Matthew 2
“A ray of hope flickers in the sky; A tiny star lights up way up high
All across the land, dawns a brand new morn; This comes to pass when a child is born.
A silent wish sails the seven seas; The winds of change whisper in the trees; And the walls of doubt crumble, tossed and torn; This comes to pass when a child is born.
A rosy hue settles all around; You've got to feel you're on solid ground
For a spell or two, no-one seems forlorn; This comes to pass when a child is born.
And all of this happens because the world is waiting,
Waiting for one child
Black, white, yellow, no-one knows
But a child that will grow up and turn tears to laughter,
Hate to love, war to peace and everyone to everyone's neighbour
And misery and suffering will be words to be forgotten, forever.
It's all a dream, an illusion now; It must come true, sometime soon somehow
All across the land, dawns a brand new morn; This comes to pass when a child is born”.
F. J. Zacar sung by Johnny Mathis
The song is beautiful but gets it wrong; the child has been born, the dream is a reality, after thousands of years of sin and misery, after 400 years of silence from heaven, the Messiah has come.
“Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea...”
It is now a historical fact! The construction is “Now Jesus having been born...”. We are now sometime after the birth, according to the estimate by Herod, the child could have been up to two years old(v16). While Luke records the response of the faithful remnant of Israel to the great event, Matthew’s account is very different. He paints the picture of gross indifference of the people, of consternation at the visit of the foreign Magi, and of murderous intent on the part of the King. Indeed the only positive response, to this the greatest event in their entire history, was from Gentiles who came from afar. Only Matthew records that King Herod is an Edomite, and therefore a usurper on the throne of Israel; only Matthew records the exile to Egypt; only Matthew records the slaughter of the innocents; together a truly dark portrayal of the nation at a time when they should have been rejoicing.
The situation in Israel was desperate. There was an Edomite usurper on the throne of Israel(Herod); they were ruled by an occupying force(Rome). The chief priests and scribes could quote the scriptures but ignored them; the people were troubled, in fear of the unknown. Into this fraught situation comes a shining star and a travelling band asking to see the child born King of the Jews. All we are told is they were “wise men from the east”. In contrast to the people who were “troubled”, these visitors proclaimed “We are come to worship Him, Jews worried, Gentiles worshipping—and they had come from far!
All across the land, dawns a brand new morn; This comes to pass when a child is born.
A silent wish sails the seven seas; The winds of change whisper in the trees; And the walls of doubt crumble, tossed and torn; This comes to pass when a child is born.
A rosy hue settles all around; You've got to feel you're on solid ground
For a spell or two, no-one seems forlorn; This comes to pass when a child is born.
And all of this happens because the world is waiting,
Waiting for one child
Black, white, yellow, no-one knows
But a child that will grow up and turn tears to laughter,
Hate to love, war to peace and everyone to everyone's neighbour
And misery and suffering will be words to be forgotten, forever.
It's all a dream, an illusion now; It must come true, sometime soon somehow
All across the land, dawns a brand new morn; This comes to pass when a child is born”.
F. J. Zacar sung by Johnny Mathis
The song is beautiful but gets it wrong; the child has been born, the dream is a reality, after thousands of years of sin and misery, after 400 years of silence from heaven, the Messiah has come.
“Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea...”
It is now a historical fact! The construction is “Now Jesus having been born...”. We are now sometime after the birth, according to the estimate by Herod, the child could have been up to two years old(v16). While Luke records the response of the faithful remnant of Israel to the great event, Matthew’s account is very different. He paints the picture of gross indifference of the people, of consternation at the visit of the foreign Magi, and of murderous intent on the part of the King. Indeed the only positive response, to this the greatest event in their entire history, was from Gentiles who came from afar. Only Matthew records that King Herod is an Edomite, and therefore a usurper on the throne of Israel; only Matthew records the exile to Egypt; only Matthew records the slaughter of the innocents; together a truly dark portrayal of the nation at a time when they should have been rejoicing.
The situation in Israel was desperate. There was an Edomite usurper on the throne of Israel(Herod); they were ruled by an occupying force(Rome). The chief priests and scribes could quote the scriptures but ignored them; the people were troubled, in fear of the unknown. Into this fraught situation comes a shining star and a travelling band asking to see the child born King of the Jews. All we are told is they were “wise men from the east”. In contrast to the people who were “troubled”, these visitors proclaimed “We are come to worship Him, Jews worried, Gentiles worshipping—and they had come from far!
