The Mystery of the Magi
Matthew 2:1-12
[Note: There was
no audio recording of the sermon.]
1 Now
when Jesus was born in Bethlehem 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 Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it
is written by the prophet, 6 And thou Bethlehem, 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, enquired of them
diligently what time the star appeared. 8 And he sent them to
Bethlehem, 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.
Introduction:
Only two Gospels record the birth of Christ, the
Nativity, Matthew and Luke, and the record in each is markedly different.
The witness to and by the shepherds is included in Luke’s
account, while that of the wise men is recorded by Matthew. There is no
overlap, and no other record of either of these details. Along with the
differences in their genealogies these unique details about the Nativity
highlight early in their composition the distinct approach and emphasis of each
of these two Gospels.
This history is compressed in contemporary nativity scenes
(crèches) since the shepherds and the wise men seem to appear together in a
rather crowded manger.
When it comes to Matthew’s account of the journey of the
wise men from the east to Jerusalem, then Bethlehem and back what we know is
outweighed but what we don’t know. We must focus on what God has recorded in
His Word, and resist the urging of curiosity to venture beyond those
boundaries. The mystery surrounding the visit of the magi must be allowed to
remain a mystery.
1. Where?
We have no specific details about where they came from.
2. How
many? We do not know how many of them there were.
3. Who?
We don’t have any information about their names.
4. Why?
We know very little that might be involved in their decision to journey to
Jerusalem.
5. When?
It is unclear how old Christ was when they arrived in Bethlehem.
What we do know about the coming of the magi is
important. It is so significant that Matthew was inspired by God to include the
words of these twelve verses in his Gospel. The worship of the wise men sets
the stage for the sovereign sending of the family into Egypt, and the tragic slaughter
of the innocents in Bethlehem.
Outline:
1. Who Were the “Wise Men”? (Mt. 2:1, 7, 16)
2. What Were the “Wise Men”? (Mt. 2:1, 7, 16)
3. Where Did the Wise Men Come From? (Mt. 2:1)
4. Why Did the Wise Men Come? (Mt. 2:2)
5. How Were the Wise Men Used by God? (Mt. 2:3-8)
6. How Did the Wise Men Respond to the Star, and Christ?
(Mt. 2:9-11)
7. Is There a Connection Between Us and the Wise Men?
1. Who Were the “Wise Men”? (Mt. 2:1, 7, 16)
2. What Were the “Wise Men”? (Mt. 2:1, 7, 16)
1)
Is there a connection between the term magi and “magicians”?
Yes, but
its meaning cannot be limited to that, anymore than it can be limited to “astrologers.”
2)
Why are they sometimes (often?) referred to as
“kings”?
tradition
dating back to c. 3rd cent. A.D. (Tertullian)
3)
Where did the tradition about their names come from?
Melkon/Melchior,
Caspar/Gasper, and Balthasar - c. 6th cent. A.D.
3. Where Did the Wise Men Come From? (Mt. 2:1)
from the east
4. Why Did the Wise Men Come? (Mt. 2:2)
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.
The question, followed by the basis for the question, and
the motive for their asking it.
Translation issue!?!? Both here and in verse 9.
ESV, NIV — “when it rose;” mg. “Or in the east”
HCSB — mg. “at its rising”
NSRV — “at its rising;” mg. “in
the East”
RSV — “in the East”
The NLT inconsistently translates verse 2 differently than verse
9. The phrase in verse 2 is translated “as it rose” (mg. “in the east”), and verse 9, “in the east.”
They made it explicitly clear that they came on this
extensive journey to worship the Messiah, the newborn King of the Jews.
5. How Were the Wise Men Used by God? (Mt. 2:3-8)
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 Bethlehem of Judaea:
for thus it is written by the prophet, 6 And thou Bethlehem, 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, enquired of them diligently
what time the star appeared. 8 And he sent them to Bethlehem, 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.
The arrival at Jerusalem, and the consequent research
confirmed not only the birth of the Messiah, but the location of His birth.
This documentation could not be subsequently swept under the political or
religious carpets, since “all Jerusalem” was affected by it, not least of which
were the chief priests and scribes. If that were not sufficient to establish
the record of the miraculous birth which was also attended by a heavenly sign,
and notable foreign visitants, the brutal slaughter of the infants that
followed, and the demonic reason for it, sealed the event as a historically
unforgettable fulfillment of prophecy. Herod the king’s primary concern is
recorded as being the location of the Messiah’s birth — which information he
sought from the chief priests and scribes — and the time of His birth — which
he precisely inquired of the wise men. He was not concerned about the Who, only
the where and the when in order to set the parameters for the infanticide his
megalomaniacal plot would enact against the Who. He could not have been more
mistaken in his focus. He joins with Cain, and Haman, and all those in the
intervening centuries who sought to kill the godly seed, and with Satan to
prevent the arrival of the Messiah by whatever murderous means necessary.
