was considered to be the sign of the last days.
If the star that appeared was the overlapping of the Planets of Jupiter and Saturn in the constellation Pisces ancient astrologers might easily have concluded that an end time king of the Jews had been born. Oh, and Jupiter and Saturn are much closer than stars. They are actually only LIGHT MINUTES AWAY!
Oh, and I almost forgot. These planets converged, aligned themselves 3 TIMES in that year!
May 29, September 30, December 5
What do we do with this?
What do we do with this?
God put a sign in the sky to get someone’s attention - YES
But, the sign wasn’t the point - it was what the sign directed others to do.
There are “Signs of Aha” that we must use to direct us to the TRUTH of God.
1 - Nature
1 The heavens proclaim the glory of God.
The skies display his craftsmanship.
I am not saying we worship nature. I am saying nature can direct our attention to God. God uses Nature to show people God’s brilliance - but NATURE is ONLY a starting point...
19 They know the truth about God because he has made it obvious to them. 20 For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.
23 And instead of worshiping the glorious, ever-living God, they worshiped idols made to look like mere people and birds and animals and reptiles.
2- Scripture
This is, or should be, the MOST definitive. Nature might get us started, but SCRIPTURE reveals the reason behind it all!
16 All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. 17 God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.
When natural observance, and reason failed The answer was found in scripture.
And ultimately it is scripture that tells us the story of God working in the world. Specifically working through JEsus Christ to live, die sacrificially, be resurrected, and to promise to come back!
3- COMMUNITY
John Donne states, “No Man is an Island”
No man is an island,
Entire of itself;
Every man is a piece of the continent,
A part of the main.
If a clod be washed away by the sea,
Europe is the less,
As well as if a promontory were:
As well as if a manor of thy friend's
Or of thine own were.
Any man's death diminishes me,
Because I am involved in mankind.
And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls;
It tolls for thee.
Whether or not we fully recognize this we do journey in community. That is HOW we were created...
18 Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is just right for him.”
The Wise Travelers Journeyed as a GROUP
They could assist each other and help each other make sense of it all
The CHURCH must be a COMMUNITY that travels together - NO ONE CAN FOLLOW CHRIST WITHOUT BEING A PART OF THE GROUP!
The COMMUNITY has ALWAYS Been addressed by God.
The New Testament word that is translated church is ecclesia which means the assembled people - IT IS NOT AN INDIVIDUAL ENTERPRISE
Our faith is personal, But it is NEVER private!
16 Don’t you realize that all of you together are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God lives in you?
19 Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself,
20 Together, we are his house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself. 21 We are carefully joined together in him, becoming a holy temple for the Lord.
5 And you are living stones that God is building into his spiritual temple. What’s more, you are his holy priests. Through the mediation of Jesus Christ, you offer spiritual sacrifices that please God.
The entire idea of FAITH is that we travel in a community TOGETHER!
May God continue to unite us together as we follow His Scriptures to seek out the Light of the World, Jesus Christ, and Make that Light known!
