NSV — Matthew 2

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Matthew 2

The Wise Men visit Herod at Jerusalem

1Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, there came magi from the east to Jerusalem, 2Saying, "Where is he who has been born 'King of the Jews?'" for we have seen his star in the east, and have come to worship him." 3When Herod the king had heard these things he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.

Herod calls a council of Rabbis

4And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he asked them where the Christ would be born. 5And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet,

6‘And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,\\ are in no way least among the rulers of Judah,\\ for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’”Micah 5:2

7After this, Herod called a private meeting with the wise men to discuss what time the star appeared. 8and he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, "Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him bring me word, that I may go and worship him as well."

The Three Wise Men worship Jesus

9When they had heard the king, they departed; and they saw the star continue to lead them until it came to rest over the house where the young child was. 10When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. 11And when they were come into the house, and they saw the young child with Mary his mother, they fell down and worshipped him; and they presented unto him treasure boxes full of gold, frankincense and myrrh.

Contrast with the Jews

12And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way. 13Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, "Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there till I tell you; for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him." 14And he rose and took the child and his mother by night, and departed to Egypt, 15And 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.

and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfil what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, “Out of Egypt have I called my son.”

The Massacre of the Infants

16Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, was in a furious rage, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time which he had ascertained from the wise men. 17Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah: 18“A voice was heard in Ramah,\\ wailing and loud lamentation,\\ Rachel weeping for her children;
she refused to be consoled,\\ because they were no more.”xref Jeremiah 31:15

The Return from Egypt

19But when Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, saying, 20“Rise, take the child and his mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the child’s life are dead.” 21And he rose and took the child and his mother, and went to the land of Israel. 22But when he heard that Archela′us reigned over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there, and being warned in a dream he withdrew to the district of Galilee. 23And he went and dwelt in a city called Nazareth, that what was spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled, “He shall be called a Nazarene.”

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The Jews vs. the Wise Men

In this chapter we see a contrast between the wise men who seemed to know all about the Jews and their king, versus the chief priests and rabbis, who even though they were aware of where "the Christ" would be born, they showed no interest in seeking him out or following him. Thus we see the beginning of a theme we will revisit throughout Matthew, which is a contrast between the Jews who reject Jesus and the romand and gentiles who all seem to intuitively recognize Jesus as the messiah.

Magi

There is an interesting problem here in that the term 'magi' is used, which from the Greek translation of Daniel 2 we know tells us are magicians and sorcerers. Acts 13:8 also explains that this word can mean sorcerer. So therefore we see that the people who are drawn to Jesus initially are not bible believing people but instead people who are drawn to sorcery or astrology.

A Strange Theology

We also see a very strange theology presented by these magi. First, the idea that someone could be born "king of the jews". Secondly, they worship Jesus. The concept of worshipping a man would have been considered blatant idolatry; the idea that Jesus could be God would not be presented until at best decades, if not hundreds of years later -- but it is completely in line with a pagan "wise man" or magi that had come from a foreign land and was not stepped in the tradition of a monotheistic God.

What do we know by their actions? No Jewish person expected the messiah to suffer and die for the sins of the world, or Herod (and later the Sadducees) would not have tried to kill him. They had expected, due to the messianic prophecies, a very different kind of messiah.