Introductory remarks:
In chapter one we studied the genealogy of Jesus Christ, tracing His kingly line back to king David, and the record of the miraculous conception by the Holy Spirit of our Lord Jesus Christ through the Virgin Mary. We noted the importance of the doctrine of the virgin birth and the person of the Lord Jesus. In chapter two we will study the history of the visit of the wise men, the flight of Joseph and Mary with the Lord to Egypt to escape the wrath of Herod, and of their return to Nazareth. Also of great importance is the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies that will be noted.
"The manuscript for Science Speaks has been carefully reviewed by a committee of the American Scientific Affiliation members and by the Executive Council of the same group and has been found, in general, to be dependable and accurate in regard to the scientific material presented. The mathematical analysis included is based upon principles of probability, which are thoroughly sound, and Professor Stoner has applied these principles in a proper and convincing way.
The following probabilities are taken from that book to show that coincidence is ruled out by science of probability. Stoner says that by using modern science of probability in reference to just eight prophecies, we find that the chance that any man might have lived down to the present time and fulfilled all eight prophecies is 1 in 100,000,000,000,000,000. In order to help us comprehend this staggering probability, Stoner illustrates it by supposing that: 'we take 100,000,000,000,000,000 silver dollars and lay them on the face of Texas. They will cover all of the state two feet deep. Now mark one of these silver dollars and stir the whole mass thoroughly, all over the state. Blindfold a man and tell him that he can travel as far as he wishes, but he must pick up one silver dollar and say that this is the right one. What chance would he have of getting the right one? Just the same chance that the prophets have had of writing these eight prophecies and having them all come true in any one man, from their day to the present time, providing they wrote them in their own wisdom.
Now these prophecies were given by inspiration of God or the prophets just wrote them as they thought they should be. In such a case the prophets had just one chance in 100,000,000,000,000,000 of having them come true in any man, but they all came true in Christ.
This means that the fulfillment of these eight prophecies alone proves that God inspired the writing of those prophecies to a definiteness which lacks only one chance in 100,000,000,000,000,000 of being absolute" (A Ready Defense-page 212,213-Josh McDowell).
Now all the OT prophecies, over 300, of our Lord Jesus Christ were fulfilled to the letter, making the Word of God what it claims to itself, the Divinely Inspired Word of God: All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work (2 Tim. 3:16, 17 - NASB).
The Visit of the Wise Men
Verse 1, "Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem."
LGT " Now Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in [the] days of Herod the king, behold magi from the place of the sun rising [east] arrived at Jerusalem."
"Now when Jesus was born"
To get a full picture of the birth of Jesus one must turn to the Gospel according to Luke 2:1-20. "Matthew does not propose to give biographical details of the supernatural birth of Jesus, wonderful as it was and disbelieved as it is by some today who actually deny that Jesus was born at all or ever lived, men who talk of the Jesus Myth, etc. 'The main purpose is to show the reception given by the world to the new-born Messianic King. Homage from afar, hostility at home; foreshadowing the fortunes of the new faith: reception by the Gentiles, rejection by the Jews' (Bruce-quoted by A.T. Robertson).
"In Bethlehem of Judea"
"The word Bethlehem denotes house of bread - perhaps given to the place on account of its great fertility. It was also called Ephrata, a word supposed likewise to signify fertility (Gen 35:19; Ruth 4:11; Psalms 132:6). It was called the city of David (Luke 2:4), because it was the city of his nativity, (1 Sam. 16:1, 18). It was called Bethlehem of Judea, to distinguish it from a town of the same name in Galilee, (Joshua 19:15). The soil of Bethlehem was noted for its fertility. Ancient travelers frequently spoke of its productions. The town is situated on an eminence, in the midst of hills and vales. At present [present time to Barnes is 1832] it contains about two hundred houses, inhabited chiefly by Christians and Mohammedans, who live together in peace [a far cry from the area today]. About two hundred paces east of Bethlehem the place is still shown where our Savior is supposed to have been born. There is a church and a convent there: and beneath the church is a subterranean chapel, which is lighted by thirty-two lamps, which is said to be the place where was the stable in which Jesus was born, though no certain reliance is to be placed on the tradition which makes this the birthplace of the Savior" (Barnes).
