MAtthew Chapter 2
Memory verses for
this week: Luke 12:42 And the Lord said,
Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his lord shall make
ruler over his household, to give them their portion of meat in due
season?
Introduction:
We
continue our study this week on the book of Matthew. In last week’s
lesson, we reviewed the lineage of Joseph and discussed how that while
this proved him to be of the tribe of Judah, he was not the father of
Christ. Jesus was born to Mary who was a virgin. We discussed how
his birth was according to the prophecy of the Old Testament.
I. Visit of the Wise
Men
Mat 2:1 Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days
of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to
Jerusalem,
Mat 2:2 Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we
have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.
There is a lot of information in verse one. It tells us the
exact placed of Christ’s birth, who the king was who was reigning at
the time, and that the wise men of the east came to Jerusalem. By
identifying the birth place as Bethlehem of Judea, it clearly
distinguished it from the Bethlehem in Zebulon.
Josh 19:15 And
Kattath, and Nahallal, and Shimron, and Idalah, and Bethlehem: twelve
cities with their villages.
Josh 19:16 This is
the inheritance of the children of Zebulun according to their
families, these cities with their villages.
Bethlehem means the “House of Bread.” The wise men were
possibly not wise in the world’s viewpoint, but they were wise in
God’s sight. Back then, a man who sought Jesus was considered a wise
man. I’ll say that is still true today. These came seeking Jesus
from a far away land.
Matthew Henry had this about the birth of Christ in his
commentary.
It was a mark of
humiliation put upon the Lord Jesus that, though he was the
Desire of all nations, yet his coming into the world was little
observed and taken notice of, his birth was obscure and unregarded:
herein he emptied himself, and made himself of no reputation. If the
Son of God must be brought into the world, one might justly expect
that he should be received with all the ceremony possible, that crowns
and sceptres should immediately have been laid at his feet, and that
the high and mighty princes of the world should have been his humble
servants; such a Messiah as this the Jews expected, but we see none of
all this; he came into the world, and the world knew him
not; nay, he came to his own, and his own received him
not; for having undertaken to make satisfaction to his Father for
the wrong done him in his honour by the sin of man, he did it
by denying himself in, and despoiling himself of, the honours
undoubtedly due to an incarnate Deity; yet, as afterward, so in his
birth, some rays of glory darted forth in the midst of the greatest
instances of his abasement. Though there was the hiding of his
power, yet he had horns coming out of his hand (Hab. 3:4)
enough to condemn the world, and the Jews especially, for their
stupidity.
The first who took notice of Christ after his birth were the
shepherds (Lu. 2:15, etc.), who saw and heard glorious things
concerning him, and made them known abroad, to the amazement of all
that heard them.
[i]
God revealed to the wise men that Jesus was to be the King of
the Jews. This was the title placed over his cross when he died there
on Mt. Calvary.
John 19:19 And
Pilate wrote a title, and put it on the cross. And the writing was,
JESUS OF NAZARETH THE KING OF THE JEWS.
John 19:20 This
title then read many of the Jews: for the place where Jesus was
crucified was nigh to the city: and it was written in Hebrew, and
Greek, and Latin.
John 19:21 Then said
the chief priests of the Jews to Pilate, Write not, The King of the
Jews; but that he said, I am King of the Jews.
John 19:22 Pilate
answered, What I have written I have written.
God had promised Israel a king and the Jews were looking for
one to come and over throw the Romans and take the throne and rule.
This was not the way Christ came the first time, but when he comes
this second time, He will take the throne of David and rule. It says
the wise men came to worship and they saw His star in the East.
Rev 22:16 I Jesus
have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches.
I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning
star.
Mat 2:3 When Herod the king had heard these things, he was
troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.
Mat 2:4 And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes
of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be
born.
The announcement that the King of the Jews had been born
troubled Herod. He feared that he would perhaps lose his throne. It
says it also troubled all of Jerusalem. Herod then inquires where
Jesus should be born.
