A Visit from the Magi (Matthew 2:1-12)

"Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand."
- Jesus

Jesus told stories that contained a deeper truth or meaning; he told these stories to convey a lesson.  For example, you could read one parable and think it is about not wasting food, not insulting a peer, how to take revenge when insulted... or see it as story of salvation.

Jesus' biography is very short even though the authors recognized the importance of His life.  We must conclude that everything in that biography is there for a reason.  Not just stories and parables, but even specific events in Christ's life are recorded for a reason as a lot was left out.  As every event is not recorded, we must then ask, "why is this here?" and dig for the deeper truth or meaning.  If we do not understand the true meaning, are we outsiders? 

Every time I've read or heard the story of the "three kings" I've only had the simple thought that Jesus is worthy of being worshipped by all people, regardless of class.  Is that the true purpose of this story or is there something more to be gleaned? 

A Game of Telephone
This has got to be the most fictionalized story in the Bible, except for maybe Noah's Ark.  I'm not saying the Biblical account is not true, I'm saying the story has been altered, romanticized, embellished, whatever.

Here we go:  there is nothing saying there were three Magi; they weren't kings; they did not visit Christ at the manger; and there is no mention of animals or shepherds visiting at the same time as the Magi.

This page explains the following:

• Some early Christian records and art depict from 2 to 8 magi; eastern religion says there were 12.
• Magi were religious leaders of the sacred caste of Medes and not kings or magicians.  It is possible they were educated in astrology (note: not astronomy).
• They weren't necessarily from Persia, although they were probably from the Parthian Empire and crossed the Syrian Desert.
• Christ was not an infant in the stable because He had already been presented at the Temple and Matthew mentions the visit occurring in a "house."

A Star
Was it a star, comet, planetary movements, or floating beacon?  Matthew writes in verse 2 that the Magi said, "...We saw his star as it rose..."  So we have "astrologers" calling it a star; comets and planets were known cosmological objects.  Can Magi, astrologers, wise men, not recognize a star when they see one?

Matthew later writes in 9 that the star guided them to Bethlehem and "went ahead of them and stopped over the place where the child was."  Neither the motion of the heavens, Earth nor paralax can explain such a phenomenon.  Remember, the Earth is spinning as the Magi walk; only the North Star is a fixed heavenly reference point.  Imagine now a star that first is used as a point of reference to a town, in a specific direction while they travel for hours (or days), and then stops over a house!  How would that look to the observer?  From the front door the star is over the house, walk around the back and it is still over the house?  A star!  Way, way up in the sky! How could they possibly get a bearing on one specific house off a star that is light years away?

Keep in mind no one else notices this star.

Not A Star
Maybe it wasn't a star, but like a star.  If you are thinking comets or odd planetary motion then apply the same arguments above except substitute "thousands of miles" for "light years."  I believe the "star" is a bright point of light that existed within our atmosphere, created by God.  After all, God has done things like this before.  A light created by God would explain the motion and also explain oddities such as:

1. Why did only the Magi recognize the star?
2. Why reveal the star to non-Jews?
3. Why didn't the star lead them directly to Christ, making the visit to Herod unnecessary?

Regardless, we do not need to find a natural explanation for the "star"; if you can't believe God made a ball of light or made a natural star move then are you really equipped to believe He lived among us?

The Magi Seek Him...
Keep in mind these Magi were not Jews but pagans.  They obviously had some limited knowledge of Judaism because they knew of the Messiah and knew He was important enough to recognize, praise, and worship.  How much did they know?  Not enough to know where prophecy said the Messiah would be born and perhaps not enough to know what the Messiah was (God incarnate). 

The Magi came a long way to praise the Messiah.  This is obviously God inspired (unless you are a Jehovah's Witness, they think Satan did it).  I can't help but wonder why God would choose pagan, non-Jews for this roll.  I'm sure there were Jews in powerful positions in distant lands.  Regardless, they came a long way and valued Him greatly (both with gifts and praise) which is in stark contrast to the Jews who lived near Jesus and were "deeply disturbed."

A star rose and lead them West.  The star was specific enough to hover over Jesus' house but for some reason didn't guide the Magi around or through Jerusalem.  The Magi actually thought Herod would tolerate a  "king of the Jews," an unwise decision.  This mistake lead to the Massacre of the Innocents.  However, it also lead to Jesus being taken to Egypt to fulfill the prophecy in Hosea 11:1.