"In the days of Herod the king,"
"This is the only date for the birth of Christ given by Matthew. Luke gives a more precise date in his gospel (Luke 2:1-3), the time of the first enrolment by Augustus and while Cyrenius was ruler of Syria. We know from Matthew that Jesus was born while Herod was king; the Herod sometimes called Herod the Great. Josephus makes it plain that Herod died B.C. 40 (by Antony and Octavius). I call him Herod the Great Pervert in Some Minor Characters in the New Testament. He was great in sin and in cruelty and won the favor of the Emperor. The story of Josephus is a tragedy. It is not made plain by Matthew how long before the death of Herod Jesus was born. Our traditional date A.D. 1 is certainly wrong as Matthew shows. It seems certain that the birth of Jesus cannot be put later than B.C. 5. The data supplied by Luke probably call for B.C, 6 or 7" (A. T. Robertson).
"Behold, there came wise men"
We have been taught from our childhood on that there were three wise men [Magi] that came from the East. This is not what the Scriptures teach. "The idea that they came three in number is due to the mention of three kinds of gifts (gold, frankincense, myrrh), but that is no proof at all. Legend has added to the story that the names were Caspar, Balthasar, and Melchoir as in Ben Hur and also that they represent Shem, Ham, and Japhet. A casket in the Cologne Cathedral actually is supposed to contain the skulls of these Magi" (A.T. Robertson).
McGee says: "I don't know how many [Magi] 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 am 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!"
"The Magi were priest-sages, students of science, especially of astrology and religion, but also philosophy and medical science. The researches, mysterious and mostly unknown to us, embraced deeply knowledge not unmixed with some superstition" (Shepherd - quoted by Pentecost - The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah).
"In identifying the Magi in this account of the birth of Christ, it is significant to call attention to some significant historical background.
Since the days of the prophet Daniel in the 6 century B.C. the fortunes of Persia and the Jewish nation had been closely intertwined. There is a strong probability that a Jewish Median conspiracy had accomplished the fall of Babylon and gained for Cyrus the Persian undisputed supremacy of the ancient world. Persian gratitude was magnanimous. With the exception of the interlude during the reign of Cambyses, the consistent Persian policy toward the re-emerging Jewish nation was overwhelmingly supportive.
Both nations had in their turn fallen under Seleucid domination in the wake of Alexander's conquests. Subsequently both had regained their independence - the Jews under the Maccabean leadership, and Persians as the dominantly ruling group within the Parthian empire. It was at this time that the Magi, in their dual priestly and governmental office, composed the upper house of the council of the Megistanes whose duties included the absolute choice and election of the king of the realm. It was, therefore, a group of Persian-Parthian king makers who entered Jerusalem in the latter days of the reign of Herod" (The Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible).
"From the east to Jerusalem."
The word 'East' is gr. apo-anatolon, 'from the rising' of the sun.
"They came from the east, probably from Persia, Arabia, or Babylonia. At that time there was a sacerdotal caste of the Medes and Persians scattered over the East, and also many Jews of the Dispersion through whom the Priest-sages may have some knowledge of Israel's Hope. Perhaps they may have received knowledge through the prophecies of Balaam of the promise of a King who would arise in Judea, who would reign universally" (Pentecost).
Verse 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."
LGT "Saying, Where is the One who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star at its rising and are coming to pay homage to Him."
"Where is He that is born King of the Jews?"
The Magi were looking for a king, and this did not set well with Herod.
"There was at that time a prevalent expectation that some remarkable personage was about to appear in Judea. The Jews were anxiously looking for the coming of the Messiah. By computing the time mentioned by Daniel (ch. 9:25-27), they knew that the period was approaching when He would appear. This personage, they supposed would be a temporal prince, and they were expecting that He would deliver them from Roman bondage. It was natural that this expectation should spread into other countries. Many Jews at that time dwelt in Egypt, in Rome, and in Greece, many, also, had gone to Eastern countries, and in every place they carried their sacred writings, and diffused the expectation that some remarkable person was about to appear. Suetonius, a Roman historian, speaking of this rumor says: An ancient and settled persuasion prevailed throughout the East that the Fates had decreed some One to proceed from Judea who should attain universal empire. Tacitus, another Roman historian, says: Many were persuaded that it was contained in the ancient books of their priests, that at that very time the East should prevail, and that some One should proceed from Judea and possess the domination. Josephus also, and Philo, two Jewish historians, make mention of the same expectation. The fact that such a person was expected is clearly attested. Under this expectation these wise men came to do Him homage, and inquired anxiously, Where He was born?" (Barnes).
