Acknowledging the King

Date: 2022-01-02

Audience: Grass Valley Corps - ONLINE

Title: Acknowledging the King

Text: Matthew 2:1-18

Proposition: Jesus is acknowledged as king

Purpose: Recognize that he is Messiah

Grace and peace!

Starting new year looking into a new chapter: Matthew chapter 2.

Hey, isn’t this all part of the Christmas story? We celebrated the birth of Jesus a week ago! Why are we still working on it?

Couple reasons. First, this part of the story happened weeks, months, or perhaps even a year or more after the birth of Jesus. Second, it includes the story of the so-called “wise men”, and the celebration of their visit happens on January 6 each year. It’s a special day, noted for being the first day AFTER the Twelve Days of Christmas. It’s also a popular day to take down your Christmas lights and decorations.

In today’s passage we will see Matthew continue to turn expectations about Messiah on their head. Pagan astrologers will come to worship while the king of God’s people will refuse. The religious elite will show they are aware of God’s plan, and that they don’t care about it. And Matthew will continue to use traditional scripture teachings to support the end of traditions and welcome a new way of living.

Grab your Bible, flip to Matthew chapter 2, and start at verse 1:

After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem[1]

Matthew assumes we know all about the people and places he’s talking about, because the folks he wrote for did. But most of us these days need a little help, so let me sketch it in for us.

Jesus, he’s why we’re here. Matthew believed he was a promised king of kings who was somehow both sent by God and who was at the same time God in human form. Everything Matthew writes about him demonstrates that he was and is this King who came to bring about a new kingdom.

Bethlehem in Judea was a small shepherd’s village just over five miles from Jerusalem, the capitol city of the Roman province which was all that remained of Israel. The people there, by and large, raised and cared for the flocks of sheep used for sacrifices at the Temple of God in Jerusalem.

Herod the Great had his primary residence there – there being Jerusalem, not Bethlehem. King Herod was far too important to spend time in any mucky little villages, even if they were part of his kingdom. He was King of the Jews because that’s the title he’d asked his friend Octavian for after he had aided the Roman’s quest to become Emperor.

He was called Herod the Great because he built many large palaces, thriving seaports, and other cities dedicated to his Roman pals, all while keeping an iron grip on Judea itself.

The Magi are the hardest group to pin down here, as they are not a specific historical figure or event. As a group, the Magi were astrologers, possibly Zoroastrians, who came from Persia, from ancient Babylon, or what was left of it. They came from an area steeped in old power and old money. The Romans ruled over them, yet treated them carefully, as honored leaders of an allied nation, rather than as subjects to be controlled and exploited, like the Jews.

To Matthew’s audience, the Magi were known because one of Israel’s great prophets, a man named Daniel, had become one of them during the Exile of Judah to Babylon six centuries before. Though he had risen to rule over them and had successfully held his position against their scheming, Daniel had remained an outsider through his life and the other Magi had constantly sought to overthrow him. But God protected him in all things, preserving his stories and prophecies alongside other inspired scriptures so the people would be able to read them and take heart, knowing that God is always faithful.

And now, not long after Jesus had been born in Bethlehem, a group of Magi arrived in Jerusalem, asking for an audience with Herod, because, we’re told, they (verse 2) 2 and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” [2]

Remember, they were astrologers! Seeing things in the skies was their trade. And something – we don’t know what – lit up the night in an unusual way, one that these Magi read as an omen of an important birth – a king, unlike any other king, who would rule over God’s people. Someone who was going to change the world. Someone they wanted a chance to meet and to celebrate and even to bow down before as they honored him as being a greater power than they were.

Nowhere are we told or is it suggested that the Magi had bowed or paid more than minor respects to Herod, who they would likely have considered to be no more than an equal.

Which should help you understand what Matthew says next a little better:

3 When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him.[3]

The Magi sought one BORN King of the Jews? Herod wasn’t born king – he had been appointed king. His own people tolerated his rule because Rome decreed it, not because they viewed him as legitimate. Herod rewarded prophets and diviners who validated his reign, because if he hadn’t paid them to do so, they probably wouldn’t have. He portrayed himself as the greatest king, even calling himself Herod the Great. To preserve his name, he had named most of his children Herod as well. And his grandchildren. Boys and girls! He wanted his name to be a title which suggested eternal rule. He encouraged people to refer to him as a god, similar to the way the Caesars elevated themselves.

And he jealously protected his rule from those he thought might conspire against him.

These Magi, boldly telling him they were looking for one born to replace him, would have upset him in a way that little else could.