We examine the main players in this scene; firstly Herod, he was an Edomite with no claim to be king of the Jews; historians record that he killed three of his sons he suspected of treason; he put to death his favourite wife of which he had ten; he drowned an high priest, he killed several uncles, and two cousins; he plotted to kill a stadium full of Jewish leaders-source-Josephus. He was a thoroughly unsavoury character with no legal right, nor moral fitness to rule Israel. This man goes down in history as the worst king ever, who slaughtered innocent children to protect his illegal position. Caesar Augustus once quipped that he would “rather be Herod’s pig than his son”. Matthew is clearly inferring the contrast between Herod and Jesus who has the confirmed legal right to the throne, and whose character was blameless, rather than committing sins, He had come to save people from their sins for He had none of His own.
The Magi; they were of the priestly castes of pagan religions in the east. They could have come from Babylon, or Syria or were Thracians, or Parthians. They were astronomers, astrologists, star gazers, and book worms. They would have known Daniel the prophet, and certainly the biblical prophecies. It is common to think of three wise men come with a small entourage, because of the three gifts, but this may be illusory. There may have been a considerable number of them which sparked off the fears in Jerusalem. Particularly since some of them may have been Parthians. According to Missler, the Parthians were the one people feared by all, including Rome, for they were the only people the Romans failed to subdue. They were known to be a brutal lot, part of the all-conquering Assyrian forces. If these were present among them it was probably perceived they were an advance party to spy on the land. They would be feared by both Herod and the Roman occupying forces.
“Where is He that is born King of the Jews, for we have seen His star in the east and have come to worship Him?”
They were worshippers, not warriors, but the Lord would leave the nation in a fog who had blatantly ignored His Son. The coming of Messiah was predicted in the symbol of a star, the “bright and morning star”, signalling the dawning of a new day. The coincidence of a celestial sign with the birth of a great king was a well-known feature in ancient culture(n.b. His star! This was only seen by the Magi, it disappeared when they came to Jerusalem, and appeared again when they left for Bethlehem and then home.
The star is associated with future world dominion; Numbers 24 v17-19
“There shall come a star out of Jacob, and a sceptre shall rise out of Israel, and shall smite the corners of Moab, and destroy all the children of Sheth, and Edom shall be a possession. Seir also shall be a possession for his enemies, and Israel shall do valiantly. Out of Jacob shall come He that shall have dominion, and shall destroy him that remaineth of the city”.
The N/T refers to it in 2nd Peter 1 v19, and Revelation 22 v16. To these men it was a sign of prophecy and so they came to worship the great king.
Here we have an interesting view on worship. The Greek word is “proskuneo”, and literally means to kiss the hand in deference to the person kissed; it can refer to a dog licking the hand of it’s master, an act of adoration and subjection. They came to the right place, they came for the right purpose to worship, they came prepared, they did not come empty handed, they brought gifts, “they opened their treasures”; they gave gifts befitting a king, of gold and frankincense and myrrh. Their only mission was to pay homage to Him, then return to their country. In the future glorious kingdom thousands of such journeys will be made to the One who will rule the world.
This brings us to the 2nd fulfilment of scripture, the first being He would be born of a virgin; now the place of His birth. Herod summons the chief priests and scribes who quote Micah chapter 5 v2 saying;
“In Bethlehem of Judea for thus it is written by the prophet, “And thou Bethlehem in the land of Judah, art not the least among the princes of Judah, for out of thee shall come a Governor shall rule my people Israel”.
The leaders could accurately quote scripture but failed to realise the practical implications. Possession of privilege is no guarantee of compliance. It was to Bethlehem they came, and found(not the babe) but the young child with Mary His mother in the house(no longer in the stable but in the house in Bethlehem). The prophecy is fulfilled, the one who is the future world ruler was born in Bethlehem. Bethlehem- Ephratah, a humble place for a king to be born, now raised to global fame because of Him! The wise men, being warned of God departed to their country by another way. Note the prophecy, though born in humble conditions yet predicted to be a ruling Governor over Israel and therefore over the world.
The exile(13-16) Warned in a dream Joseph and Mary flee into Egypt. This is the second of four dreams by the angel to Joseph. These were momentous times, angels were active as they always are at such times. Such a journey must have been arduous, especially since it started at night, and very costly for a poor family. Yet the Lord provided resources for the time of their exile which may have been up to a full year, and He provides from the most unexpected source, from Gentiles from hundreds of miles away! Matthew makes an astonishing quotation from the prophet Hosea 11 v1,
“..that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet saying, “Out of Egypt have I called my Son”.