"For we have seen his star in the east,"
This phrase in the Greek is: For we saw His star at its rising. This phrase does not mean that it was an eastern star; the wise men were in the east looking at His star in its rising. McGee notes on this phrase: "We have seen His star in the east. In poetry that is called the eastern star, and, actually, there is an organization by that name. The worthy matron of that group was a member of my church in Nashville, and she was greatly upset when she heard me say that it was not an eastern star. If they had seen His star in the east and it had been an eastern star, the wise men would have ended up in India or China. The star was in the west! The wise men were in the east. The star was in the west, and they followed it. They came west, not east. My question is this: How in the world did they associate a star with a king, and how did they identify it with Israel? All I know is that in that section of the East, the people had a prophecy given by Balaam, which is recorded in Numbers 24:17. (Remember that Old Balaam gave this prophecy concerning the nation Israel). I shall see Him, but not now: I shall behold Him, but not nigh: there shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Scepter shall rise out of Israel, and shall smite the corners of Moab, and destroy all the children of Sheth.
Notice that the prophecy says a Star shall come out of Jacob - that is, the nation Israel. And a Scepter shall rise out of Israel. The Star and the Scepter go together. That is the only place I know where they are put together in prophecy in the Old Testament. The wise men in the East had that prophecy, and so they came out of the mysterious East seeking a King."
"And are come to worship Him."
The Greek word for 'worship' here is proskkunesai, meaning to pay homage or honor him. They did not come to worship Him in the religious sense, but to pay homage to Him as a ruling King of Israel. "They had come to Jerusalem to pay homage to Him, probably not because they imagined He must be born in the Jewish capital [any Jew would have told them that the Messiah was not to be born in Jerusalem], but because they would naturally expect there to obtain authentic information, 'where' He might be found. In their sincerity of heart, the Magi addressed themselves in the first place to the official head of the nation. The rumor of such inquiry, and by such persons, would rapidly spread throughout the city" (The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah-Alfred Edersheim).
"They came to honor Him as a prince, or a king, not as God. The original word implies no more than this. It means to prostrate one's self before another; to fall down and pay homage to another. This was the mode in which homage was paid to earthly kings, and this they wished to pay to the new-born King of the Jews. The English word worship also meant formerly 'to respect, to honor, to treat with civil reverence' [Webster]" (Barnes).
Verse 3, "When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him."
LGT "But Herod the king, having heard, was troubled in mind, and all Jerusalem with him."
Its not hard to imagine how irritated and anxious Herod became when he heard the news that Israel was going to get a king; the king was troubled in his mind because he feared an uprising among the people he ruled; Herod was king of the Jews, and he would do anything, as we will soon see, to remain king.
"Herod's reaction was understandably one of fear when one considers the background of Roman-Parthian rivalry that prevailed during his lifetime. Pompey, first Roman conqueror of Jerusalem in 63 B.C., had attacked the Armenian outpost of Parthia. In 55 B.C. Crassus led Roman legions in sacking Jerusalem and in a subsequent attack on Parthia proper. The Romans were decisively defeated at the battle of Carrhae with the loss of 30,000 troops, including their commander. In retribution the Parthians counterattacked with a token invasion of Armenia, Syria, and Palestine. Nominal Roman rule was re-established under Antipater, the father of Herod, who in his turn retreated before another Parthian invasion in 40 B.C. Mark Antony re-established Roman sovereignty in 37 B.C., and like Crassus before him also embarked on a similar ill-fated Parthian expedition. His disastrous retreat was followed by another wave of invading Parthians, which swept all Roman opposition completely out of Palestine (including Herod himself who fled to Alexandria and then to Rome). With Parthian collaboration Jewish sovereignty was restored and Jerusalem was fortified with a Jewish garrison.
