December 20th - The Wise Men Visit

 

Passages: The Wise Men Visit

2 Jesus was born in Bethlehem near Jerusalem during the reign of King Herod. After Jesus’ birth a group of spiritual priests from the East came to Jerusalem ² and inquired of the people, “Where is the child who is born king of the Jewish people? We observed his star rising in the sky and we’ve come to bow before him in worship.” ³ King Herod was shaken to the core when he heard this, and not only him, but all of Jerusalem was disturbed when they heard this news. ⁴ So he called a meeting of the Jewish ruling priests and religious scholars, demanding that they tell him where the promised Messiah was prophesied to be born. ⁵ “He will be born in Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,” they told him. “Because the prophecy states: ⁶ And you, little Bethlehem, are not insignificant among the clans of Judah, for out of you will emerge the Shepherd-King of my people Israel!”  ⁷ Then Herod secretly summoned the spiritual priests from the East to ascertain the exact time the star first appeared. ⁸ And he told them, “Now go to Bethlehem and carefully look there for the child, and when you’ve found him, report to me so that I can go and bow down and worship him too.” ⁹ And so they left, and on their way to Bethlehem, suddenly the same star they had seen in the East reappeared! Amazed, they watched as it went ahead of them and stopped directly over the place where the child was. ¹⁰ And when they saw the star, they were so ecstatic that they shouted and celebrated with unrestrained joy. ¹¹ When they came into the house and saw the young child with Mary, his mother, they were overcome. Falling to the ground at his feet they worshiped him. Then they opened their treasure boxes full of gifts and presented him with gold, frank-incense, and myrrh. ¹² Afterward they returned to their own country by another route because God had warned them in a dream not to go back to Herod (Matthew 2: 1-12).

"But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times"(Micah 2:5).

Magi's visit 18.11.05BC

Ponder:

“Herod died in 4 BC, which helps in dating the birth of Christ (Matthew 2:1).

These wealthy priests would have travelled around 900 miles, with an entourage for protection as officials from the East. They were “astrologers,” known as dream interpreters (Matthew 2:1) . The Greek word magos is taken from the Mede language and means “spiritual advisors” or simply “priests.” They were appointed by Darius over the state religion as priests of Persia, which is modern-day Iran, and served as official advisors to the king. By the time of Jesus’ birth, Persia had been conquered and was being governed by successors to Alexander the Great. It is possible these Magos came from the Mesopotamian region of Seleucia. The prophet Daniel is given the title of “Chief of the Magio” (See Dan. 2 and 5:11). It is probable that these Magos were descendants of those who had been taught by Daniel, and because of his prophecy of the Messiah being “cut off,” they may have been able to decipher the date of his birth along with the interpretation of his star rising.

“Although we are not told how many “wise men” came to visit Bethlehem, it was likely quite a large entourage. It is doubtful that three men from Persia would cause such an uproar and commotion in the city. There were possibly over one hundred who travelled in the caravan from the East arriving in Jerusalem”** (Matthew 2:3).

 These “wise men” were extremely wealthy (Matthew 2:11). They presented gifts that totalled a great sum of money—not tiny presents wrapped with bows, but treasure chests full of financial wealth. Although we are not given the monetary value of each type of gift, we know that frankincense and myrrh were extremely costly. These gifts would have financed Joseph and Mary and Jesus’ exodus to Egypt and supplied their living expenses for a number of years, even after returning to Israel. Gold is an often-used symbol of the deity of Christ. It also speaks of His kingship. Frankincense points to his perfect life of holiness, excellence, and devotion. Myrrh, an embalming spice, speaks to us of the suffering love that would lead him to the death on the cross.”***

In spite of the hostile circumstances, God’s sovereign care surround Jesus’ birth.*** ¹² Afterward they returned to their own country by another route because God had warned them in a dream not to go back to Herod. 

 

Prayer:

Lord, like the wise men, we bring our gifts of time, talents and resources to you to use in your service. We also come to worship you as King at this season. Thank you for coming to provide the hope of salvation for the entire world

Lord, thank you that you are in control. Just as you as you foiled the devious plan of Herod, we pray that we too will see your hand at work in the affairs of leaders today. Redirect our hearts according to your sovereign will. Amen.

"Bethlehem was God with us, 

Calvary was God for us, and 

Pentecost is God in us."

We three kings (Song)

(267) We Three Kings with Lyrics | Christmas Carol & Song - YouTube

*(The Jesus Diary – The Most Comprehensive Chronology of the Life of Jesus Christ, the Son of God)

** Luke:The NIV Application commentary from Biblical Text to Contemporary Life: Darrell L. Brock – Quotations (moving forward) will be from this source and The Matthew Commentary Collection by Wilkins,Osborne and McKnight.

***Footnotes from the Passion Translation