Verses 1-12
Christ is
born King of the Jews. He was born during the reign of King Herod the Great,
who ruled over Judaea. Bethlehem of Judaea is written to distinguish Christ's
birthplace from Bethlehem in the tribe of Zabulon. The birthplace of our Lord
and Saviour happened according to prophecy.
Certain wise men came to visit Jesus, who was likely an infant given the fact
that Herod was still King. We learn later in the passage that Herod ordered the
deaths of all children under two years. Herod was deeply troubled as he felt
his throne and reign over Jerusalem would be challenged. The people of
Jerusalem feared political unrest.
It is worth noting that there is no mention in the Bible of the "three
wise men" that many claim came to visit the infant Jesus. It is assumed
there were three wise men due to the three gifts the men gave to Jesus. There
may have been more than three, but one thing is sure it was more than one as
the plural “men” is mentioned. The names of these men are not recorded in
Scripture.
The wise men saw a star in the East that proclaimed the coming of the King of
the Jews. The men traveled a great distance to worship the Christ child. Men
and women still worship Jesus today, for He is Prophet, Priest, and King. The
Holy Bible says in Numbers. 24:17, "I shall see him, but not now: I shall
behold him, but not nigh: there shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Scepter
shall rise out of Israel, and shall smite the corners of Moab, and destroy all
the children of Sheth." The star may have been a supernatural sign
pointing to the birth of Christ. The fact that the Scriptures says "his
star" indicates that the wise men knew that this star was significant of
the King of the Jews.
Herod called a council of the most learned of the city to try to resolve this
matter. Herod requested them to find the location of Christ. This would have
entailed looking up and reading the prophecies to attain where the Christ was
expected to be born. It is clear to see that Herod's true intent was to know
where Christ was in order to destroy him. The men of the council would have
been only those who were educated in the law of Moses. They knew how to both
explain and apply the law. Notice how the Jewish leaders, Chief Priest, and
Scribes did not follow the wise men.
Matthew writes with the authority of God who wrote through the prophets of old,
thus it is written by the prophet. The Prophet Micah is being referred to here.
Micah 5:2 says, "But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among
the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to
be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from
everlasting." Bethlehem may have been little in Micah's day, but at the
time of Matthew, the city was not a small and unimportant place.
Herod sent his men to Bethlehem to carefully search for the infant Jesus. The
wise men were sent under the authority of Herod on the grounds that he would
worship the Messiah. Nothing could have been further from the truth. Herod used
his men as a means to find the Messiah so he could execute his murderous plans.
Herod secretly called the wise men. He wanted with as much accuracy to know the
exact time that the star appeared to them. This information was important as
Herod needed to know the age of Jesus in order to carry out his desire to
destroy the Saviour of sinners.
To their great joy and surprise, the star led them and directed them, thus the
star moved. The mention of "young child" indicates that Christ was no
longer a baby. He was likely an infant at this time. The star must have been
very bright and clearly seen. When the wise men arrived, they gave Christ
humble reverence. They worshipped him as only he deserves to be worshipped, as
King, Saviour, and Lord.
Jospeh’s Dream
Verses 13-23
An angel
of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and warned him that Herod sought to
destroy Jesus. Joseph was told to flee to Egypt with Mary and Jesus until
further instruction. Egypt was outside of Herod's jurisdiction. When the time
was right Jesus returned to Israel. He did not stay in the land of Egypt.
It is important to state that Joseph took his family to the nearest safe point.
He did not flee for economic gain, nor did he seek personal profit from his
time in Egypt. The Bible tells us that this journey into Egypt was by night
which was the safest way to travel. This was also best due to the heat of the
desert during the day. Some Jewish people and historians have stated that
Christ dwelt in Alexandria in Northern Egypt.
In verse 15 we read that it was now safe for Joseph and his family to return to
the land of Israel. “Out of Egypt, I have called my son”, is a reference to Numbers
24:8 and Hosea 11:1. To make sure that Jesus Christ, King of the Jews was no
more Herod ordered the deaths of every child under the age of two years.
Jeremiah predicted this horrific event in Jeremiah 31:15. The son of Herod,
Archelaus took the place of King when his father died.
We can take great comfort from this chapter of St. Matthew's Gospel. The
overriding message in this passage of Scripture is that God is in control. We
live in times of uncertainty which can cause us to be afraid. Christian, you
can still trust and obey God. The promises of God are sure. The times are evil,
but God is good. Remember that our lives are in the hands of God, who promised
to never leave nor forsake His people. Christ walks beside His people in times
of great blessing and in times of great testing. We can trust Christ in the
midst of fearful times. The rulers of the world care not for the things of God.
At heart, most earthly rulers today seek the same thing as Herod, the ruin and
destruction of Jesus Christ and His Church (Matt. 16:18).
The departure of Herod from this world was in God’s timing. The times and
events of the earth are in God's timing. This ought to cause us to trust ever
more in God's grace. There is so much to thank God for and much more to be said
on the topic of trusting in God’s grace.
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