Herod had by this time secured from Augustus Caesar the title of king of the Jews. However, it was not for three years, including a five month's siege by Roman troops, that the king was able to occupy his own capital city. Herod had thus gained the throne of a rebellious buffer state, which was situated between two mighty contending empires. At any time his own subjects might again be instrumental as a fifth column in bringing the Parthians to their aid" (Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible).
Verse 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."
LGT "And having gathered together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired from them where the Christ should be born."
"And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together,"
"By the chief priests here are meant not only the high-priest and the deputy, but also the heads or chiefs of the twenty-four classes into which David had divided the sacerdotal families, 1 Chron. 23:6; 24; 2 Chron. 8:14; Ezra 8:24. By the scribes, in the New Testament, are meant learned men, men skilled in the law, or the lawyers of the nation. They kept the records of the courts of justice, the registers of the synagogues, wrote articles of contract and sale, bills of divorce, etc. They were called lawyers, Matt. 22:35, and doctors of the law, Luke 5:17. They were called scribes, from the fact of their writing the public records. They were not, however, a religious sect, but might be either Pharisees or Sadducees. By the chief priests and scribes here mentioned is denoted the Sanhedrim or great council of the nation. This was composed of seventy-two men, who had the charge of the civil and religious affairs of the Jews. On this occasion Herod, in alarm, called them together, professedly to make inquiry respecting the birth of the Messiah" (Barnes).
"He demanded of them where Christ should be born."
The scholars of Herod's realm read to him the prophecy in Micah 5:1, 2: Now muster yourselves in troops, daughter of troops; They have laid siege against us; with a rod they will smite the judge of Israel on the cheek. But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. His goings forth are from long ago, from the days of eternity.
Verse 5, 6,"And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judea: for thus it is written by the prophet, 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."
(I need not translate from the original, for it is simply a quote from the LXX)
The scribes quoted from Micah 5:2, which as Robertson points out, 'was a free translation'; this suggests that they were not reading from the LXX but were quoting it from memory.
"The Jews of Jesus' day were not in total agreement about where the Messiah would originate. Some thought that His source would be unknown (John 7:27), but those who believed His place of birth was foretold turned to Micah 5:2 for the answer. Hence, when Herod was approached by the wise men from the East and he asked his religious experts where the Messiah was to be born, their response was in Bethlehem, and they quoted Micah 5:2 (Matt. 2:1-6). This caused some confusion during Jesus' ministry, because He was known to be from Nazareth, but based on Micah 5:2, many expected the Messiah to come from Bethlehem, David's town (Jn. 7:41, 42)" (The Key Word Study Bible- page 1217).
"The wise men (Magi) had learned of the birth of the promised King by divine revelation, or else had worked out the great time prophecy of Daniel 9, so that they felt assured He was present in Israel. Guided by a star, they came inquiring as to the place in which He might be found. Their question, Where is He that is born King of the Jews? Proved most distracting to the aged wretch who sat upon the throne at that time - one of the most wicked kings that ever reigned. He called a meeting of the chief priests and scribes, and sought from them the answer to the inquiry of the Eastern visitors. Without hesitation they pointed him to the prophecy of Micah 5:2 where, quoting from the LXX, they read the prophecy as quoted in verse six. They knew the Scripture; yet subsequent events proved they were unprepared to welcome Him of whom those sacred records spoke" (Ironside).
"When Herod asked the scribes this question, they didn't have to search the Scriptures for it; they knew where it was - Micah 5:2. As a matter of fact, they didn't need even to turn to it, because they had it in their minds. They could quote it. They knew all about the coming of the Messiah. The problem was that their knowledge was academic rather than vital. It was not personally meaningful to them. They are examples of folk who knew the history contained in the Bible and they knew certain factual truths, but these things carry no personal meaning for them. Since the scribes knew the Old Testament Scriptures so well, you would have thought that they would have gone to the wise men and said, 'How about letting us ride down with you? We are looking for the Messiah too!" (McGee).
Verse 7, "Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, inquired of them diligently what time the star appeared."
LGT "Then Herod secretly called the Magi, he inquired carefully or exactly of them the time of the appearing of the star."
Herod does not interrogate the members of the Sanhedrim, but goes directly to the Magi to learn what time they had seen the star. Herod avoids the scribes and Pharisees in order to keep his own motives hidden. Herod is trying to calculate when the Child could have been born and how old He would be at that time.
