Written ~ 01-02-2024
Matthew 2 –
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.”
In Matthew chapter two we learn about the wise men who were looking for Jesus and their journey to find Him. As they made their way to Jerusalem they were following a star that rose in the east. The wise men were known as astrologers or magi, which roughly translates into sorcerers or wizards.
Good examples of wise men would be the men the Pharoah used in the time of Moses, when God used Moses to do powerful signs and wonders so Pharoah would let His people go, Pharoah had his magi, or magicians, do the same miracles. See Exodus 7:10-13 and Exodus 7:20-22 then again in Exodus 8:6-7.
The wise men looking for Jesus were probably not religious men, it is possible they had some knowledge of the Old Testament Scriptures, but for the most part they were astrologers, magicians, who were curious about a star they saw in the sky. Even though we may have come to believe that the wise men were there the night Jesus was born and that they visited Him while He lay there in the manger, that doesn’t seem to be true at all. Our chapter does not say how far away these wise men came, but it would have taken time for the news of a newborn King to get to wherever they were from. It’s possible with their knowledge of Scripture they may have known the prophesy of Balaam who spoke of a rising star in Numbers 24:17a, “I see Him, but not here and now. I perceive Him, but far in the distant future. A star will rise from Jacob…” So, with a star in the sky and rumblings that a King had been born they set off for Jerusalem in search of Him.
Their journey brought them to King Herod, a relentlessly cruel man. In one commentary I was reading, it said, “King Herod was a descendant of Esau who was an enemy to the Jews. King Herod, though he converted to Judaism, it would have been for political reasons and only for show.” King Herod hated the Jews. So upon hearing the news that the King of the Jews had been born, it would have infuriated him. When King Herod showed interest in finding Jesus so he could worship the new King as well, it’s very possible those around him thought he was being truthful. Herod’s priests and teachers of religious law told him that the prophecy from Micah 5:2, said this ruler would be born in Bethlehem (vss. 2:5-6).
The wise men took off on the rest of their journey to find the Lord, with full intent to go back to King Herod with the news that they had found the child so he could worship Him as well. The wise men looked to the sky and followed a star that led them into Bethlehem and stopped them right over the house where He lived (vs. 2:9). It wasn’t a stable, nor was it a manger that the star stopped over, it was a house. Matthew 2:11, “…they entered the house and saw the child…” As soon as they saw the child they were filled with joy! (vs. 2:10) They bowed down and worshiped the Lord, the Messiah, the King of the Jews. Then they opened their treasure chests and presented gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.
The wise men received a warning from God not to go back to King Herod, so they left and returned to their own country. After the wise men were gone an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph and said, “Flee to Egypt and stay there until I tell you to return…” This fulfilled the prophecy from Hosea 11:1, “I called My Son out of Egypt.”
King Herod demanded all the baby boys two years of age and younger in and around Bethlehem be killed, in hopes that this new King would also be killed. Matthew 2:17-18, 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.”
After Herod had died, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph again telling him to leave Egypt, this is what led them to settle in Nazareth. Matthew 2:23,23 So the family went and lived in a town called Nazareth. This fulfilled what the prophets had said: “He will be called a Nazarene.”
This chapter is quite an adventure wouldn’t you say? One of intrigue and danger! But what does this chapter really tell us? How can we apply it to our own hearts? For me it’s about searching. The wise men were searching. They had a prompting on their hearts that something magnificent had happened. So they went searching. They followed a star. A bright gleaming light. We are told in Scripture that Jesus is the Light of the World. It is that Light we are to follow. Our hearts have been prompted by the Holy Spirit to search for the Lord, when we find Him we are to bow only to Him and to worship Him alone. We bring Him our gifts, those gifts will be used to further His Kingdom.
Are you searching after the Lord in everything you do? Do you see the Light of the Lord and follow it? Escape from “Egypt,” escape from anything that is pulling you away from serving the Lord with all your heart, mind and soul. Be filled with joy as you look into the eyes of the Lord and grasp His hand. Worship the Lord, for He is the King above all kings…
~AMEN~