What to give God on Earth?  Talk about someone who has everything...  These gifts are "State" gifts, they basically say, "We Magi of Persia recognize and believe you to be king of the Jews."  This falls in line with Matthew's goal of showing Jesus' "kingship."  Obviously the Magi were looking for a king because they said so to Herod, again support for Matthew's goal.    Interestingly, the gifts fall off of the record.  I wonder if they were used as currency for the trip to Egypt.

If a star lead you to God on Earth would you go home or would you buy the house next door?  For this reason my guess would be they didn't understand the significance of the Messiah and it was simply a "State" visit, e.g. one government recognizing another.  Interestingly, these pagans believed in Him as the Jewish Messiah.  Are they saved by their faith?  Are they the first Gentile Christians?   

Everyone is Disturbed
Herod is disturbed for obvious reasons.  He is currently the "king" of the Jews (and in bed with the Romans) and doesn't want another Jewish king coming around making trouble...   The Jewish Messiah is a human who leads all Jews back to Israel where an era of piece follows.  How could this happen without kicking the Romans (and Herod) out?  The common Jews in the city were probably disturbed because (a) they were afraid of Herod's response and (b) they would recognize the coming of the Messiah as a future war call and didn't know how the Romans would react. 

However, this does not explain the "leading priests and teachers."  They told the Magi where to go yet did not go with them.  Why wouldn't these priests be excited and want to get in on the ground floor of the new administration?  Not to mention having an opportunity to put their eyes on the Messiah!  Maybe they, too, feared the implications with Herod and the Romans?     

Praises!
This is an amazing Bible story that lead me down many paths.  Here is what I got out of it:

1. Matthew already described how Jesus is the Jewish king via His lineage.  Now Matthew is showing how Jesus should be recognized as king by all of the world's leaders.
2. This story foreshadows the pattern of the crucifixion.  When Herod and the Jews learn of the Messiah's birth the Jews reject Him and the Roman leader orders His death.
3. Illustrates that those who have the greatest distance to reach God will value Him the most.
4. Because we can not predict what God is going to do we should act like the Magi and look for how God reveals Himself to us; we should not be the religious leaders who are concerned about this world.
5. Don't forget the star!  God can do anything and He is sovereign.  

 

Post Script
The paragraph on kneeling and prostration here is interesting, read more about it.

The Birth of Jesus the Messiah (Matthew 1:18-24)

Starting with Joseph
It is curious to me that Matthew starts with Joseph's concern about Mary's pregnancy and what Joseph was going to do about it.  After all, Mary had a lot more at risk than he; she could have been stoned to death.  However, she was going to have the baby regardless, Joseph was obviously needed as a key player and father.  Maybe Matthew was not just writing this to Jews but to male Jews who may first think about honor instead of compassion?  I have no idea.

Jesus' Parents
This is a dumb question but I have to wonder, why couldn't Christ have a human father?  Or, to the other extreme, why any parents at all?  Mary could have simply found Jesus or cherubs could have delivered Him. If either had happened it would be no less miraculous than a virgin birth and would have erased the question of Original Sin. 

The first question, why couldn't Jesus have a natural father... Well, other than Isaiah 7:14 I can think of two things: First, the Messiah had to be irrefutably different than a prophet but still irrefutably human.  Second, He is the Son of God.

The second question seems easier to me than the first: without a Jewish mother Jesus would not have been a Jew (per the Talmud).  Arguably, He wouldn't have been 100% human if He hadn't been born to a human.  A miracle of "apparition" would also be harder to prove as Jewish babies have been found before. 

Additionally, He had to be from Abraham and David's line.

"An angel of the Lord...
An angel of the Lord announced the Christ's pending birth.  Because "angel" basically means "messenger" let's see how angels have been used previously:

Hagar: An angel of the Lord names Ishmael and tells Hagar to go back to Joseph's camp.  Interestingly, the angel tells her "I will give you more descendants than you can count.” [emphasis on 'I' added, not God will, but "I" will.]
Sarah's Son: The Lord and two others announced Isaac.
Saved Isaac: Kept Abraham from sacrificing Isaac.  Again, "withheld from me" instead of "withheld from God" even though "the angel of the Lord" is speaking.
Lot: Pulled Lot out of Sodom before its destruction.
Moses: It is "the angel of the Lord" in the burning bush, which is later identified as God.