This is a notable reference for the prophecy is clearly stated to be for Israel!, yet now Matthew ascribes it to Christ. This links Christ to all aspects of the suffering of His people Israel, which is a fact the rest of scripture unfolds. They suffered in Egypt, and were called out, as with Israel so with their Messiah, what a wonderful truth! We can categorically say from this use by the Spirit through Matthew, that everything experienced by Israel, Christ would emulate. There is not one aspect of suffering, He will not also suffer. This is mirrored in Hebrews describing His priestly work “He was in all points tempted(put to the test) as we are, yet sin apart”.
They escaped just in time as the brutal Herod added to his huge list of sins the most heinous of all, the slaughter of innocent children. This goes down as one of the most callous of all crimes in history, on a par with the brutal Pharoah in the Exodus. The edict to murder all the male children in Bethlehem and surrounding borders under two was pure evil. What makes Herod’s crime worse was the they were the children under his own guardianship. A king, sworn to protect children by his institution, ordering the murder of innocent children. Yet again the circumstances around His infancy was the same as Israel; this is the fulfilment of Jeremiah 31 v15,
“In Ramah was there a voice heard, lamentation, and weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, and would not be comforted , because they are not”.
Rachel was a long time dead and was buried in Bethlehem, but her name lived on and she became synonymous with the village and the surrounding areas. Bethlehem had thus, in it’s history, it’s share in grievous suffering. The rabbis say that Rachel was buried on the very road in which the northern tribes were taken into exile by Assyria in 722 b.c. and that this is behind the reference here. Matthew applies it to the deep sorrow felt here, yet another event of sadness for Bethlehem. Rachel, in her death in childbirth, named the child “Benoni “son of my sorrow.” This remote prophecy finds it’s fulfilment in the persecution of Christ and further enhances the claim to be Messiah.
Nothing is said of their stay in Egypt, but the angel reveals it is safe to return to Israel for “they are dead that sought the young child’s life”. Whether that means more than just Herod was dead, we don’t know; whether this was a natural death or a Divine intervention we don’t know, all we know is that the way was clear for them to return. They heard that Archelaus, the son of Herod, reigned in his stead. Archelaus had three brothers all senior to him so that he had no succession right to the throne, and according to history, he had been appointed at the last minute. In all this we see the sovereign hand of God, for this change of leadership caused them to avoid Jerusalem district and settle in Nazareth, which fulfilled another prophecy, though an indirect one.
Nowhere in scripture do we find by any one prophet “He shall be called a Nazarene”; rather is it a general prophecy of a number of prophets. The term “Nazarene” became synonymous with low morals, and was a derogatory term, the city being subject to all kinds of immorality and violence, being a regular haunt of Roman soldiers. The question from Nathaniel was “can any good thing come out of Nazareth?” reveals the reputation many years later. On the contrary it is perhaps linked to the Hebrew word “netser” meaning branch, which is a title applied to the Messiah by Isaiah(4 v2; 11 v1), Jeremiah(33 v15), and Zechariah(3 v8; 6 v12).
If this is correct then in these references we have the branch the king relating to Matthew(out of Jesse-Isaiah 11 v1);
the branch my servant, relating to Mark(Zechariah 3 v8);
the branch the man, relating to Luke(Zechariah 6 v12);
and the branch of the Lord, relating to John(Isaiah 4 v2).
These titles would depict the four offices of king, servant, man and God, and further enhances the claim to be the Messiah. This second view seems more likely to fit the plan of Matthew in his assertion of Jesus as Messiah.
The context of Isaiah 10 v33-11 v1, is of the nation as a tree whose bough has been lopped, leaving a stump producing no fruit. The branch(netser) is a shoot from a lifeless tree that will grow until the tree itself grows and that shoot, that branch, will be out of Jesse. It may be that the name Nazareth was derived from this and if so what a fitting picture of Matthew 2 v23, that there was living in Nazareth the branch that would restore the nation. It was at Nazareth He “grew up before Him as a tender plant and as a root out of a dry ground”(Isaiah 53 v2). In a dry fruitless wilderness He grew to perfection before the Lord. He was called the Nazarene, a term of reproach, yet He wore it with pride like a badge of honour. No less than 20 times He is called this in the New Testament and His followers were called “Nazarenes”(Acts 24 v5). From the glory of heaven, Jesus acknowledged this to Paul on the Damascus road “I am Jesus of Nazareth whom thou persecutest..”(Acts 22 v8). What humility!, in heaven, seated on the throne, His work accomplished, He was not ashamed of His days in lowly Nazareth for it was there He grew to be approved of God to continue the work of salvation.
“..that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet saying, “Out of Egypt have I called my Son”.