Mat 2:5 And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus
it is written by the prophet,
Mat 2:6 And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least
among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that
shall rule my people Israel.
Herod brings in the religious leaders and scribes who were
the writers and interpreters of the scriptures. So where did they go
to find the answer? The word of God was the source they turned to.
When you and I need answers, we need to turn to the bible also. It
contains answers for the problems we face each day. They find that
the answer lay in the book of Micah as the prophet spoke of the birth
place of Christ. Out of Judah was to come a governor to rule the
people of God. And as I said earlier, one day Christ will return to
reign on the throne of David.
Mat 2:7 Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men,
inquired of them diligently what time the star appeared.
Mat 2:8 And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search
diligently for the young child; and when ye have found him, bring me
word again, that I may come and worship him also.
We see Herod then asks the wise men about what time the star
had appeared. He pretended to want to come to worship Christ, but in
his mind, he intended to destroy Christ. He wanted to know the exact
age of Jesus, so he could have all the young male children near his
age put to death. Herod never intended to come and worship Jesus.
Mat 2:9 When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the
star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and
stood over where the young child was.
Mat 2:10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding
great joy.
Mat 2:11 And when they were come into the house, they saw the
young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him:
and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him
gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.
Mat 2:12 And being warned of God in a dream that they should not
return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way.
The star guided them from the east to where Jesus was at that
time. Today, He is still a guiding star to all who will seek after
him. They rejoiced when they come to the place where the young child
was. It says the wise men present gifts to Jesus. (gold,
frankincense, and myrrh.) After that, they were warned of God not to
return to Herod.
I wonder why we think there were 3 wise men. All the
Christmas cards show it that way, but nothing in scripture mentions
there being three men. Also, they show them bringing the gifts to
the manger. J. Vernon McGee points out that it was a long journey for
these wise men, and it may have taken close to a year.
“Behold there came three
wise men from the east to Jerusalem.” Is that what your Bible says?
You say, “No, you’ve inserted the number three.” Well, isn’t that what
you’ve been taught by your Christmas cards? I think a great many
people know more about the Christmas story from Christmas cards than
from the Bible, and therefore they have many inaccurate impressions.
I’ll attempt to correct several of them in this chapter.
First, you will notice that the record doesn’t tell us there
were three wise men. I don’t know how many there were, but I doubt
whether three wise men would have disturbed Herod or have excited
Jerusalem. I do believe that three hundred men would have done so.
These wise men who came from the East evidently came from different
areas. They had been studying the stars, and when this new star
appeared, they joined forces and came to Jerusalem. I don’t know how
many there were, but I’m almost sure it wasn’t three, and I believe
three hundred would be more nearly true. But, please, don’t say that I
said there were three hundred!
I am going to make a statement now and will try to prove it
later: The star had appeared in the night sky sometime before the wise
men appeared in Jerusalem. Remember that they made the trip by
camel—not by jet plane. It is a long, hard trip by camel! I am of the
opinion that they didn’t arrive in Jerusalem until at least a year
after the appearance of the star. This wasn’t just a little Christmas
celebration for them. As they traveled the long, weary miles, they had
been hanging on to the hope of seeing Him and presenting their gifts
to Him.
[ii]
I don’t want you to think I’m teaching there were 300 wise
men… but I do think it is interesting how we have always ‘thought’
there were only three. Sometimes we need to study the word of God and
be sure that what we perceive and believe aligns with scripture.
II. The Flight into
Egypt
Mat 2:13 And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the
Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young
child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I
bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him.
Mat 2:14 When he arose, he took the young child and his mother by
night, and departed into Egypt:
Mat 2:15 And was there until the death of Herod: that it might be
fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of
Egypt have I called my son.
Israel as a nation spent a lot of time in Egypt. While in
bondage, they were there 430 years. We know Abraham went down into
Egypt. God directs Joseph to take the child and go into Egypt. Note
the obedience of Joseph. No arguing, just gets up and does as God
tells him to do. We should all be so faithful. God tells Joseph
that Herod will seek the young child to destroy him. Joseph going
into Egypt was a fulfillment of prophecy.