So far I've seen a difference in "the angel" and "an angel" of the Lord.  However, I've gone far enough to wonder if it is indeed God in Joseph's dream.

Here is a bunch of info on angels.

...appeared to him in a dream"
Jesus was announced in a dream.  I have to stand back and think, "Why no booming voice from the mountain, sky, or at least a whisper in the wind?"  What else has God revealed in dreams?

Abram: God's Covenant
Protect Sarah: God spoke to Abinmelech in a dream.
Jacob: Selection of payment.
Jacob/Israel: Do not fear going to Egypt.
Laban: Pursuing Jacob
Joseph: Interpreting dreams take him to Egypt.
Daniel: Several interpretations of dreams.
Ezekiel: Glory of God

In Person vs. Dream
Why would Joseph be told about God's own Son by an angel in a dream instead of in person?  This is the biggest news since... since... anything!

As an aside, only Matthew mentions Joseph's dream revelation. 

Looking at the list of visits from angels and dreams, do you see a pattern?  Except for Abram's vision of God's Covenant, it seems the most important information is presented in person, either by an angel or by God.  I couldn't find any other children being announced in a dream. 

Gabriel told Zechariah about John the Baptist in person.  Even the shepherds got a personal visit filled with the "radiance of the Lord's glory" announcing Jesus!  This is very interesting to me. 

As a note, using a dream could have opened Joseph up to allegations of being labeled a false prophet.

The Name Jesus
First, lets note that Jesus's name was probably not a Greek or Hebrew version of "Jesus" but probably "Joshua."  His name was most likely the Hebrew Yeshua which means "He will save."  I'll obviously stick with "Jesus."

Examples of some comparisons between Jesus and Joshua:
1. Both appointed by God to complete a task.
2. Both lead God's people to the Promised Land, spiritual  and geographical, respectively.
3. Both had 12 men.
4. Both left unfinished work.

Too much information
Why do I need to know that Joseph did not consummate his marriage until after Jesus was born?  Was Joseph expecting a midwife to validate and document her status as a virgin?

Praise
What does Matthew have to say about the mother of Jesus?  Not much.  His father?  A "good man."  They were probably much like most young couples anticipating their nuptials...  Except these two people chose God in the face of anticipated rejection by their family and peers.  I get nervous when God asks me to tell my co-worker, "I'll pray for you" and these two risked getting stoned to death without second thought.  How can we ever be grateful enough for their courage? 

Jesus' birth signifies not a doctrinal shift in God's plan but a paradigm shift, a change in method not message.  As my Sunday School teacher Bev said, "The 10 Commandments are tough... but they aren't nearly as tough as the Beatitudes!"  God's grace is in the small endearments like making clothing for Adam & Eve after they disobeyed Him to huge events like saving the people of Israel from themselves and their enemies... There are a lot of examples in the Old Testament of God's grace, love, and desire to have a relationship with us.

Please try to recognize and return God's love.

The Ancestors of Jesus the Messiah (Matthew 1:1-17)

Jesus' Lineage and Kingship
Matthew's gospel starts off with tracing Jesus' family tree to "prove" He came from Abraham and David.

All those listed above include fourteen generations from Abraham to David, fourteen from David to the Babylonian exile, and fourteen from the Babylonian exile to the Messiah.
- Matt 1:17

Add it up, 42 generations.
Forty two generations! To put in perspective, there are 31 generations from William the Conqueror (1066) to Queen Elizabeth II (today) a period of time covering 941 years (and counting); we're still 11 generations short. The difference in this comparison is that in England all they had to do was follow the crown. With Jesus' line they didn't know where (or when) the crown would pop up, so they must have had to follow all children from everyone. I would have no idea how many names must be on that tree. Think about it... Rehoboam alone had 88 children! If the line was a "straight" one through kings from Abraham to Jesus then I could see how it would be easier, it wasn't. For example, Jesus' line doesn't go through David's first wife Michal, King Saul's daughter and queen in her own right, but through Bathsheeba.

However, according to Matthew most of Jesus' ancestors were kings or tribal leaders until you get to Jehoiachin where things break down and the Davidic line starts to fade from the Old Testament.

