Bible Study - Gift - Respond to God's Gift - Matthew 2 - December 18,2011

Bible Study – Gift – Respond to God’s Gift – December 18, 2011

This is lesson three (3) in our series entitled “God’s Greatest Gift.”

Our scripture is Matthew 2:1-12, 16.

In this lesson our focus is on the response of the wise men to the birth of JESUS. Traditionally manger scenes show the wise men visiting JESUS as a new born baby in the manger. But JESUS was likely two (2) years old or less. Tradition has it that there were three (3) wise men based upon the three (3) gifts they brought to JESUS – Gold a gift suitable for a king, frankincense a gift for deity and myrrh a spice for a person who was going to die. There may have been more wise men or Magi than the three. Another point to consider is that JESUS was not born on December 25. HE was likely born in spring or fall. But the point is that HE was born as a human. GOD incarnate with self imposed limitations that could be superseded if HE chose but if HE had taken matters into HIS own hands, HE would have not completed HIS mission.

First, who were these wise men or Magi, they were not kings. But they did advise kings. Where did they come from? Again, tradition has it that they came from Parthia which was near ancient Babylon, which was a thousand plus miles from Jerusalem. They were Gentiles. They came from an area noted for studying the heavens and probing the sciences of the times. They were astronomers and astrologers. Do not let the fact that they were astrologers legitimize this practice. They studied the heavens in an effort to connect events on earth to the things they observed in them. Foretelling the future is very wrong and GOD condemns it, unless it is GOD Who reveals the future. So stay away from you trying to discern the future by consulting with astrologers, horoscopes, fortune tellers, reading tea leaves and the like. HE wants HIS children to rely upon HIM for all things and to trust HIM for their future because HE is sovereign. GOD used the wise men’s knowledge of the heavens to lead them to observe that a special star had appeared in the heavens and tied it to the birth of the King of the Jews. How did they know that?

Bible scholars believe they had studied the scripture that the Israelites brought with them when they were defeated and led captive to Babylon. The wise men studied ancient writings from various sources (other cultures) which were available at that time. The Magi’s interest in the future led them to study scripture from all sources. It is likely that they either were told or they discovered in the Old Testament scriptures of the Israelites, GOD’S promise of a Messiah to rule HIS people. They likely concluded that the Messiah would be a king who would rule HIS people on earth, just as the Jews were viewing the role of the Messiah. But this is speculation. Seeking often leads to the discovery of wonderful truth. GOD will never disappoint those who seek HIM in earnest.

The important point is that GOD is GOD. HE had a plan and a purpose for the Magi traveling a very long distance to visit this new born King of the Jews whose star they followed. Could it be that they were the first missionaries who took the Good News of JESUS birth back to the place they had come from? They did connect the scripture to the birth of the promised Messiah for the Israelites and responded to what they knew. GOD did communicate with them through a dream. GOD uses all means to get HIS message of salvation to others. HE even spoke through a donkey one time.

Since the new born king was Jewish, they followed the star to Jerusalem where the king lived. Human logic would be that a new born king would be born where the king lived. They asked around where this new born king was and word quickly spread to Herod. Herod called his advisors who gave him the answer.

We need to note that the Old Testament scripture, Micah 5:2 provided valuable information regarding the birthplace of the promised Messiah:

2 [2] Mc 5:1 in Hb Bethlehem Ephrathah, you are small among the clans of Judah; One will come from you to be ruler over Israel for Me.[3] 2 Ch 7:18; Isa 11:1; Mt 2:6 His origin[4] Lit His going out is from antiquity, from eternity.[5]

Bethlehem was the birth place of King David about 1000 B.C. Herod was king between 37 and 4 B. C. JESUS was born between 6 and 5 B.C. JESUS was born in Bethlehem, which was about five (5) miles south of Jerusalem. Bethlehem was also called the House of Bread and the Bread of Life was born there. When GOD has a plan, HE has a plan and when it comes together it is awesome. We have the privilege of seeing the whole picture. As Christians, we have the joy of living the abundant life and experiencing the indwelling Holy Spirit because of our faith in JESUS and what HE did for us. We live in a time to rejoice in the presence of the LORD and the fulfillment of the promised Messiah. CHRIST in you is the hope of Glory.