"He was anxious to see if the Jewish prophecy of the birthplace of the Messiah agreed with the indication of the star to the Magi. He kept to himself his purpose. The time of the appearing star (ton chronon tou phainomenou asteros) is not 'the time when the star appeared,' but the age of the star's appearance" (Robertson).
McGee believes it was probably at least a year after Christ's birth that the Magi arrived in Jerusalem because of the long hard trip by camel.
"Unscrupulously cruel as Herod had always proved, even the slightest suspicion of danger to his rule - the bare possibility of the Advent of One, Who had such claims upon the allegiance of Israel, and Who, if acknowledged, would evoke the most intense movement on their part - must have struck terror to his heart. . . .At the same time he took care diligently the precise time, when the sidereal [the study of the motion of the stars and their constellations] appearance had first attracted the attention of the Magi. This would enable him to judge how far back he would have to make his own inquiries, since the birth of the Pretender might be made to synchronize with the earliest appearance of the sidereal phenomenon. So long as any one lived, who was born in Bethlehem between the earliest appearance of this 'star' and the time of the arrival of the Magi, he was not safe. The subsequent conduct of Herod shows, that the Magi must have told him that their earliest observation of the sidereal phenomenon had taken place two years before their arrival at Jerusalem" (The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah - Alfred Edersheim).
Verse 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."
LGT "And sending them [on an embassy] into Bethlehem he said, having proceeded on your way, search out carefully concerning the little Child; and when you will have found [Him], bring back a message to me, that I also having come may do homage to Him."
"And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said,"
Herod is being as 'sly as an old fox' in his sending this deputation of wise men into Bethlehem. He has to put up an extreme front in order not to arouse any undo suspicion as to his genuine motive for finding the young King. First Herod calls the wise men to his side and asks them about the time of the star, vs. 7, and now he is sending them on a kingly mission to find out where Christ might be.
"Go and search diligently for the young child;"
This phrase is better translated, search out carefully, for the king was more interested in their exactness of the search than their diligence, that is, he was more interested in exactly where Christ might be, rather than their conscientiousness of the search.
"And when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also."
This is the front that Herod puts up that it is a religious interest that is most important to him. The wise men would not have obeyed Herod if they knew what was really in his heart.
"Herod took all possible means to obtain accurate information respecting the child, that he might be sure of destroying him. He not only ascertained the probable time of his birth, and the place where he would be born, but he sent the wise men that they might actually see him, and bring him word. All this might have looked suspicious if he had not clothed it with the appearance of religion. He said to them, therefore, that he did it that he might go and worship him also. From this we may learn, 1. That wicked men often cloak their evil desires under the appearance of religion. They attempt to deceive those who are really good, and to make them suppose that they have the same design. 2. Wicked men often attempt to make use of the pious to advance their evil purposes. Men like Herod will stop at nothing if they can carry their ends. They endeavor to deceive the simple, to allure the unsuspecting, and to beguile the weak, in order to accomplish their purposes of wickedness. 3. The plans of wicked men are often well laid. Those plans occupy a long time. Such men make diligent inquiry, and all of it has the appearance of religion. But God sees the design; and though men are deceived, yet God cannot be, [Prov. 15:3]" (Barnes).
Verse 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."
LGT "And they having heard the king, went away, and, Behold, the star, which they saw in its rising, kept on going before them, until having come standing over where was the little Child."
"When they had heard the king, they departed;"
The Magi immediately left after their meeting with Herod as he sent them on their mission; however, the Magi had more to think about than what Herod had in mind. The Magi were anxious to see the Savior alone, but Herod was looking to eliminate a competitor to his throne.
"And, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them,"
The verb 'went before' is gr. proegen, an imperfect tense, meaning, kept on going before them. As they departed toward Bethlehem they were filled with joy at seeing the star in its rising they had seen when they were in the East. It is not necessary to conjecture what type of constellation this star was part of or any such nonsense; all we have to do is accept it as one more of God's miracles; God created all the heavens and the bodies in it, and He certainly can make them do whatever He pleases; men try too hard to make God conform to what they perceive as natural phenomenon without a thought of God, the Creator of all nature, and I might add, it is not mother nature.