Who does Matthew say are Jesus' ancestors?
Abraham: Made a covenant with God.
Isaac: Abraham's only Jewish son. Abraham almost sacrificed Isaac out of faith and obedience to God.
Jacob: Bought Esau's birthright for some lentil soup.
Judah: A father of one of the 12 tribes, namesake for southern half of Israel after the split on Rehoboam's watch.
Pharez: AKA Pérez, mother is Tamar, who was his father's daughter-in-law.
Hezron: Among the youngest generation of the 70 Israelites to move to Egypt with Jacob.
Ram: AKA Aram, possibly the first generation born during the exile in Egypt.
Amminadab: Not much known.
Nahshon: Tribal leader who at the dedication of the Tabernacle he was the first to bring his dedicatory offering.
Salmon: Was younger than 20 when he crossed the Jordon; mother was Rahab.
Boaz: Landowner who married Ruth.
Obed: Not much known.
Jesse: From Bethlehem.
David: Became king, major player in the Old Testament; 9 sons and 1 daughter are documented.
Solomon: Wize king, wealthy, built the temple.
Rehoboam: King who's poor leadership caused the split of Israel into the kingdoms of Israel and Judah (north wanted tax relief and he raised).
Abijah: King of Judah who tried unsuccessfully to reunite Israel. Ruled three years and had 36 children.
Asa: Good king of Judah who purged the land of pagans and their idols, temples, etc.
Jehoshaphat: Good king, Judah was saved from the Moabites by God.
Jehoram: Judah king, tried to ally with Israel by marrying king Ahab's daughter, abandoned God.
Uzziah: Judah king, pride was his undoing, tried to burn incense and was struck with leprosy. 2 Kings 8, 11, and 12 has the line going Jehoram -> Ahaziah -> Joash -> Amaziah -> Uzziah
Jotham: Judah king, contemporary with the prophets Isaiah, Hosea, Amos, and Micah, by whose advice he benefited. Built the Upper Gate of the Temple of Jerusalem.
Ahaz: Wicked Judah king.
Hezekiah: Religious king of Judah, reinstated religion in Judah, got rid of pagans.
Manasseh: King of Judah who supported idolatry in the temple until he was captured, tortured, and cried out to God for help.
Amon: King of Judah, restored idolatry, assassinated.
Josiah: King of Judah, Hilikiah brought him "a book of the Torah" he found. Josiah had it read to the people. He also took control of the northern kingdom of Israel. Killed by Pharaoh Neco.
Jehoiachin: Last Davidic king. 2 Kings 23-24 puts the line as: Josiah -> Eliakim/Jehoiakim -> Jehoiachin. 2 Chronicles supports.
Shealtiel: Couldn't find much.
Zerubbabel: Laid the foundation for the second temple.
Abiud: This is the only mention of this name in the Bible, no children noted anywhere else.
Eliakim: Nothing found.
Azor: Again, nada.
Zadok: Nothing.
Akim: Only mention of this name.
Eliud: Again, unique name occurrence.
Eleazar: Nothing.
Matthan: Unique occurrence of this name.
Jacob: Nothing.
Joseph: Jesus', for lack of a better word, adopted father.

What happened?
After Zerubbabel (who's parentage is questioned) the Davidic line disappears from the Bible, that is 10 generations. Is this because of the time between Malachi and Jesus? I wonder where the Jewish family tree (which must have contained hundreds of names) was/is kept?  The temple? 

Given that Jews believe the Messiah hasn't come, I guess they are still tracking David's lineage... assuming all pre-Jesus records weren't destroyed in the Temple.  I doubt they would risk just keeping the names of the first born sons as that line could die out.

Interesting that Matthew's genealogy "ends" with Jacob the father of Joseph which mirrors Genesis' Jacob-Joseph.

Who's Counting?
Remember the 42 generations (14+14+14 in Matt 1:17)? Note that Matthew skipped several names between Jehoram to Uzziah and Josiah to Jehoiachin. On one hand abbreviation of records was not unprecedented, however, wouldn't this important list warrant completeness?  If you are going to abbreviate why not say something like, "Jehoram was the great-great-grandfather of Uzziah..."? This is odd to me. Even stranger is Matthew only listed 40 names (41 including Christ), not 42. If you include the names he skipped you go well over 42. I stumbled on some theories before I had to go looking. Regardless, I can forget my assumption that tax collectors keep good records.