Let’s explore.

Let’s read Matthew 2:1-6:

1 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of King • Herod, • wise men from the east arrived unexpectedly in Jerusalem,
² saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east[1] Or star at its rising and have come to worship Him.”[2] Or to pay Him homage
³ When King Herod heard this, he was deeply disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him.
⁴ So he assembled all the • chief priests and • scribes of the people and asked them where the • Messiah would be born.
⁵ “In Bethlehem of Judea,” they told him, “because this is what was written by the prophet:
6 And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the leaders of Judah: because out of you will come a leader who will shepherd My people Israel.”[3]

Notice this scripture begins with “after” the birth of JESUS. This is to clarify that it was not at the time of HIS birth.

Herod was king and he was a ruthless king. He was paranoid about someone taking over the throne. He either killed or had killed his subjects, his family or anyone he suspected of plotting against him, whether real or imagined. When the wise men arrived seeking this new born King of the Jews and word got to Herod, he was very upset. He knew that a new born king was not in his household. It appears that the wise men did not go directly to Herod but word got to him quickly because no one wanted to withhold information from the king for fear of their lives.

Herod was deeply disturbed and so were all of his subjects. It is like the old saying, “When mama is not happy, no one is happy.” Well, all of Jerusalem was not happy about the news that was brought by the wise men. The very religious leaders who should have been studying the scriptures and eagerly anticipating the coming of the promised Messiah but instead, they had taken their eyes off this marvelous promised event. The King’s question forced them to study the scripture and they discovered that the promised Messiah would be born in Bethlehem. Could it be that the promised Messiah had been born? We don’t see any excitement from these religious leaders. They were likely afraid to show their emotion about the birth of this new king.

The inquiry of the wise men put the Jewish religious leaders on alert that the promised Messiah had arrived!!! They should have been overjoyed. Do you think there was a buzz among them? I think so.

Armed with this information, Herod puts on his nice face and secretly summoned the wise men.

Let’s read Matthew 2:7-8, 16:

7 Then Herod secretly summoned the wise men and asked them the exact time the star appeared.
8 He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. When you find Him, report back to me so that I too can go and worship Him.”[4]

Herod, “the nice guy”, wanted to find this new born King of the Jews and for the wise men to report back to him, so he could go and worship HIM. But GOD had a different plan and alerted the wise men to take a different route back home, which they did. This held Herod off for a short while but then for the rest of the story, we will read later in Mathew 2:16.

Let’s read Matthew 2:9-12:

9 After hearing the king, they went on their way. And there it was—the star they had seen in the east![5] Or star . . . at its rising It led them until it came and stopped above the place where the child was.
10 When they saw the star, they were overjoyed beyond measure.
11 Entering the house, they saw the child with Mary His mother, and falling to their knees, they worshiped Him.[6] Or they paid Him homage Then they opened their treasures and presented Him with gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
12 And being warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their own country by another route.

The wise men left Jerusalem and continued to follow the star. It seems that the star may have not been visible for a while but once they continued their search, the star reappeared. This was likely GOD’S way of aleerting the Jewish religious leaders of the arrival of HIS ONLY SON.

The star led them to the exact place where JESUS was living. The wise men were overjoyed. They had reached their destination. Isn’t that true for all who seek JESUS? Most people rejoice when they find HIM. When a person has been diligent to know the truth and discover it, they rejoice.

The wise men entered the house. It was not a stable, it was a house. Mary and Joseph were there taking care of JESUS. When they saw HIM, they fell on their knees and worshipped HIM. This must have been amazing to Mary and Joseph that these learned men came from such a great distance to see JESUS, worship HIM and give HIM expensive gifts.

