Post by Admin on Oct 29, 2019 21:49:18 GMT
We can learn much from the story of the Magi who followed a star to find a new King, although some typical imagery is added fantasy. Here are the facts, as told by Matthew in Chapter 2:1-18 (NIV):
1 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem 2 and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”
3 When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. 5 “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:
6 “‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’”
7 Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. 8 He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”
9 After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 11 On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. 12 And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.
13 When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up,” he said, “take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.”
14 So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, 15 where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: “Out of Egypt I called my son.”
16 When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi. 17 Then what was said through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled:
18 “A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more.”
Here is background on the magi and Old Testament connections from Ligonier Ministries:
Present among the figurines in the nativity crèches found everywhere at Christmastime are usually three regal men bearing gifts. As we know, these kings are supposed to represent the wise men. Unfortunately, this depiction of the wise men takes liberties with the text. Matthew never tells us how many wise men come to see the Messiah. The tradition of three wise men probably comes from the three different gifts mentioned in Matthew 2:11. Moreover, the first gospel does not say the magi are kings. This idea goes back to the church father Tertullian (around 200 A.D.) and is likely due to his reading of passages like Psalm 68:31 and Isaiah 49:7.
Who, then, are the wise men? Precise identification is difficult, but we do know they are “from the east” of Judea. Persia, Babylon, and Arabia are all possible countries of origin, with Babylon the likeliest option since contact with its large Jewish community would have prompted the magi to come looking for a king in Jerusalem. The Greek term for “magi” (magoi) refers to a group interested in predicting the future via dream interpretation, magic, and other methods, such as astrology, which explains their interest in the star. Though motivated partly by superstition, the wise men are the first Gentiles to seek out Jesus, and they serve to demonstrate that God fulfills all His promises.
Another historical inaccuracy regarding the magi found in Christmas crèches is that the wise men do not gather with the shepherds only hours after Jesus’ birth; they visit months or even years later. When the wise men find the Christ child in Bethlehem, He and His family are living in a house and are no longer staying in the stable. Also, the magi first saw the star announcing the King’s birth while they were in their own land and have made a long journey from the east to Judea. Therefore, a visit soon after Jesus’ birth is impossible. Finally, when he issues the order to slaughter the Messiah, Herod has all the males in Bethlehem “two years old or under” killed according to the timing of the star he has ascertained from the wise men. Apparently, there is at most a two-year window between the birth of Jesus and the adoration of the magi.
As soon as the wise men arrive at their destination, they worship the king and give Him gifts. Interpreters throughout the ages have typically viewed the gifts symbolically. Gold represents royalty and the Messiah’s reign. Frankincense, a glittery, fragrant gum from different Near Eastern trees, is useful in worship and symbolizes Jesus’ deity. Myrrh, a scented resin obtained from Arabia and Greece, is an embalming spice and points to our Lord’s death. This reading of the text is insightful, but the wise men probably do not have such things specifically in mind when they present their costly gifts. In any case, these presents are resources that can potentially finance Joseph and Mary’s later sojourn in Egypt.
1 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem 2 and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”
3 When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. 5 “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:
6 “‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’”
7 Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. 8 He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”
9 After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 11 On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. 12 And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.
13 When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up,” he said, “take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.”
14 So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, 15 where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: “Out of Egypt I called my son.”
16 When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi. 17 Then what was said through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled:
18 “A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more.”
Here is background on the magi and Old Testament connections from Ligonier Ministries:
Present among the figurines in the nativity crèches found everywhere at Christmastime are usually three regal men bearing gifts. As we know, these kings are supposed to represent the wise men. Unfortunately, this depiction of the wise men takes liberties with the text. Matthew never tells us how many wise men come to see the Messiah. The tradition of three wise men probably comes from the three different gifts mentioned in Matthew 2:11. Moreover, the first gospel does not say the magi are kings. This idea goes back to the church father Tertullian (around 200 A.D.) and is likely due to his reading of passages like Psalm 68:31 and Isaiah 49:7.
Who, then, are the wise men? Precise identification is difficult, but we do know they are “from the east” of Judea. Persia, Babylon, and Arabia are all possible countries of origin, with Babylon the likeliest option since contact with its large Jewish community would have prompted the magi to come looking for a king in Jerusalem. The Greek term for “magi” (magoi) refers to a group interested in predicting the future via dream interpretation, magic, and other methods, such as astrology, which explains their interest in the star. Though motivated partly by superstition, the wise men are the first Gentiles to seek out Jesus, and they serve to demonstrate that God fulfills all His promises.
Another historical inaccuracy regarding the magi found in Christmas crèches is that the wise men do not gather with the shepherds only hours after Jesus’ birth; they visit months or even years later. When the wise men find the Christ child in Bethlehem, He and His family are living in a house and are no longer staying in the stable. Also, the magi first saw the star announcing the King’s birth while they were in their own land and have made a long journey from the east to Judea. Therefore, a visit soon after Jesus’ birth is impossible. Finally, when he issues the order to slaughter the Messiah, Herod has all the males in Bethlehem “two years old or under” killed according to the timing of the star he has ascertained from the wise men. Apparently, there is at most a two-year window between the birth of Jesus and the adoration of the magi.
As soon as the wise men arrive at their destination, they worship the king and give Him gifts. Interpreters throughout the ages have typically viewed the gifts symbolically. Gold represents royalty and the Messiah’s reign. Frankincense, a glittery, fragrant gum from different Near Eastern trees, is useful in worship and symbolizes Jesus’ deity. Myrrh, a scented resin obtained from Arabia and Greece, is an embalming spice and points to our Lord’s death. This reading of the text is insightful, but the wise men probably do not have such things specifically in mind when they present their costly gifts. In any case, these presents are resources that can potentially finance Joseph and Mary’s later sojourn in Egypt.