Let’s be clear about the power represented by the Magi, by the way. If you didn’t get this from what I said before, you should be aware of it now. We aren’t talking about a couple of guys on camels wandering in out of the desert mumbling about a comet flaring up. These people were world leaders. And there weren’t just three of them, though Matthew doesn’t tell us how many. Early church tradition said that twelve had come on this journey, each supported by a thousand soldiers and an army of retainers. Jerusalem was disturbed because a force from another land coming into your capitol and publicly upsetting your somewhat unstable ruler is disturbing!

As a sign of how he was intimidated by the Magi, Herod responded to their declaration with restraint and diplomacy, characteristics he was only known to manifest when he was at a disadvantage. And he called his own wise men in to get some answers.

4 When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. 5 “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:

6 “ ‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,

are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;

for out of you will come a ruler

who will shepherd my people Israel.’” [4]

They had this prophecy on tap because it had been around for centuries. The location, among those educated in the scripture, wasn’t a difficult question. What they had always lacked was the time. They knew the what and the where, but not the when or the who. They were also fuzzy on the why, with most expecting God would send a Messiah to throw off the bonds of Roman rule. And the how? Well, that was easy, right? Even today there are so many people who believe that the only way to create change is by inflicting great violence on those we call our enemies.

That was certainly Herod’s plan. Raising a banner against Rome would involve dethroning HIM, after all. He couldn’t allow that.

7 Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. 8 He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.” [5]

“When was this great person born again? Exactly? I’d like to make sure I’m getting the right size of gift. So embarrassing to bring diapers to a toddler, after all. You go find him and let me know, okay?”

The Magi can be forgiven for not knowing or understanding the local politics well enough to know this was a bad idea, because it sure seems that they agreed to come back and tell Herod what they found out. They leave at once. Verse 9:

9 After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. [6]

Noe, if you’re trying to figure out the astronomy behind this phenomenon, just stop. Jerusalem to Bethlehem is just over five miles. That’s not enough to make a noticeable difference in the position of most cosmic events. Oh, there are some, like meteors, which might show up like a pointer, but that doesn’t really fit the description.

Most likely, Matthew is making a spiritual point here. Astrology was classified as a kind of fortunetelling – forbidden to Jews as a pagan art which tried to divine the future or steer God’s universe the way we humans want it to go. It was and is nonsense, just like horoscopes and enneagrams.

But…

God often speaks to us using the things we will listen to. This was certainly not the first time he used people or omens or other occurrences in a way that led people to seek him out. Because that’s what these Magi had to do. For all their so-called learning and supposed knowledge, they still had to admit that it wasn’t enough to bring them to the King – they had to seek him. And now, traveling away from Jerusalem with a destination in mind, they somehow have found their interpretation of events is sharper than it had been before they were told what God’s prophet said. Go figure.

11 On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.[7]

Worship – respect, honor. This is what they said they came to do, and on seeing the child this is what they did. Herod will offer his own respect and worship shortly, but we’ll get to that.

The gifts here are traditional gifts of great value from the region the Magi come from. While they have many possible meanings, what is important to know is that they are gifts suitable for the birth of a king and they are valuable enough to give a poor family a chance to live for some time without any other support.

I wonder how disturbing this visit was to Bethlehem.

If there were enough people in the Magi’s caravan to throw all of Jerusalem in to a tizzy, what would that kind of group do to a town of a few hundred families when they drew near? Well, I suppose it’s neither here nor there. They probably stayed no longer than overnight and perhaps not that long. Custom would have demanded Joseph share a meal with these strangers, or at least the representatives who entered the village to find the king. Bread and wine would have been freely offered and neighbors would probably have joined in, turning the visit into a party which ran into the dark hours of the night. Then the travelers would have departed, back to the tents their people had set up outside the bounds of the village, ready to break down and depart at first light or shortly after.

But no one’s sleep was undisturbed that night.

12 And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.[8]

I wish we knew more about this than we do. I suppose that’s true of a lot of the story. I want to know so much more than we’re told! It doesn’t matter, of course. It isn’t the point of the story. It doesn’t add to the point either…

But what was this dream?

Did one Magi have it? Did they all have it? Was it the same dream? What if everyone with them all had the exact same dream? Was it detailed, with a voice from heaven warning them that Herod was a danger to the child? Or was it something more vague, unspecified?

Well, whatever, it did the job it was intended to. Instead of heading back north, through the capitol, they headed south and east, using a lesser trade route to return home.

13 When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up,” he said, “take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.”[9]

I think this was likely the same night as the Magi had their dream. I see Joseph waking up in a panic, knowing that his family, entrusted to him by the LORD, were in danger and he was responsible to get them to safety.