The distance from Jerusalem to Bethlehem is 6 miles.
See “Six Miles From Jesus” on Keep Believing Ministries at http://www.keepbelieving.com/sermon/six-miles-from-jesus/
[accessed 24 DEC 2016].
The distance from Nazareth to Bethlehem by road is 90
miles (70 miles as the crow flies).
6. How Did the Wise Men Respond to the Star, and
Christ? (Mt. 2:9-11)
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.
Their response to the reappearance of the star — joy:
When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.
Their response to Christ — worship:
when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with
Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him
7. Is there a connection between us and the wise men
of Matthew 2?
“Last, but not least, the
conduct of the wise men is a striking example of faith. They
believed in Christ when they had never seen Him--but that was not all. They
believed in Him when the Scribes and Pharisees were unbelieving--but that again
was not all. They believed in Him when they saw Him a little infant on Mary's
knee, and worshiped Him as a king. This was the crowning point of their faith.
They saw no miracles to convince them. They heard no teaching to persuade them.
They beheld no signs of divinity and greatness to overawe them. They saw
nothing but a new-born infant, helpless and weak, and needing a mother's care
like any one of ourselves. And yet when they saw that infant, they believed
that they saw the divine Savior of the world. "They fell down and
worshiped Him."
We read of no greater faith than this in the whole volume
of the Bible. It is a faith that deserves to be placed side by side with that
of the penitent thief. The thief saw one dying the death of a malefactor, and
yet prayed to Him, and "called Him Lord." The wise men saw a new-born
babe on the lap of a poor woman, and yet worshiped Him and confessed that He
was Christ. Blessed indeed are those that can believe in this fashion!
This is the kind of faith, let us remember, that God
delights to honor. We see the proof of that at this very day. Wherever
the Bible is read the conduct of these wise men is known, and told as a
memorial of them. Let us walk in the steps of their faith. Let us not be ashamed
to believe in Jesus and confess Him, though all around us remain careless and
unbelieving. Have we not a thousand-fold more evidence than the wise men had,
to make us believe that Jesus is the Christ? Beyond doubt we have. Yet where is
our faith?”
— John Charles Ryle, Expository
Thoughts on the Gospels: St. Matthew (New York: Robert Carter &
Brothers, 1860), pp. 12-13; on Grace Gems
at http://gracegems.org/Ryle/m02.htm
[accessed 23 DEC 2016].
[Sermon preached 24 DEC 2016 by Pastor John T. “Jack”
Jeffery at Wayside Gospel Chapel, Greentown, PA.]
Complete Outline:
1. Who Were the “Wise Men”? (Mt. 2:1, 7, 16)
2. What Were the “Wise Men”? (Mt. 2:1, 7, 16)
3. Where Did the Wise Men Come From? (Mt. 2:1)
4. Why Did the Wise Men Come? (Mt. 2:2)
5. How Were the Wise Men Used by God? (Mt. 2:3-8)
6. How Did the Wise Men Respond to the Star, and Christ?
(Mt. 2:9-11)
7. Is There a Connection Between Us and the Wise Men?
Resources:
Samuel J. Andrews,
The Life Of Our Lord Upon The Earth (Minneapolis: James Family Christian
Publishing, n.d.; reprint of 1906 original by Charles Scribner’s Sons, New
York), pp. 89-98.
L. A. Barbieri Jr.,
“Matthew,” in The Bible Knowledge
Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, 2 vols., eds. J. F. Walvoord and
R. B. Zuck (Wheaton: Victor Books, 1985), 2:20-22.
G. K. Beale, A New
Testament Biblical Theology: The Unfolding of the Old Testament in the New
(Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2011), pp. 389-390, 567.
C. L. Blomberg, “Matthew,”
in Commentary on the New Testament use of
the Old Testament, eds. G. K. Beale and D. A. Carson (Grand Rapids: Baker
Academic, (2007), pp. 5-11.
Raymond E. Brown, The
Birth of the Messiah: A Commentary on the Infancy Narratives in the Gospels of
Matthew and Luke, The Anchor Bible Reference Library, 2nd rev. ed. (New York: Doubleday, 1977, 1993), pp.
