How many kings in our
passage?
The Bible doesn’t call the
wise men kings and it doesn’t tell us there were 3 of them.
Assume 3 because of the
number of gifts.
Perhaps many more.
They must have had an entourage
to be able to travel safely with such treasures.
Servants, guards
So how many kings?
2 kings in our passage:
King Herod and King Jesus
(vv1-3 etc.)
Let’s think first of all about
the wise men, then about King Herod and finally about King Jesus.
The Wise Men
Magi / Wise men / kings?
‘Magi’ (v1), which is word we get ‘magic’ from.
These were the star-gazers : the astrologers
Stars often stand for
rulers in the Bible
When
Julius Caesar was back-stabbed by Brutus and the boys in 44BC, the ancient
writer Suetonius said that “a comet shone for seven successive days... and was
believed to be the soul of Caesar”.
It
became known in Rome as “Caesar’s star”.
The recent work of Dr
Michael Molnar, an astronomer of Rutgers University in New Jersey, provides
some fascinating background.
Using astronomical
calculations and historical accounts, Molnar shows that in the year 6BC the
planet Jupiter – which appears like a star to the naked eye – appeared in the
constellation of Aries.
Jupiter was the planet
associated with kings, and Aries was linked to the Jews.
On 17th April
in 6BC, Jupiter was eclipsed by the moon in Aries.
Later that year in August,
it appeared to change direction and move, before becoming stationary on
December 19th.
This pattern seems to
match very well what we read in Matthew’s account: that the star rose, and
then, after the Magi’s interview with King Herod, went ‘ahead of them’, “until
it stopped over the place where the child was”.
We’re told that these wise
men came “from the East” (v1)
Babylon?
The descendants of those
converted in the time of Daniel (when he was Prime Minister of Babylon)
Perhaps the best guess is
that they were from Babylonia, that is, present day Iraq.
If you go straight across
the desert, it’s 540 miles from Babylon to Jerusalem.
Despite the spoof version
of the carol, of course, they didn’t come “one in a taxi, one in a car, [and]
one in a scooter sounder his hooter.”
They had to walk or ride.
The journey would have
taken at least a month, probably much longer.
According to v11, by the
time the wise men get to Jesus he’s not in the manger any more – he’s been able
to upgrade to a house.
By now Jesus is called “a
child” rather than “a baby” (vv9, 11).
Verse 16 suggests that the
wise men may have been travelling and searching for Jesus for up to 2 years.
A journey like this would
have been an expensive, difficult business.
They risk their lives for
Jesus’ sake, by defying the murderous king Herod.
The wise men tell us it’s
worth taking the time and effort to find out who Jesus really is, whatever it
takes.
It’s worth crossing a continent to find out
about Jesus!
Thankfully, we don’t have
to journey across deserts on camels, but we do need to investigate Jesus’
claims for ourselves.
The magi as representatives
of the nations
Jesus the king of the
whole world
The wise men show us that
Jesus is of far more than local significance.
Jesus matters for
everyone.
Jesus’ coming is good news
for all people and nations – these wise men from the East included.
He’s good news even for
you and me, 2000 miles away and 2000 years later.
Indeed, the miraculous
star tells us that Jesus is of cosmic importance.
The Magi’s model response
Joy (v10)
Bowing down and worshing
(v11)
the Magi came to see a King, and pay him homage.
The word is perhaps even stronger than that :
they came to worship him –
they ‘knelt down’ before him
Wise men sought Jesus –
they still do. Will you?
We (and Herod) don’t have
to make a long, expensive, dangerous journey.
The wise men models of
courage and commitment: willing to risk the wrath of Herod for the sake of
Christ.
Herod
Contrast Herod and the
wise men
The wise men had to depend
on the stars and make a great journey
Herod has the Scriptures
and the chief priests right there in the palace and Bethlehem was just down the
road
Much easier for us…
Christianity Explained
New Year’s Resolution: to
make use of the Scriptures, to read them regularly, to know them
The slaughter of the
innocents - The shadow of the cross
What humanity does to God
People don’t want Jesus as
their king
The coming of Christ is
disturbing (v3)
Jesus
No doubt the wise men
chose their gifts carefully
Matthew bothers to tell us
what the gifts were, so presumably he wants us to think about their
significance
the first ever Christmas presents:
G, F & M
Gifts fit for a king
G, F & M are mentioned
together is the Song of Songs 3:6-11 – G, F & M are associated with the
arrival of the bridegroom-king
Cf. the Queen of Sheba
bringing Solomon gifts of gold and spices
Later in Matthew, Jesus is
called one greater than Solomon.
Jesus the new and better
Solomon
The wise king
Great king David’s greater
Son
The Son of David whose
kingdom will last for ever
The promised Messiah,
rescuer king
The bridegroom – church
the bride of Christ
Traditional explanation of
the gifts
We Three Kings
Goes back to the 4th
Century
G – king
F – incense – priest / God
Gold, frankincense and myrrh are also all associated with
the altar of incense in Exodus 30
Jesus the New Temple
M – death
Cross – pain killer,
embalming fluid
Damien Hurst, For The Love
of God – jewelled skull - riches and death, a kingly death
memento mori
Jesus the New Moses – baby
the wicked king attempted to murder but whom God saved
Mention of Egypt (v13) reminds
us of Moses
Jesus will be a ruler and
rescuer of his people like Moses
2 kings – Herod and Jesus
Which King will you obey?
King Herod or king Jesus?
What will your response to
Jesus be?
Like the wise men, will
you seek him, boldly, persistently, whatever the cost?
Will you bow down and
worship him with joy?
Would you give him your
treasures?
In The Bleak Mid Winter (Christina Rossetti)
"What can I give him, poor as I am?
If I were a shepherd, I would bring a lamb;
if I were a Wise Man, I would do my part;
yet what I can I give him: give my heart"
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