They would have packed quickly, putting some few things and what food they had to carry with them into pack rolls to carry or tie to a donkey. Then they would have headed south towards Egypt, as instructed.

And who would they have found, as they rushed to get out of town? A caravan led by the Magi, sharing the road with them for a day or two, offering them protection from the unknown for at least part of the journey.

Because God provides.

Just as he had provided them with goods they could use to trade and live on while they traveled and stayed in a distant country.

Matthew skips those details as well, telling us only that Joseph 14 So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, 15 where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: “Out of Egypt I called my son.”[10]

Herod wasn’t stupid. It would have only taken a few days for him to realize the Magi had ghosted.

16 When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi.[11]

This was Herod’s act of worship.

His respect for the child sent by God to be Messiah.

He recognized that such a child presented a threat to the world he knew and his place in it. So he struck, hoping to kill the threat he saw to his own power by killing all the baby boys in this shepherd village.

Sometimes I’ve heard people question if someone would really do such a horrible thing.

Unfortunately, the killing of a handful of children to satiate an individual’s lust for power seems a small thing compared to some of the evils I’ve seen in my life.

And what I know about Herod the Great tells me he wouldn’t have thought twice about it – these were just villagers, after all. They were poor, politically unimportant, and no direct threat to him.

Compared to some of the people he had eliminated, they were nothing.

I have a list of some of the atrocities committed by Herod in his jealous, paranoid efforts to keep a grip on power, but I’m not going to share them this morning. This isn’t Herod’s story, even though he acknowledged the birth of the new king by his effort to get rid of him.

He failed to kill Jesus. And those he did catch in his web of death are remembered. Matthew reports on the slaughter of these innocents and tells us:

17 Then what was said through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled:

18 “A voice is heard in Ramah,

weeping and great mourning,

Rachel weeping for her children

and refusing to be comforted,

because they are no more.”[12]

In keeping with the rhetorical traditions of the time, Matthew chose this explanation very carefully. It is an ancient lament of his people. What he quotes is from the prophet Jeremiah describing the few survivors of the Babylonian destruction of Judah being taken to exile. It is a reminder of one of the most sorrowful times in Israel’s history. These captives were taken to Ramah, just north of Jerusalem, still close enough to see the smoke rising from their destroyed homes and smell the blood of their fallen countrymen. They were held there for a time, then taken in chains back to Babylon as slaves.

Rachel had been the favorite wife of Jacob who would be called Israel. She wanted to give her husband a son because she felt it would justify his love for her. And she finally became pregnant. As their family traveled towards a new home in Bethlehem the time came for her to give birth. But something was wrong. Terribly wrong. The pain wasn’t right and there was blood – so much blood. And she cried out in pain and loss and despair.

And as her life leaked away, the midwife said, “Don’t despair! It’s a son!” And so it was, and he grew up beloved by his father, just as Rachel had been.

They buried her there, just north of Bethlehem, and erected a stone pillar to her memory. And in the days after the Exile the rabbis said that she had been buried there to pray for the exiles as they were gathered and removed. Rachel would ever be a symbol of Israel in distress.

Matthew uses her story to highlight the distress of Israel as its leaders ignore the birth of the Messiah and grasp for power, as they kill the babies of their own people. As outsiders with no knowledge of the ways of God come to worship and insiders participate in atrocities rather than listening to the message brought to them.

We are looking for the one born King of the Jews.

We are seeking the promised Messiah.

The time has come to recognize the King.

Rachel weeps – God comforts

Herod slaughters – God saves

The world may try to bring woe and misery, but God provides deliverance. God is salvation. And that baby boy, delivered by Mary all those years ago, is, somehow, impossibly, wonderfully, God.

Come to bring you life.

What will you do with that?

How will you show your worship?

Let’s close in prayer together.

[1] The New International Version (Mt 2:1). (2011). Zondervan. [2] The New International Version (Mt 2:2). (2011). Zondervan. [3] The New International Version (Mt 2:3). (2011). Zondervan. [4] The New International Version (Mt 2:3–6). (2011). Zondervan. [5] The New International Version (Mt 2:7–8). (2011). Zondervan. [6] The New International Version (Mt 2:9–10). (2011). Zondervan. [7] The New International Version (Mt 2:11). (2011). Zondervan. [8] The New International Version (Mt 2:12). (2011). Zondervan. [9] The New International Version (Mt 2:13). (2011). Zondervan. [10] The New International Version (Mt 2:14–15). (2011). Zondervan. [11] The New International Version (Mt 2:16). (2011). Zondervan. [12] The New International Version (Mt 2:16–18). (2011). Zondervan.