This is a notable reference for the prophecy is clearly stated to be for Israel!, yet now Matthew ascribes it to Christ. This links Christ to all aspects of the suffering of His people Israel, which is a fact the rest of scripture unfolds. They suffered in Egypt, and were called out, as with Israel so with their Messiah, what a wonderful truth! We can categorically say from this use by the Spirit through Matthew, that everything experienced by Israel, Christ would emulate. There is not one aspect of suffering, He will not also suffer. This is mirrored in Hebrews describing His priestly work “He was in all points tempted(put to the test) as we are, yet sin apart”.
They escaped just in time as the brutal Herod added to his huge list of sins the most heinous of all, the slaughter of innocent children. This goes down as one of the most callous of all crimes in history, on a par with the brutal Pharoah in the Exodus. The edict to murder all the male children in Bethlehem and surrounding borders under two was pure evil. What makes Herod’s crime worse was the they were the children under his own guardianship. A king, sworn to protect children by his institution, ordering the murder of innocent children. Yet again the circumstances around His infancy was the same as Israel; this is the fulfilment of Jeremiah 31 v15,
“In Ramah was there a voice heard, lamentation, and weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, and would not be comforted , because they are not”.
Rachel was a long time dead and was buried in Bethlehem, but her name lived on and she became synonymous with the village and the surrounding areas. Bethlehem had thus, in it’s history, it’s share in grievous suffering. The rabbis say that Rachel was buried on the very road in which the northern tribes were taken into exile by Assyria in 722 b.c. and that this is behind the reference here. Matthew applies it to the deep sorrow felt here, yet another event of sadness for Bethlehem. Rachel, in her death in childbirth, named the child “Benoni “son of my sorrow.” This remote prophecy finds it’s fulfilment in the persecution of Christ and further enhances the claim to be Messiah.
Nothing is said of their stay in Egypt, but the angel reveals it is safe to return to Israel for “they are dead that sought the young child’s life”. Whether that means more than just Herod was dead, we don’t know; whether this was a natural death or a Divine intervention we don’t know, all we know is that the way was clear for them to return. They heard that Archelaus, the son of Herod, reigned in his stead. Archelaus had three brothers all senior to him so that he had no succession right to the throne, and according to history, he had been appointed at the last minute. In all this we see the sovereign hand of God, for this change of leadership caused them to avoid Jerusalem district and settle in Nazareth, which fulfilled another prophecy, though an indirect one.
Nowhere in scripture do we find by any one prophet “He shall be called a Nazarene”; rather is it a general prophecy of a number of prophets. The term “Nazarene” became synonymous with low morals, and was a derogatory term, the city being subject to all kinds of immorality and violence, being a regular haunt of Roman soldiers. The question from Nathaniel was “can any good thing come out of Nazareth?” reveals the reputation many years later. On the contrary it is perhaps linked to the Hebrew word “netser” meaning branch, which is a title applied to the Messiah by Isaiah(4 v2; 11 v1), Jeremiah(33 v15), and Zechariah(3 v8; 6 v12).
If this is correct then in these references we have the branch the king relating to Matthew(out of Jesse-Isaiah 11 v1);
the branch my servant, relating to Mark(Zechariah 3 v8);
the branch the man, relating to Luke(Zechariah 6 v12);
and the branch of the Lord, relating to John(Isaiah 4 v2).
These titles would depict the four offices of king, servant, man and God, and further enhances the claim to be the Messiah. This second view seems more likely to fit the plan of Matthew in his assertion of Jesus as Messiah.
The context of Isaiah 10 v33-11 v1, is of the nation as a tree whose bough has been lopped, leaving a stump producing no fruit. The branch(netser) is a shoot from a lifeless tree that will grow until the tree itself grows and that shoot, that branch, will be out of Jesse. It may be that the name Nazareth was derived from this and if so what a fitting picture of Matthew 2 v23, that there was living in Nazareth the branch that would restore the nation. It was at Nazareth He “grew up before Him as a tender plant and as a root out of a dry ground”(Isaiah 53 v2). In a dry fruitless wilderness He grew to perfection before the Lord. He was called the Nazarene, a term of reproach, yet He wore it with pride like a badge of honour. No less than 20 times He is called this in the New Testament and His followers were called “Nazarenes”(Acts 24 v5). From the glory of heaven, Jesus acknowledged this to Paul on the Damascus road “I am Jesus of Nazareth whom thou persecutest..”(Acts 22 v8). What humility!, in heaven, seated on the throne, His work accomplished, He was not ashamed of His days in lowly Nazareth for it was there He grew to be approved of God to continue the work of salvation.
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