The Magi and Their Gifts
Matthew 2:1-18

Just the facts!

• Traditions and the two Christmas accounts:
  
  • Matthew & Luke
    
  • Woven into one narrative
    
• John 18:37b “For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth.”

Wise Men Still Seek Him

• I Corinthians 1:20-21 “Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe.”

The Magi

• The Magi = from the <Gk> μάγος (magos)
  
  • A word of foreign origin
    
  • A Magian, that is, Oriental (from the East) scientist
    
• By implication a magician:
  
  • A sorcerer
    
  • A wise man
    
• The Magi were responsible for religious and funerary practices of the ancient Persians.

The Magi’s Gifts

• Matthew 2:11 (Luke 2:39)
  
  • Jesus was probably one or two years old when the Magi found him.
    
  • By this time, Mary and Joseph were married, living in a house, and intending to stay in Bethlehem for a while.
    
  • The Magi gave these expensive gifts because they were worthy presents prepared in advance for a future king.
• Matthew 2:11
  
  • The gifts reflect the symbols of Christ’s identity and work.
    
    • Gold was a gift for a king
      
    • Frankincense, a gift for deity
      
    • Myrrh, a spice for a person who was going to die.
      
  • These gifts may have provided the financial resources for the trip to Egypt and back.

The Star's Characteristics

1. It signified birth.
   
   • The first conjunction signified birth by its association to the day with Virgo "birthing" the new moon.
     
   • Some might argue that the unusual triple conjunction by itself could be taken to indicate a new king.
2. It signified kingship.
   
   • The Planet of King's = Jupiter
     
   • It’s coronation of the Star of Kings signified kingship.
     
   • A triple conjunction by a retrograde planet
     
   • The King star = Regulus
3. It had a connection with the Jewish nation.
   
   • The triple conjunction began with the Feast of Trumpets (Jewish New Year)
     
   • This took place within constellation of Leo
     
   • This points to a connection with the Jewish tribe of Judah (and prophecies of the Jewish Messiah).
4. It rose in the east, like other stars.
   
   • Jupiter rises in the east.
     
5. The conjunctions appeared at precise, identifiable times.
6. Herod didn't know when it appeared.
   
   • Herod was unaware of these things
     
   • They were astronomical events
     
   • They had significance only when explained by experts.
7. The events took place over a span of time sufficient for the Magi to see them both from the East and upon their arrival in Jerusalem.
   
8. It was ahead of the Magi as they went south from Jerusalem to Bethlehem.
9. It stopped over Bethlehem.
   
   • Planet = a wandering star
     
   • A planet in retrograde appears on occasion to be stopped.

The Herods of the World

• Power-hungry rulers whose actions reek of evil.
  
• Unexplainable evil actions.
  
  • Despite our best efforts to create an atmosphere of cooperation and kindness, it is unrealistic to think we are going to eliminate these divisive, rude, evil people from the face of the earth.
    
  • Our only choice, unless we want to give in or give up, is to work around the evil.
    
• This is an imperfect world, we have a call, a responsibility to work for what is good and right.

The Paradoxical Commandments ---
Kent Kieth

1. People are unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered. Love them anyway!
   
2. If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives. Do good anyway!
   
3. If you are successful, you will win false friends and true enemies. Succeed anyway!
4. The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow. Do good anyway!
   
5. Honesty and frankness will make you vulnerable. Be honest and frank anyway!
   
6. The biggest people with the biggest ideas can be shot down by the smallest people with the smallest minds. Think big anyway!
7. People favor underdogs but follow only top dogs. Fight for some underdogs anyway!
   
8. What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight. Build anyway!
9. People really need help but may attack you if you help them. Help people anyway!
   
10. Give the world the best you have and you will get kicked in the teeth. Give the world the best you have anyway!

The Mysterious Star of Bethlehem

Just the facts!

• Legends, stories and traditions add some color to the meaning of Christmas.
  
  • They can also get in the way.
    
• The real story is better than the legends.
  
• The problem with legends is that sometimes they add color to stories that don't need any additional color.
  
• In fact, sometimes legends are so colorful, they are unbelievable, and can end up making the entire story unbelievable as well.
• Astronomy verses astrology
  
  • Divination in the Old Testament
    
  • Signs in the sky verses directions for life
    
• Stars are anchors for historians.
  
  • The heavens are so predictable that a description of the sky in a text often enables precise dating of ancient events.
    
• A Star which is part of the orderly natural universe is a Clockwork Star.
  
  • A sign put in place before men walked the Earth...