"Till it stood over where the young child was."
Joseph, Mary and the Christ were no longer in the stable where Jesus was born, but were residing in a house; probably some months had passed since His birth.
Verse 10, "When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding joy."
LGT "And having seen the star, they rejoiced [with] exceedingly great joy."
The Magi rejoiced because of the success of their search. Pentecost writes: "Matthew means the star that had originally appeared and was connected with the revelation now reappeared. God was confirming that the search would soon be rewarded. The supernatural star led the Magi to the house in which Jesus lived with His parents. It would have been impossible for a confluence [joining together] of stars to single out an individual dwelling in the village of Bethlehem. Only if the light were similar to the pillar of fire that led Israel in the desert could the house be positively identified."
Verse 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 their gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh."
LGT "And having come into the house they saw the little Child with Mary His mother, and having fallen down they worshipped Him, and having opened their treasure chests they offered Him gifts, gold, and frankincense, and myrrh."
"And when they were come into the house,"
Joseph, Mary, and the little Child had moved from the stable to a house, until the Baby was strong enough to be moved. All the Christmas cards depict the three wise men visiting the Baby Jesus in the stable, but as McGee points out, 'they would not even had known where the stable was, unless Joseph had pointed it out to them.'
"They saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down and worshipped him:"
This is very important to us because it specifically says that the Magi fell down and worshipped Him, not His mother Mary. I cannot waste my time saying how silly the Church in Rome is for propagating the stupid practice of worshipping the mother of our Lord, instead of the Lord Himself. I can imagine how this would make Mary cringe with disgrace, if it weren't for the fact that she is now pre-occupied with praising the Lord, and could not be aware of what is happening on this earth anyway. Our heavenly Father, including the Holy Trinity are the only ones interested in what happens on this earth, much to the chagrin [embarrassment] of all the good little Catholics who believe Mary and the priests can absolve them of their sins.
"And when they had opened their treasures,"
The Greek word for treasures is thesarous, meaning 'a casket holding valuables', thus I translate 'treasure chest' for our English understanding. We get our English word 'thesaurus', meaning, 'a word or vocabulary list, or lexicon.'
"They presented unto him gifts;"
"These were presented to Him as King of the Jews, because they supposed He was to be a distinguished prince and conqueror. It was customary in the East to show respect for persons of distinction by making presents or offerings of this kind. (See Gen. 32:14; 43:11; 1 Sam. 10:27; 1 Kings 10:2; Ps. 72:10-15). This custom is still common in the East, and it is everywhere there unusual to approach a person of distinguished rank without a valuable present" (Barnes).
"Gold, frankincense, and myrrh."
All these gifts were found in Arabia, It is because of these three specified gifts that gave rise to the legend that there were three wise men or kings; however, this is baseless. There is also much speculation being tossed about in many commentaries about what each of these gifts represent. An example from McGee is 'Gold speaks of His birth, He is born a King, and Frankincense speaks of the fragrance of His life, and Myrrh speaks of His death [Myrrh was a bitter sap from a tree that was used on the corpse to keep it from putrefying]. I will leave the speculation to the experts and just concentrate on what Matthew records.
Verse 12, "And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way."
LGT "And having received a warning in a dream, not to return to Herod, they withdrew through another way into their own country."
"And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod,"
The Greek word for 'being warned' is chrematisthentes, an aorist passive participle, and reading, receiving a warning. Reading it this way, one has to assume that the Magi were seeking direction from God; they knew that God had directed them to the Holy Child, now they are seeking His direction to return home. God spoke to these men in a dream and gave them the direction they were seeking, that is, 'do not return to Herod.' "This was done, doubtless, because, if they had given Herod precise information where He was, it would have been easy for him to send and slay Him. And from this we learn that God will watch over those whom He loves; that He knows how to foil the purposes of the wicked, and to deliver His own out of the hands of those who would destroy them" (Barnes).
"They departed into their own country another way."
The Magi obeyed the voice of God in this dream and went safely to their home taking a different route.
The Flight to Egypt
Verse 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."
