Matthew 2:1-12 (Sermon for the week of January 7th)

Gospel
Mt 2:1-12

When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea,
in the days of King Herod,
behold, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying,
“Where is the newborn king of the Jews?
We saw his star at its rising
and have come to do him homage.”
When King Herod heard this,
he was greatly troubled,
and all Jerusalem with him.
Assembling all the chief priests and the scribes of the people,
he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.
They said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea,
for thus it has been written through the prophet:
And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
since from you shall come a ruler,
who is to shepherd my people Israel.”
Then Herod called the magi secretly
and ascertained from them the time of the star’s appearance.
He sent them to Bethlehem and said,
“Go and search diligently for the child.
When you have found him, bring me word,
that I too may go and do him homage.”
After their audience with the king they set out.
And behold, the star that they had seen at its rising preceded them,
until it came and stopped over the place where the child was.
They were overjoyed at seeing the star,
and on entering the house
they saw the child with Mary his mother.
They prostrated themselves and did him homage.
Then they opened their treasures
and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod,
they departed for their country by another way.

SERMON:

This week we reflect and celebrate Epiphany. The word epiphany means appearance or manifestation. The appearance or manifestation described by Matthew in this weeks reading has a supernatural quality to it. Allow me to explain the difference between how man sees manifestation and how God can at any time manifest something. For example, you may manifest a cup of coffee by brewing coffee, grabbing a cup, and then pour coffee into the cup. Or a cup of coffee could be manifested by God; you could be sitting in front of the TV and all of the sudden a cup of coffee manifests itself right before you...hot coffee and all, even with cream and sugar if that's how you like it. I am starting this week's sermon off with this analogy because this weeks reading is full of Divine supernatural activity that is not the workings of witches or magicians. It is full of the work of God himself that would leave any scientist baffled. Epiphany is a time to reflect that God sent His Son to the world and allowed the appearance of His Son and surrounded the birth of His Son with miraculous signs. ALL people, be it Jew, Gentile, or Heathen are to be saved through Him. The early church celebrated 4 holy days...Easter, Pentecost, Epiphany, and later Christmas. This is a week of awe, reflection, and celebration.

Let's begin with the reading:
"When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea,
in the days of King Herod,
behold, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying,
“Where is the newborn king of the Jews?"
We saw his star at its rising
and have come to do him homage.”

We may relate the story of Jesus birth with visits from shepherds and wise men together. The shepherds came from the nearby places surrounding Bethlehem and the wise men or "magi" came from far away. These visits happened at two different times. The wise men's visit probably took place a while after the shepherds had departed. We know that Mary and Joseph remained in the vicinity of Bethlehem and Jerusalem until Jesus had been circumcised and presented in the temple (Luke 2:22-38). Mary also needed to recover from just giving birth. It is presumed that the wise men or "magi" visited them during the time that Mary and Joseph visited Bethlehem and Jerusalem.

There are three interesting portions to discuss in this very first part of the reading.
First, who is this King Herod?

The Herod spoken of in this verse is Herod the Great whom had sons named Herod Archelaus, Herod Phillip, and Herod Antipas. These sons will succeed their father when Herod the Great dies according to Josephus, in 4 BC. Herod was known as a great king in both good and mostly bad ways. He kept the peace, built the Temple, and was sometimes generous. He also murdered his wife, Mariamme, murdered his mother, Alexandria, murdered his oldest son, Antipater, and murdered his sons Alexander and Aristobulous. Augustus, the Roman emperor once said that it was safer to be Herod's pig than Herod's son. When Herod was approaching death, he had a group of elite citizens from Jerusalem arrested and gave orders that the when he died, the citizens were to be killed so that some tears would be shed when he died.

Second, who are the magi?