God’s Stars

Then God made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night. He made the stars also.
Genesis 1:16

The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork. Day unto day utters speech, And night unto night reveals knowledge. There is no speech nor language Where their voice is not heard. Their line has gone out through all the earth, And their words to the end of the world.
Psalm 19:1-4

And take heed, lest you lift your eyes to heaven, and when you see the sun, the moon, and the stars, all the host of heaven, you feel driven to worship them and serve them, which the LORD your God has given to all the peoples under the whole heaven as a heritage.
Deuteronomy 4:19

He alone spreads out the heavens, and treads on the waves of the sea; He made the Bear, Orion, and the Pleiades, And the chambers of the south; He does great things past finding out, Yes, wonders without number
Job 9:8-10

When the morning stars sang together, And all the sons of God shouted for joy?
Job 38:7

The Lord asked Job, “Can you bind the chains of Pleiades, or loose the cords of Orion?
Job 38:31

When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, The moon and the stars, which You have ordained, What is man that You are mindful of him, And the son of man that You visit him?
Psalm 8:3-4

He counts the number of the stars; He calls them all by name.
Psalm 147:4

The Light of the Star

• Matthew 2:1-10
  
• The Star of Bethlehem
  
  • The Magi interpret the meaning of the luminaries (Vs 1-2)
    
  • The star leads the way (Vs 9-10)
    
• We can learn 9 characteristics from this passage of Scripture

The Stars Characteristics

1. It signified birth.
   
2. It signified kingship.
   
3. It had a connection with the Jewish nation.
   
4. It rose in the east, like other stars.
   
5. It appeared at a precise time.
   
6. Herod didn't know when it appeared.
   
7. It endured over time.
   
8. It was ahead of the Magi as they went south from Jerusalem to Bethlehem.
   
9. It stopped over Bethlehem.

For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
Luke 2:11

The Rest of the Story

The Miraculous Virgin Birth
The Mysterious Star of Bethlehem
The Magi and Their Gifts

Nothing But The Truth

• You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.
  John 18:37b
• Tradition – Scripture – History – Archeology

Born of a Virgin

• Prophesied in Isaiah 7:14
  • Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.
• The Miraculous Conception
  • Luke 1:26-39
• The situation - Matthew 1:18-25
• There were three steps in a Jewish marriage.
  
  • 1st - The two families agreed to the union.
    
  • 2nd - A public announcement was made.
    
    • At this point, the couple was “pledged.”
      
    • Their relationship could be broken only through death or divorce.
      
  • 3rd - The couple was married and began living together.
• Mary and Joseph were engaged, Mary’s apparent unfaithfulness carried a severe social stigma.
  
  • According to Jewish civil law, Joseph had a right to divorce her.
    
  • If he had, then the Jewish authorities could have had her stoned to death (Deuteronomy 22:23-24).

Why is the virgin birth important to the Christian faith?

• Jesus Christ, God’s Son, had to be free from the sinful nature passed on to all other human beings by Adam.
  
  • Original sin
    
  • Because Jesus was born of a woman, he was a human being; but as the Son of God, Jesus was born without any trace of human sin.
• Jesus is both fully human and fully divine.
  
• Because Jesus lived as a man, we know that he fully understands our experiences and struggles (Hebrews 4:15-16).
  
• Because he is God, he has the power and authority to deliver us from sin (Colossians 2:13-15).

Born of a Virgin

• Matthew 1:18-25 – Joseph’s difficult choice
  
• Although he knew that taking Mary as his wife could be humiliating, Joseph chose to obey the angel’s command to marry her.
  
• His action revealed four admirable qualities:
  
  • righteousness (Matthew 1:19)
    
  • discretion and sensitivity (Matthew 1:19)
    
  • responsiveness to God (Matthew 1:24)
    
  • self-discipline (Matthew 1:25)

Yeshua Ha’Mashiach

• Matthew 1:22-23
  • “So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: 23“Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.””
• The Christ = anointed, the Greek translation of the Hebrew word rendered “Messiah”
  
• The official title of our Lord
  
• This title occurs 514 times in the NT
  
• He was anointed or consecrated to his great redemptive work as:
  
  • Prophet
    
  • Priest
    
  • King of his people
• He is:
  
  • Jesus the Christ in (Acts 17:3; 18:5)
    
  • The Anointed One in (Matthew 22:42)
    
  • He is referred as the anointed in (Isaiah 61:1)
    
  • He is titled “Messiah the Prince” by Daniel in (Daniel 9:24-26)
  • “the seed of the woman” (Genesis 3:15)
    
  • “the seed of Abraham” (Genesis 22:18)
    
  • The “Prophet like unto Moses” (Deuteronomy 18:15)
    
  • “The priest after the order of Melchizedek” (Psalm 110:4)
    
  • “The rod out of the stem of Jesse” (Isaiah 11:1, 10)
  • “Immanuel” (Matthew 1:23)
    
  • The virgin’s son (Isaiah 7:14)
    
  • “The branch of Jehovah” (Isaiah 4:2)
    
  • “The messenger of the covenant” (Malachi 3:1).
    
  • This is he “of whom Moses in the law and the prophets did write.”