Matthew part 3
Legacies of Life and Death
A Legacy of a Life Well-Lived
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, saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet:
“‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for from you shall come a ruler
who will shepherd my people Israel.’”Matthew 2:1-6
The Wise Men arrive some time after Jesus had been born—probably a year or so, and they are looking for the new king. Before we move too quickly into the story, we can learn a valuable lesson in leaving a legacy from these Wise Men.
They come “from the East” which could indicate any number of areas being a general term, but it seems most likely they reside in Babylon. The eastern regions beyond Israel employed “magi” for centuries, perhaps even millennia, before the Romans invaded. Babylon was the capital of Magi studies being well-known throughout even Old Testament times. In fact, when we look back at the story of Daniel, we see that Daniel’s main antagonists were the magi of Babylon and Persia. God gave Daniel the ability to interpret dreams, avoid lions, and speak truth in ways the magi could not. You may recall that even though Daniel had several run-ins with these particular officials, he was able to garner the respect and admiration of the kings in Babylon and Persia. Thus, by the time Daniel is an old man (who incidentally never returns to Israel), he has spent decades testifying to the power of YHWH, the One true God.
Apparently, one example of this life testimony is also the fact that the Magi seek a star from “out of Jacob” meaning a star from Israel. This phrase is uttered by another magi all the way back in the Book of Numbers. In Numbers 24:17, Balaam (yes, the one with the talking donkey) utters an oracle that blesses Israel. Incidentally, he was hired to curse the Israelites by the Moabite king, but Balaam tried to explain to the king that YHWH would not allow him. This oracle reads:
I see him, but not now;
I behold him, but not near.
A star will come out of Jacob;
a scepter will rise out of Israel.
He will crush the foreheads of Moab,
the skulls of all the people of Sheth.Numbers 24:17
This utterance refers to the Messiah that would come out of Israel and conquer the nations surrounding Israel. Daniel would undoubtedly have known, and had copies of, this story, as well as the other Scriptures written prior to the Exile. Remember, God has been promising a Messiah since Genesis. It appears the Magi knew about these, also. They just did not know exactly where the Messiah would be born, because it was not until Micah (after the Exile) that God revealed Bethlehem as the chosen city.
When we talk about the Magi around Christmas time, we tend to focus on the gifts, which we will look at below, but we cannot miss the first lesson from these Magi:
A life well-lived can leave a legacy that impacts many generations after it is lived.
Daniel’s obedience and faithfulness to the Lord impacted, not just those directly involved in those stories, but it left an indelible mark on the very fabric of Babylonian/Persian society. These Magi were certainly not faithful Jews, but they recognized God intervening once again in the world because Daniel affected their own religion and society so powerfully.
We cannot know whether our legacy will have this kind of impact. In fact, the chances may be slim that it will alter the course of an entire nation. But we do know that God calls us to the same type of faithfulness as Daniel. And we know that God honors that kind of faithfulness, including helping us leave a legacy that can alter at least the little world that we inhabit. Consider how Moses describes the Lord in Exodus 34:6-7:
And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation.”
Exodus 34:6-7
The ESV has the shorter “to thousands,” but the Hebrew could imply “to the thousandth” or “to the thousandth generation.” Moses is contrasting the mercy of God with the judgement of God. Does God punish the wicked? Absolutely! In fact, the consequences of a wicked life will impact the next 3-4 generations, as well. We can see that in everyday life. BUT, God’s mercy on the faithful extends a thousand generations! Whenever someone considers the sin of their family, and how that sin seems to be passed down generation after generation, it really feels like a curse—perhaps even a curse from God. And yet, God’s mercy will overpower that curse. Jesus came to break every curse!
Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”—so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith.
Galatians 3:13-14
And…
For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus form the law of sin and death.
Romans 8:2
The Magi are an example of this principle at work. They spent their lives as part of the pagan, mystical practices of their land. And yet, God used Daniel’s faithfulness to give them the chance to recognize the Star of the Messiah. And when that star came, they responded in faith by seeking out the newly born king. Now, they are part of the blessing that happens every time Christians share the story of how Jesus was born.
A Prophetic Worship
Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him.” After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way.
Matthew 2:7-12
As we look at the next bit in the story, I do want to take a moment and note how this “star” does not behave like a normal star. Many have attempted to explain its appearance through more natural phenomenon, but the story does not allow a simple explanation of a confluence of planets or a supernova. Some interpret it as the Shikinah glory of the Lord as seen in the tabernacle wanderings. Of course, there is also the very fringe interpretation of it being a UFO. While the Bible does not offer solid evidence for what exactly is happening, the point of the star is that God uses both an ancient prophecy and the knowledge of the Magi to announce the arrival of the Messiah.
Now, Herod wants to know where the baby is, and so the Magi continue their search. Of course, Herod is not concerned about worshiping the Messiah. He is concerned about eliminating a threat to his throne. The Magi are warned in a dream to avoid returning to Herod, and so after delivering their gifts and worshiping the Messiah, they return home.
