Mathew 2:1-12 - The Magi

Praise the Lord - my paper is done and I feel a hundred pounds lighter . . . and thrilled to be writing this post.

Did you look at the two groups of people (Magi and Herod/Jerusalem) and their behavior and words in this passage? This chapter has several of the typical markers that lead us to the main point.

First, what about the Magi (I capitalize their name because I like them)? Verse 2 screams out. Here we find what they know, where they're from, and why they've come. This verse is covered with God's providence. What they know: The Magi know that the baby is the King of the Jews. They were basically astrologers, which is why they would notice a strange star. But how can a new star tell you something as specific as 'there is a new baby born over in the west and he happens to be the King of the Jews'? These guys are getting far more revelation than a star can give. God has chosen to reveal the baby to them. So God's providence is attached to the fact that they know he's there. Where they are from: they are from the east coming to see a Jewish baby. No one would do this on their own. At this point in time, the Jews were of absolutely no consequence to the rest of the world. They were viewed as dogs, passed around from conqueror to conqueror for hundreds of years. For someone to travel any distance to see a Jewish baby would be insane. Yet they are doing it. Providence. Why they've come: They have come ... from the east ... to see a Jewish baby ... and worship him. These things don't happen on their own. Do you see the absurdity? Astrologers have traveled who knows how far to see a baby born in the most inconsequential place on the planet for the purpose of worshiping him.

I love this kind of absurdity. The absurdity of the gospel. It simply cannot be explained by any other means than the providence of God. He takes the most unlikely folks imaginable and draws them to himself. Magi? What they know, where they're from (or more appropriately, where they've come to), and why they've come - that is, that they are willing to worship a baby Jew - all of this was designed. Make no mistake about it, God chose these fellows.

But I digress...

No, I don't think providence is the main point of the passage, but I still see it in every verse of the book.

Let's recall that these guys are Gentiles. They have chosen to trek across the middle east to worship that baby. They've heard the truth and they've responded to it.

Okay, I changed my mind - we're back at providence. Look at verse 9. The star went ahead of them to where the baby was and stopped above where the baby was. I don't know what translation you're using, but the greek makes it clear that the star moved and then the star stopped moving. They weren't just navigating by the stars; they were following a moving star. Providence.

What did they do when they saw the star? They rejoiced. What did they do when they saw Jesus? They fell down and worshiped him. They worshiped him.

Put yourself in their shoes. They've gone through a crazy series of occurences, traveled a long way, seen miraculous things, and finally, in the end, they have been providentially led to the Messiah.

What was your journey like? Did you set the whole thing in motion? Or did He? I didn't have a star to lead me and I didn't have to travel across the world. But I knew what I knew because He revealed it to me. And I went where I went because He led me there. And I worshiped because He put the desire in me.

"Oh, the depths of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God - How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways..."

Next time, Herod and all Jerusalem.

Drink deep.

Intermission

Hey folks,
Sorry about the delay. I'm laboring on a term paper. Hope to have something on here by the end of the week. Hope all is well.

Talk to you soon,
Greg

Matthew 2:1-12 - Background

Alright, let's tackle a question or two I posed last time. If this is the first post you are reading, it will be helpful if you read the first Matthew post first and work your way to this one.

First, in what way is this chapter (and chapter 1) background for the rest of the book? At the beginning here, I want to make clear that I'm not saying that the first couple of chapters are not necessary, like the preface most people skip at the beginning of any book. Rather, these chapters are laying the foundation for the rest of the book. How? In these first chapters, we see different people/groups saying heavy things about Jesus. Matthew himself traces Jesus' genealogy back to David and Abraham . . . this is in no way ambiguous fluff! Matthew is telling us that Jesus is the seed of Abraham and the heir to David's thone, that is, the Messiah. Then we have an angel, someone 'in the know' with major credibility saying that this baby Jesus is conceived by the HS, and will save his people from their sins. This is no ordinary baby. He is Immanuel, which means . . . GOD WITH US. After hearing this news, Joseph is also on board, testifying with his actions that the baby is the real deal. Again, Matthew isn't being subtle or veiled. In chapter 1, Matthew clearly wants to make the point, "this is the Messiah."