We know some information but not a lot about the magi. What we do know is interesting.
We are told that the magi are from the East. These magi were Arabs from the land of Babylon or ancient Persia which is modern day Iran / Iraq. They were probably followers of Zoroaster. We have been accustomed to calling these magi, kings, but Matthew calls them magoi or Magi. Calling them kings probably came from Psalm 72:10, which speaks of the kings of Tarshish rendering tribute and Sheba bringing gifts. Isaiah 60:6 speaks of the people of Sheba bringing gold and frankincense which are two of the three gifts the magi bring when they visit Jesus. The word magi or magus has three possible definitions. First, magi are plural and magus is singular. One of the definitions of a magus is: "a member of the Zoroastrian priestly caste of the Medes and Persians". The second definition is: a sorcerer or magician. The third definition comes from the Jews where the "magoi" looked to the stars for answers that LEGITIMATELY COME ONLY FROM GOD. The one definition that does not pertain to this reading is the definition that the magi are sorcerers or magicians. Sorcerers and magicians use astrology, horoscopes, and a religious system that is incompatible with the Christian faith. They work magic using demonic powers. The definition that works best for the "magi" in this verse is a combination of 1 and 2, these magi where probably from Persia and followed Zoroaster, and followed the stars just as the Jewish Magoi did, looking to the stars for revelations that come only from God. God is in control of the stars and can at any time show a star to guide those to Christ. We do not know for sure what the names of the magi were or how many their where. We think that there are three because they give three gifts, and the number three surrounds Christ throughout His life. The names of the magi are not certain, however, a 6 th century mosaic in a church in Ravenna, Italy name them as Melchior, Caspar (or Gaspar), and Balthasar. The most important thing to reflect on is the fact that these magi are GENTILES. The Jewish chief priests who lived less than 5 miles away from Jesus know that a Messiah is to be born, Jesus fits all the prophecies and the time line, as well as receives a star in the sky to point to exactly where He was, and the chief priests refuse to come and acknowledge Him. The Gentile Magi travel from far away and joyfully receive the Messiah and acknowledge Him. The Gentile Magi have a better grasp of Scripture and faith than the chief priests in Jerusalem! Remember the verse: "First to the Jews then to the Gentiles".

Third, How did the magi know that a king was born?
The magi tells us that they observed HIS STAR at it's rising. People have tried to identify the star that led them to Jesus. There has been little agreement to what this star was or is. We do know that this "star" does not behave as stars do, because it "stops" over the place where Jesus is. This is one example of an "epiphany" the supernatural manifestation that occurred here. The star of Bethlehem was a sign of God and God has the power to stop stars in their tracks! The Gentile magi were not the only ones who were aware that a star would rise to show that the King of Kings had been born...but these Gentile Magi not only knew what they were witnessing but also travelled from far away to pay homage.

This is where this portion of the verse ends...with the Gentile Magi giving homage to Jesus.


Next we read:
When King Herod heard this,
he was greatly troubled,
and all Jerusalem with him.

Why would Herod be greatly troubled over a baby? Herod murdered anyone threatening his throne; remember that he murdered members of his own family. Herod is also of Arab descent and rules under Rome's authority. The Jews resent Herod and would rather have a king of their own. Everyone is aware that if the Jews have a chance to overthrow him, they will. Hence, Herod was worried when he hears that a God-ordained king has been born within his jurisdiction. One interesting part of this verse is where it states: "and all Jerusalem". Why would all of Jerusalem be greatly troubled too? It seems to me that Matthew is implicating the Jewish elite, priests, and the Jewish people as opposing Jesus right from the beginning. They will share the guilt of the crucifixion, but Matthew is linking them with Herod even at the early stages of Jesus' life.

Next we read:
Assembling all the chief priests and the scribes of the people,
he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.
They said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea,
for thus it has been written through the prophet:
And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
since from you shall come a ruler,
who is to shepherd my people Israel.”

Matthew again seems to be singling out those who deny and oppose Jesus. The chief priests were Annas and Caiaphas which would have been (one or both of them) gathered together and we will see these two again at Jesus' crucifixion. The scribes are "scholars" of the Law. Scribes are in constant conflict with Jesus during his lifetime.

The part of the verse that states, "Bethlehem of Judea" is important to reflect on. It is called "Bethlehem of Judah" (belonging to the tribe of Judah) to distinguish it from the other Bethlehem which was in the North, in the territory of Zebulon (today Beth-Lehem 12km from Nazareth). It was also the birthplace of King David. When God rejected King Saul, Samuel went to Bethlehem where he anointed David as king of Israel. Bethlehem is a small town that is not high on the social ladder. It is ironic and appropriate that the Messiah would be born here, humbly. King David's beginnings were also humble. He served as a shepherd. The Jews were waiting for another "great" King David, and Jesus is the King they are waiting for. It isn't what they expect, but there is no reason to ignore Him.