Hosea 11:1 When
Israel was a child, then I loved him, and called my son out of Egypt.
III. The Slaughter
of the Innocents
Mat 2:16 Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise
men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children
that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years
old and under, according to the time which he had diligently inquired
of the wise men.
Mat 2:17 Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the
prophet, saying,
Mat 2:18 In Rama was there a voice heard, lamentation, and
weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, and
would not be comforted, because they are not.
Herod was a very wicked king. It is amazing what wicked men
will do to protect their little kingdoms in this world. He has all
children put to death from 2 years of age and under. His thinking was
that Christ might be as old as 2 years of age at this time. This was
a fulfillment of prophecy from Jeremiah 31:15.
Jer 31:15 Thus saith
the LORD; A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation, and bitter weeping;
Rahel weeping for her children refused to be comforted for her
children, because they were not.
Rachel’s children are destroyed by the one who calls himself
the king of Israel. Rachel is introduced as the mother of Bethlehem
lamenting over their children.
Albert Barnes made this comment about verse 18.
Title:
Barnes Notes on the New Testament
Author:
Barnes, Albert
In Rama was there a voice heard—Rama
was a small town in the tribe of Benjamin. Rachel was the mother of
Benjamin, and was buried near to Bethlehem, Gen. 35:16-19. Rama was
about 6 miles northwest of Jerusalem, near
Bethel, and was some 10 or 12 miles from Bethlehem. The name Rama
signifies an eminence, and was given to the town because it was
situated on a hill. Rama is
commonly supposed to be the same as the Arimarthea of the New
Testament the place where Joseph lived who begged the body of Jesus.
See Matt. 27:57. This is
also the same place in which Samuel was born, where he resided, died.
and was buried, and where he anointed Saul as king.
IV. The Return from
Egypt to Nazareth
Mat 2:19 But when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord
appeareth in a dream to Joseph in Egypt,
Mat 2:20 Saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother,
and go into the land of Israel: for they are dead which sought the
young child's life.
The angel of the Lord knew what Herod intended to do and knew
that Herod was dead. So he tells Joseph to arise and go back to the
nation of Israel. I am impressed with how Joseph showed to be a man
of faith. He didn’t seem to question the guiding of the Lord, he
simply listened to God’s directions, and obeyed. I wonder how many
other Christians there would be today if all of God’s people obeyed
the Lord’s voice each day. Today we have the Holy Spirit living
inside of us, and he directs our paths and guides us to do the perfect
will of the Lord.
Mat 2:21 And he arose, and took the young child and his mother,
and came into the land of Israel.
Mat 2:22 But when he heard that Archelaus did reign in Judaea in
the room of his father Herod, he was afraid to go thither:
notwithstanding, being warned of God in a dream, he turned aside into
the parts of Galilee:
Mat 2:23 And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth: that it
might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, He shall be
called a Nazarene.
Joseph takes his family and goes back into Israel through
Galilee. He dwells in the city of Nazareth, again not by chance.
This was another fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy. Jesus was
called a Nazarene, although this does not mean he was a Nazarite.
There were specific rules involving a Nazarite that we don’t have a
record about concerning Christ. It meant that Jesus was a citizen of
this city.
Isa 11:1 And there
shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall
grow out of his roots:
Isa 11:2 And the
spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and
understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of
knowledge and of the fear of the LORD;
Isa 11:3 And shall
make him of quick understanding in the fear of the LORD: and he shall
not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the
hearing of his ears:
Isa 11:4 But with
righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the
meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his
mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked.
Isa 11:5 And
righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the
girdle of his reins.
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blessed.
[i]Henry,
Matthew, Matthew Henry’s
Commentary on the Bible,
(Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers) 1997.
[ii]J.
Vernon McGee, Thru the Bible
commentary [computer file], electronic ed., Logos Library System,
(Nashville: Thomas Nelson) 1997, c1981 by J. Vernon McGee.