When they found JESUS they opened their treasures. These were likely boxes or containers which housed and protected their precious gifts. Those who search for JESUS and find HIM, have a choice to make. Will they open their most valued treasure, their hearts and give HIM the treasure within, their lives? When people give HIM their physical lives, HE takes it and gives them salvation from sin and death and eternal life in return. JESUS is the source of eternal life. When you have JESUS, you have eternal life.

The wise men had gifts for JESUS – Gold a gift suitable for a king, Frankincense a gift for a deity and Myrrh a spice used for embalming. The key, besides their relevance to JESUS and HIS mission, was that these gifts had monetary value. I think when Herod issued the order to kill all males two (2) years and younger in the Bethlehem area, it provided escape money for Mary, Joseph and JESUS. They fled to Egypt until they received word that Herod had died. Sometime after 4 B.C. they returned to Israel.

GOD warned the wise men not to report back to Herod. So they returned home by a different route. GOD warned them in a dream and they were obedient to HIM. Had studying the Jewish scriptures, the prophesies they discovered regarding the coming of the Messiah and meeting JESUS confirm in their hearts and minds that JESUS was the promised Messiah? Did they now know the true GOD of the Israelites and know that HE had sent HIS Only SON to earth? We do not know but their hearts were open and responsive to GOD. They had confirmed that something very special had taken place between heaven and earth.

Have you sought JESUS? Have you searched for and found JESUS? If not, now is the moment you can ask HIM to forgive you for your sins and ask HIM to come into your life. CHRIST in you will be the best Christmas gift you will ever receive because it is the gift of eternal life and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

Let’s read Matthew 2:13-23:

¹³ After they were gone, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, “Get up! Take the child and His mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you. For Herod is about to search for the child to destroy Him.”
¹⁴ So he got up, took the child and His mother during the night, and escaped to Egypt.
¹⁵ He stayed there until Herod’s death, so that what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet might be fulfilled: Out of Egypt I called My Son.^[7] Hs 11:1

The Massacre of the Innocents

¹⁶ Then Herod, when he saw that he had been outwitted by the wise men, flew into a rage. He gave orders to massacre all the male children in and around Bethlehem who were two years^[8] Lit were from two years old and under, in keeping with the time he had learned from the wise men.
¹⁷ Then what was spoken through Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled:
¹⁸ A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping,^[9] Other mss read Ramah, lamentation, and weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children; and she refused to be consoled, because they were no more.^[10] Jr 31:15

The Holy Family in Nazareth

¹⁹ After Herod died, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt,
²⁰ saying, “Get up! Take the child and His mother and go to the land of Israel, because those who sought the child’s life are dead.”
²¹ So he got up, took the child and His mother, and entered the land of Israel.
²² But when he heard that Archelaus^[11] A son of Herod the Great who ruled a portion of his father’s kingdom 4 b.c.–a.d. 6 was ruling over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. And being warned in a dream, he withdrew to the region of Galilee.
²³ Then he went and settled in a town called Nazareth to fulfill what was spoken through the prophets, that He will be called a • Nazarene.

GOD speaks to HIS children any way HE chooses, which HE knows will get our attention to carry out HIS plan and purpose. SO GOD spoke to Joseph through a dream.

Let’s focus on Matthew 2:16:

16 Then Herod, when he saw that he had been outwitted by the wise men, flew into a rage. He gave orders to massacre all the male children in and around Bethlehem who were two years[8] Lit were from two years old and under, in keeping with the time he had learned from the wise men.

This scripture is where we get the timeframe that JESUS was likely between 1 and 2 years old when the wise men found HIM. Mary and Joseph had moved into a house. When Herod realized that the wise men had outwitted him, he issued an order to kill all male children two (2) years old and under. The poor children suffered and their parent’s hearts were broken. These children were the first martyrs for CHRIST.

We see from scripture that all was prophesied in the Old Testament. The Jewish religious leaders of that day did not make the connection. When we choose not to see something, we won’t. Don’t turn a blind eye to truth.

The truth is that GOD loves you and allowed HIS Only SON to come to earth to die for your sins. Your part is to accept what HE did for you. Why not ask HIM into your life now. Blessings and Merry Christmas!