165-201; also 35-36, 51-53, 111, 114-115, 117, 203, 213, 229, 232, 401, 412,
420, 429, 444, 561, 566, 586, 600, 608, 610, 613, 665, and 672.[1]
D. A. Carson, Matthew:
Chapters 1 Through 12, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, gen. ed. Frank E.
Gaebelein (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1995), pp. 82-90.
Alfred Edersheim, The
Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah, 3rd ed., 2 vols. in 1 (Grand Rapids:
Wm. B. Eerdmans, n.d.; 1984 reprint of 1971 ed.), II:202-214.
Graeme Goldsworthy, Christ-Centered
Biblical Theology: Hermeneutical Foundations and Principles (Downers Grove,
IL: InterVarsity, 2012), pp. 156-157.
James M. Hamilton Jr., God’s Glory in Salvation Through Judgment: A Biblical Theology
(Wheaton: Crossway, 2010), pp. 249, and 364-368.
Douglas R. A. Hare, Matthew,
Interpretation: A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching, ed. James Luther
Mays (Louisville: John Knox, 1993), pp. 12-15.
U. Luz, Matthew 1–7: A Commentary On Matthew 1–7,
rev. ed., ed. H. Koester (Minneapolis: Fortress, 2007), pp. 101–116.
J. Maldonatus, A Commentary on the Holy Gospels, 2nd
ed., ed. and trans. G. J. Davie (London: John Hodges, 1888), 1:48–53.
G. Campbell Morgan, The
Crises of the Christ (Westwood, NJ: Fleming H. Revell, 1903, 1936), pp.
97-101.
John Charles Ryle, Expository
Thoughts on the Gospels: St. Matthew (New York: Robert Carter &
Brothers, 1860), pp. 9-13; on Grace Gems
at http://gracegems.org/Ryle/m02.htm
[accessed 23 DEC 2016].
Thomas R. Schreiner, The
King in His Beauty: A Biblical Theology of the Old and New Testaments
(Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2013), pp. 434-435, and 450-451.
R. V. G. Tasker, The
Gospel According to St. Matthew: An Introduction and Commentary, The
Tyndale New Testament Commentaries, gen. ed. R. V. G. Tasker (Grand Rapids: Wm.
B. Eerdmans, 1961), pp. 36-42.
Geerhardus Vos, Biblical
Theology: Old and New Testaments (Carlisle, PA: The Banner of Truth Trust,
1948), pp. 305-310, s.v. “Revelation Connected With the Nativity.”
End Notes:
[1]
Sadly Brown is guilty as charged by Yamauchi as a prime example of “Roman
Catholic scholars” who “are now accepting interpretations that were earlier
proposed by antisupernatural critics of Christianity.” Brown, op. cit., pg. 608). Brown references E.
G. Yamauchi, “The Episode of the Magi,” Chronos,
Kairos, Christos: Nativity and Chronological Studies
Presented to Jack Finegan, eds. J. Vardaman and E. M. Yamauchi
(Winona Lake, IN: Eisenbrauns, 1989), pp. 15-39. See Brown’s explicit denials
of the historicity of both the Matthean and Lukan narratives: op. cit., pp. 574-577, et al., and
specifically targeting the account of the visit by the magi, pp. 608-613, and
elsewhere. For other places in this volume where the issue of Scriptural
historicity is addressed by Brown see his “Index of Subjects,” op. cit., pp. 747-750, under the
following headings: 1) “Historicity (general),” 2) “Luke (Gospel of),
historicity” and 3) “Matthew (Gospel of), historicity.” Brown’s skepticism
concerning the historicity of the infancy narratives in these two Gospels is
expressed early on in this volume in unmistakable terms (op. cit., pg. 36):
“Of the options mentioned before we
made the detailed comparison of the two narratives, one must be ruled out,
i.e., that both accounts are completely historical.
Indeed, close analysis of the infancy narratives makes it unlikely that
either account is completely historical.”
This places Brown squarely
on the side of the Sadducees (“chief priests”) in the narrative concerning the
visit by the magi in Matthew’s Gospel. They knew the Scriptures, but denied the
supernatural, and did not bow before the new born King. In placing himself over
the Word of God as its judge and critic rather than under it in submission
Brown is echoing the words of the serpent in the Garden in the ears of the
people of God, “Hath God said…?” His scholarly comfort in the ivory tower of
academia while dismissing the facts of the events recorded by inspiration
places him in a very dangerous position
indeed, which he undoubtedly realized to his chagrin when he was beyond hope of
repentance upon his demise on 8 AUG 1998.
No comments:
Post a Comment