These three gifts are no ordinary gifts. In fact, their symbolism has been understood since the Early Church.
Gold - a precious metal that points us to the Kingship of Christ
Frankincense - a fragrance used in temple offerings which points us to the Deity of Christ
Myrrh - an embalming substance used to prepare the dead which points us to the Sacrifice of Christ
They also correlate to the three functions of Christ, prophet, priest, and king. These Magi bring gifts that acknowledge the identity and the mission of Christ. Their response to the announcement of the Messiah is absolutely in keeping with faith despite the fact these Magi come from a pagan land. This scene reminds us:
True faith comes from responding in worship to Jesus, not from any sort of pedigree.
Notice it was not the religious leaders, certainly not the king of Israel, and not crowds of Hebrews that brought gifts to the Messiah. It was a group of pagan magi who understood the fulfillment of prophecy. In fact, consider how his own country responds to the birth of the Messiah.
The Massacre of Innocents
Now 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 until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.” And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, “Out of Egypt I called my son.”
Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, 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 that he had ascertained from the wise men. Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah:
“A voice was heard in Ramah,
weeping and loud lamentation,
Rachel weeping for her children;
she refused to be comforted, because they are no more.”But when Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, saying, “Rise, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the child's life are dead.” And he rose and took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel. But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning 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. And he went and lived in a city called Nazareth, so that what was spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled, that he would be called a Nazarene.
Matthew 2:13-23
Herod was an evil king from the start, and this scene, which comes shortly before his own death solidifies his memory as a psychotic, evil leader. Sometimes historians refer to him as “Herod the Great,” but it is worth noting that is a title he gave to himself. He wanted to be known as “the Great” despite the fact his subjects hated and feared him.
Herod’s son, Archelaus, proves no better.
Who is Archelaus, and why was Joseph afraid to return to Jerusalem?
Archelaus was the older brother of Herod Antipas. Before King Herod’s death, he changed his will to make Archelaus his heir instead of Antipas. Archelaus, Antipas, and their half-brother Philip all went to Rome to argue over the will before Caesar Augustus. Augustus divided the kingdom among them and named Archelaus an “ethnarch,” which means “ruler of an ethnic group.” He would have been promoted to an actual “king,” but he failed to prove himself to Augustus. Augustus removed him from power in 6 AD, turned the territory into the Roman province of Judea, and banished Archelaus to Gaul, where he died in 18AD.
Soon after King Herod died in 4 BC, Archelaus lost control of a crowd of Jews who gathered for Passover. The Jews stoned several men sent to calm them, and so Archelaus responded by sending his mercenary army who massacred 3,000 Jews in and around the temple. When a delegation of Jews went to Rome and petitioned Augustus for a new ruler, Archelaus hunted down and killed the members of the delegation and their families.
Joseph wanted no part of Jerusalem, especially considered he was raising the very child King Herod failed to kill. If Archelaus knew about Jesus, the whole family could have been killed.
Unfortunately, there really is no redeeming qualities of these rulers to speak of. The only lesson in these characters is simply that sometimes governments are run by the most evil people. God protects Joseph by affirming in a dream what Joseph probably already suspected—“Stay away from Jerusalem!”
But we do see the same lesson Joseph learned when he was a slave in Egypt.
God can, and will, use the tragedies of evil to fulfill His purposes.
This lesson is much more than a simple, “Look for the silver lining.” Kings and rulers are in the habit of gaining power through oppressing their people. Sin will always lead to death and tragedy. These are products of living in this fallen world. And yet, God does not allow sin and tragedy to occur at random. Nothing is lost when it comes to God’s work in and through tragic events. Joseph said it this way when he was finally reconciled to his brothers after decades:
As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.
Genesis 50:20
Joseph’s brothers meant evil for Joseph. Herod meant evil for Israel’s youngest sons. But through these events, God was able to establish salvation for His people. As we consider our own dark times, we can hold on to faith and the truth that what this world will intend for evil, God can and will use it for our salvation.
As we close, I want to share a quote for you. I’m not in the habit of quoting popes, because, well, I’m not Catholic. But Pope Francis’ Homily brings up an important point about responding to the news of Jesus.
It is not enough to know where Jesus was born, as the scribes did, if we do not go there. It is not enough to know that Jesus was born, like Herod, if we do not encounter him…Today we are asked to imitate the Magi. They do not debate; they set out. They do not stop to look, but enter the house of Jesus. They do not put themselves at the center, but bow down before the One who is the center.
We can know all about Jesus and all about the Christmas story, but if we do not respond to Jesus in worship, we completely miss the point of His coming. He did not come so we can have cute figures on our mantles. He did not come so that scholars and astronomers can debate heavenly skies.
He came because the God of the Universe sought to bring salvation to His Creation. While we were dead in our sin, Christ came to save us. Today, respond in faith to Jesus by receiving the salvation that He so freely offers.