The part that states, "And you Bethlehem, in the land of Judah" comes from Micah 5:2 and 2Samuel 5:2 , and Matthew seems to drive the point that the prophets foretold Jesus' birth in Bethlehem and the Jews, chief priests, scribes, and Pharisees, have the means and the scripture to know without a doubt that the Messiah is coming and yet they do nothing about it.

In the part of the verse that states, "are by no means least among the rulers of Judah" is a purposeful word play that Matthew has done to poke at the Jewish religious establishment. Micah in 5:6 says, "one of the little clans of Judah" and Matthew changes it to "are by no means least among the rulers of Judah". He shows that Bethlehem has and will become the most honored city instead of a "little clan of Judah". Matthew got that right! The point Matthew drives home with these verses is that the chief priest and scribes know the Talmud, but they miss the fact that the Messiah has been born.

Next is:
"Then Herod called the magi secretly
and ascertained from them the time of the star’s appearance.
He sent them to Bethlehem and said,
“Go and search diligently for the child.
When you have found him, bring me word,
that I too may go and do him homage.”

Herod wants the Magi's help in determining the time that the star appeared because this will help him determine how old the baby Jesus is so that he can murder him. As we know from history, Herod decides to kill all children in Bethlehem 2 years old and younger! What an evil man! And to think, if Jesus is just a good and wise teacher and not the Messiah...how this deranged king killed babies because of it! There was reason and the knowledge that the Messiah was born...and these children died because of it at the hands of a man, an unholy man, possessed with power and the material wealth of this world. This type of men murder for vanity...and it is sick. This passage does give us a clue that at this time, Jesus is 2 years or younger. God is always powerful and above all evil...remember that God warned both the wise men and Joseph who later flee to Egypt to protect his family from the wrath of men.
The treachery of this world of man begins in Jesus' infancy...this world owes Him and owes Him big for what mankind did to Him...this world owes Him His life back, and no human can give back someones life.

Next:
After their audience with the king they set out.
And behold, the star that they had seen at its rising preceded them,
until it came and stopped over the place where the child was.
They were overjoyed at seeing the star,

Stars do not stop in their orbits, and this is not natural, it is a manifestation from God.
Notice that these Magi, who are Gentiles, are overjoyed. The "chosen people" aren't, Herod isn't, and the chief priest's are "greatly troubled". The Jews who should be ready to receive Christ with great joy are afraid! The Gentile Magi, who are regarded as unworthy to associate with among the Jews, receive Jesus joyfully. The scribes expect to have a handle on things and must provide answers, and Jesus started to twist their human logic around in His infancy.

Finally:
and on entering the house
they saw the child with Mary his mother.
They prostrated themselves and did him homage.
Then they opened their treasures
and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod,
they departed for their country by another way.

Notice that the Magi prostrate themselves and pay homage. This is still the practice among Arabs and especially Muslims who adopted practices of ancient Persia. Prostrating is the act of kneeling and then laying ones whole body flat on the floor in complete submission and respect. This practice is still seen today when Muslims pray. The gifts that the Magi bring are expensive and easy to travel with. Some think of the Magi as Kings because of the gifts they bring to Jesus and the verse in Psalm 72:10-11 which states that kings will give "the king" tribute. There is a difference between magi and kings...and this reference to kings visiting Jesus comes from this Old Testament parallel. These gifts would seem inappropriate for a human child...we would expect clothes and toys. These gifts are for a King. Gold is one of the few acceptable gifts for a king. Frankincense is a gift for a priest, and myrrh is used as an anointing oil, and is also used for anointing bodies for burial. Joseph could have used these three gifts later to help pay for the journey to Egypt because they would be easy to trade with or sell.

Look again that the Magi were warned in a dream! Herod cannot even try to stand in the way of God's plan for the salvation of the world. He obviously didn't know what he was dealing with. The Herod's of this world are no match for God and God's people. God sent a dream to these men to expose Herod's treachery and they knew to steer clear of anything having to do with Herod.

Behold! The manifestation of the King of Kings who shall be the path to salvation and eternal life has come! The joy is ours as we each reflect and joyfully accept Jesus into our hearts!
Behold! The Son of God has come, has died, has resurrected, so that we may be broken from the chains of sin and have eternal LIFE! No demon, devil, or Herod could ever or will ever touch us and prevent us from faith"ing" in Our Lord! Now that is the source of true Joy...the Joy of the Kingdom to come.

God Bless you and your families this week of Epiphany.

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