Wrong lineage?
Why in the world would Matthew trace Joseph's lineage and not Mary's, then go on to tell the story of immaculate conception? According to the Talmud, derived from Deuteronomy 7:3-4, a person is a Jew if they are born to a Jewish woman (regardless of the race or religion of the father). Interestingly, I think several of the mothers in Jesus' line were not ethnically Jewish (Ruth, Rahab, and possibly Tamar).

Matthew recorded Joseph's line because tribe membership, status, etc is traced through the father (note "son of" occurs 1140 times in the NIV Bible, "daughter of" only 131). To illustrate, the Davidic line is traced through the fathers, not the mothers.

If there isn't a blood connection between Jesus and Joseph then, according to the Talmud, status and lineage still pass to the child. "The Talmud says that he who raises someone else's child is regarded as if he had actually brought him into the world physically." (link, link, link) So, Matthew was following Jewish law to establish Jesus' lines to David.

Is Mary a descendent of David?
For those who look for a blood relationship to David and Abraham, the "Third Difficulty" section here explains that Mary probably does have such a relationship through Nathan.

Who isn't an ancestor of David?
Mathematically speaking, how many generations would pass before such a small group of people could all have a bit of David's blood? According to Matthew, with 2 Kings and Chronicles filling in the omissions, there are 30 people between Jesus and David (exclusive). Given the small size of the nation of Israel and the restrictive laws of marrying only Jews, probability would be very high that both Mary and Joseph would both have David as an ancestor. To illustrate my point: a common ancestors study done recently by MIT, Yale, et al, statistically proved that all 5+ billion people alive today share a common ancestor who lived between 2,000 and 5,000 years ago. So, theoretically, everyone on the planet alive today could be a descendent of David.

Matthew vs. Luke
Note there are some problematic differences between Matthew and Luke's genealogies of Christ. Here they are side by side.

Keep in mind, these differences do not mean Jesus is not in David's line.  The Jews were particular about keeping track of their ancestors (for tribe and status).  If Jesus wasn't of David He probably would have been publicly denounced as a fraud by the Jewish leadership.

How does this relate to me?
This is interesting stuff (I hope), but how does it relate to Christians today? Well, imagine for a moment that you are Josiah, or one of the other religious kings in David's line. What a huge responsibility (in addition to being king)!  Would you have taken the prophecy that the Messiah would be your descendent seriously? Maybe not, there are some serious people in that list and it isn't recorded that they thought about the Messiah when weighing their mates. What if you knew then what you know now? Would you have sinned less, prayed more, or strived to know God more?  Well, that is exactly the position you are in.  You are the temple of God! 

Praises!
God makes the best lemon aid!  Look at the names up there and what some of those kings did.  Imagine living under a wicked king who taxes the mess out of you that was installed by a foreign power (verses).  Could your hope for your children's future be less dim?  Well, God pulled it out and came through for His people.  So next time you get lost in what is going on in today's world, look at the big picture - God's plan.

The Gospel of Matthew

We should not forget how low the Lord of glory stooped to save the human race.
- Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible

Who is Matthew?
Little is known of him.  Mark (Mark 2:14) and Luke (Luke 5:27) refer to Matthew as Levi, which from what I've read so far makes him a part of the Levi tribe, the priests.  I wonder how did Matthew become a tax collector?  The good thing is a tax collector would, I assume, know how to keep detailed records, write, etc. 

General Info
Author: Matthew or Anonymous
Date Written: Somewhere around 70-100 A.D.
References: Some think Mark and the hypothetical Q document.

Who is his audience and what is his objective?

The fulfillment of prophecy was regarded by the Jews as strong evidence, therefore this is especially dwelt upon by St. Matthew. Here are particularly selected such parts of our Savors history and discourses as were best suited to awaken the Jewish nation to a sense of their sins; to remove their erroneous expectations of an earthly kingdom; to abate their pride and self-conceit; to teach them the spiritual nature and extent of the gospel; and to prepare them Jews and convincing them of Christ and their sin.
- Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible

As a gentile I should be just as concerned about these topics.

 

My References:
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/10057a.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gospel_of_Matthew
http://www.ccel.org/ccel/henry/mhc5.toc.html