39 - Bible Commentary | Karuna Sadan

Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem (Matthew 2:1)

In the days of Herod the king:

The reign of Herod also gives us a chronological marking point. “Jesus was born before the death of Herod the Great, which is probably to be dated in 4 bc; the exact date of Jesus’ birth is unknown.”

Wise men from the East came to Jerusalem

These travellers are called wise men, which in the ancient Greek is magoi. Misconceptions and legends abound about these wise men. They were not kings but wise men, which means they were astronomers. There were not only three, but probably a great company. They seem to have not come on the birth night, but probably several months later. There are several reasons proposed for this:

In verse 11 we are told the Magi came to the house where Joseph and Mary were staying.
We are told in Matthew 2: 9 and 11 that Jesus was a young child, not a babe (as with the Shepherds in Luke).
Herod asked the Magi for the time when they had first seen the star. Based on this information he later murdered any boy in Bethlehem that was under 2 years of age. Jesus was therefore under 2 years old.

Church traditions even tell us their names - supposedly Melchior, Caspar, and Balthasar. You can see their supposed skulls in the great cathedral at Cologne, Germany.

saying, “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.” (Matthew 2:2)

We have seen His star

When Lord Jesus Christ was born there were signs in the heavens. So it will also be at His coming - there will be signs in the heavens.

And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. (Matthew 2:11)

Carefully notice, they fell down and worshipped Jesus and not Mary

They presented gifts to Him and not Mary

There is no record of any obeisance to Mary

Dreams: Should we listen or pay attention to our dreams?

I will bless the LORD who has given me counsel; my heart (mind or inner man) also instructs me in the night seasons. (Psalm 16:7)

1. Joseph was instructed in a dream by an angel to take Mary as his wife (Mt.1:20)

2. The wise men were warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod (Mt.2:12)

3. Joseph was warned and directed several times in a dream (Mt.2:13, 2:19, 2:22)

When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, (Matthew 2:3)

Herod was an insecure leader and always fearful

Had the wise men been with the shepherds of Bethlehem, they would have received better information than they could get from the religious leaders of Jerusalem.

Then, being divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed for their own country another way. (Matthew 2:12)

True worship always begins with a Divine Revelation

The star in the East was the revealed sign that made the wise men take the long journey to worship Lord Jesus. (Matthew 2:2)

Worship is not an intellectual agreement with God or simply a mental assent.

True worship is a passionate response to the Living God who has revealed His heart to you.

True worship will always cost you something

If it rains a little, some people don’t come to church - the best part is the church is just across the street.

This was not the case with the wise men. The Magi hailed from Persia, which is modern-day Iran. On the way, they must have faced terrible sandstorms, robbers who tried to kill them so that they could lay hands on the treasure they carried. In addition, not to mention the discomforts of a long and arduous journey.

If all this was not enough, now they had to find an alternative route to get back home. True worship will always cost you something. It cost the wise men, it will cost us too.

True Worship Causes us to be sensitive to Heaven

The best part about true worship is that it causes us to be sensitive to Heaven. Do you want to hear the voice of God? Then you must worship Him.

The wise men were not believers in the true sense but their worship made them sensitive to God’s voice and they were divinely warned.

Chapter 2