In chapter 2, Matthew strengthens his case by showing other groups who also recognize who this boy is. There are the magi from the east, and Herod and 'all Jerusalem' in the west. Be sure to catch that - Gentiles and Jews alike recognize that this child is significant. This Jew and Gentile thing is huge for the whole book - we'll be coming back to it again and again - and it is no coincidence that Matthew points this out here. (Where can we see the Jew/Gentile idea in chapter 1? Look at the genealogy.) And all along the way in these two chapters, Matthew is pointing out how all of this is fulfilling OT Scripture. So to recap, we have Jesus' bloodline, the testimony of angels, the determination of Joseph, the passion of the Magi, and the fear of Herod and Jerusalem all saying the same thing, "We have the Messiah here."

So to get back to the question - how are these chapters background? They are giving us Jesus' pedigree, his resume so-to-speak, establishing for us the reason we should listen to the rest of the book: Jesus is the Messiah. His identity and authority need not be questioned. His words simply must be heard, his sermons pondered, his compassion witnessed, his example followed, his Passion treasured, his resurrection celebrated, and his gospel preached. These two chapters establish who he is so that we can reject or embrace what he does. If we reject him, we're left with no excuses. If we embrace him, we're left with no doubts.

So where are you? Adding your voice to the other voices in these chapters, testifying to the identity of Christ?

For next time, look at the Magi and Herod/Jerusalem and their respective responses to the Child. What's the point?

Until then, drink deep.

Matthew 2:1-12 - Preliminary Questions

Okay, this isn't working. I'm obviously having trouble finding enough time to put everything together in one posting, so I'm going to do it a little at a time. I'll try to get something up here every day or every other day. By chopping it up into smaller pieces, we'll get more continuity and stay more engaged. Also, it will be benificial to all for you to share your own comments as we go.

Okay, there are a couple of preliminary things I'd like to show you. Something quite helpful that you won't pick up in an English translation is how the verb tenses are functioning in this chapter. In Greek, verb tenses have more functions than they do in English. In English, verb tense primarily communicates the time of an action - past, present, or future. But with Greek, the verb tense can communicate time, duration, prominence, and foregrounding/backgrounding. I'll explain some of this as we go.

In this chapter, the tenses are predominantly aorist, which only in a very rudimentary sense indicates past time. Since Matthew is in large part a record of historical events, you would expect almost all of the verbs to be aorist/past time verbs. However, this is not the case. Looking at the Greek text, one can see a noticeable shift in tenses from chapter 2 going into chapter 3. In my own study, I like to highlight aorist tense verbs in red, present tense verbs in blue, future tense verbs in yellow, etc. When I look at my notes on these two chapters (2&3), I see mostly red in chapter 2 and mostly blue in chapter 3. What on earth does this mean?

The verb tenses in chapter 2 are giving us the background that prepares us for the foreground in chapter 3. What on earth does that mean? Matthew, as the author of this book (under the inspiration of the HS, of course) is preparing the hearer to receive the message that is coming in the next chapters. The aorist tense is signaling background information. (By the way, chapter 1 used predominantly aorist tenses, too, linking it with chapter 2 as the background of the book.) Here are a few questions to think about as you look at this passage (2:1-12):
1. In what way are the first couple of chapters background information?
2. How might they be preparing us for what is ahead?
3. In everyday life, what might I want to know about someone before I accept what they have to say?
4. What are chapters 1&2 telling us about Jesus?

In a nutshell, we want to see what is the function of this chapter in the book. Matthew is not throwing any of this in on a whim. This is one of the most methodical books in the NT. There is purpose in everything.

Next, take some time to look at the main people in 2:1-12. Who are they? What is their ethnic background? What is said about them and what do they say?

Until next time, drink deep.