LGT "And they, having departed, behold an angel of the Lord appears in a dream to Joseph saying, having arisen, take into your care the little Child and His mother and be fleeing into Egypt, and be there until I will tell you; for Herod is about to be seeking the little Child, to destroy Him."
"And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream,"
After the Magi had departed the angel of the lord came to Joseph in a dream and gave him instructions, in order that the Christ would be protected from the wrath of the terrible tyrant Herod. By this time Joseph was beginning to be accustomed to instructions from the angels.
"Saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt,"
Joseph is commanded to go into Egypt with Jesus and His mother Mary for their protection; notice in the LGT the words 'take into your care' is the admonition given to Joseph, and that fleeing into Egypt would be the path he was to take.
"Egypt is situated to the south-west of Judea, and is distant from Bethlehem perhaps about 60 miles. It was at this time a Roman province. There were many Jews there, who had a temple and synagogue, and Joseph, therefore, would be among his own countrymen, and yet beyond the reach of Herod. The jurisdiction of Herod extended only to the River Sihon, or river of Egypt, and, of course, beyond that Joseph was safe from his designs. It is remarkable that this is the only time which our Savior was out of Palestine, and that this was in the land where the children of Israel had suffered so much and so long under the oppression of the Egyptian kings. The very land, which was the land of bondage and groaning for the Jews, became now the land of refuge and safety for the new-born King of Judea. God can overturn nations and kingdoms, so that those whom He loves shall be safe anywhere" (Barnes)
"And be thou there until I bring thee word:"
The Lord didn't expect Joseph to settle down in Egypt, but only to remain there until it was safe to return to their home.
"For Herod will seek the young child to destroy him."
As if the word of the angel was not enough for Joseph, he assures Joseph that it would only be for a short time, and that the young Child was under the watchful eye of heaven.
Verse 14, "When he arose, he took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt."
LGT "And having arisen, he took under his care the little Child and His mother by night and went away into Egypt."
Joseph took his family immediately by night and went away into Egypt where he knew they would be safe.
Verse 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."
LGT "And was there until the death of Herod; in order that it might be fulfilled which was spoken through the prophet of the Lord saying, Out of Egypt Have I called My Son."
They were to remain in Egypt for safety until Herod died, and then they could leave; all this is a fulfillment of Hosea 11:1: When Israel was a youth I loved him, and out of Egypt I called My Son. (NASV) "Matthew 2:15 cited the second half of this verse as having been fulfilled when Joseph took Jesus to Egypt to protect Him from Herod the Great [pervert]. The obvious historical reference is to the Exodus of Israel centuries earlier (see Exo. 4:22), but the Holy Spirit applied this verse to the Lord Jesus Christ (see 2 Pet. 1:21). Hence, from a Christian perspective, Hosea 11:1 has two vastly different, but equally God-given meanings" (Key Word Study Bible).
Pentecost explains this verse this way: "Matthew said this incident was anticipated in an Old Testament prophecy. God said in Hosea 11:1, I called my son out of Egypt (ASV). An examination of Hosea's prophecy discloses that this verse was a reference to Israel's historical deliverance out of Egypt under Moses and not specifically a prophecy of the return of Jesus from Egypt. How then could Matthew say that this return 'fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet' (Matt. 2:14)? Matthew saw Israel as a type of God's future dealing with His people. An Old Testament type is a prophecy, and Matthew used the historical incident as a prophetic type of what God would do in returning His exiled Son to the Land of Promise."
The Slaying of the Infants
Verse 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 costs thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently inquired of the wise men."
LGT "Then Herod, having seen that he was deceived by the Magi was enraged exceedingly, and having sent [the ones who would obey his wishes] to put to death all the little boys, the ones in Bethlehem and all the districts from two years and younger, according to the time which he had accurately inquired of the Magi."
"Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men,"
The word 'mocked' in the Greek is enepaichthen, meaning to delude or deceive. The Magi went home another way on orders from God, so it would be impossible for this to be construed as their 'mocking' Herod. "When he saw that he had been deceived by them; that is, that they did not return as he had expected. It does not mean that they did it for the purpose of mocking or deriding him, but that he was disappointed in their not returning, or that he had been trifled with" (Barnes).
"Was exceeding wroth,"
Herod expected the Magi to return to him with information concerning Christ's whereabouts, and when they did not return, he was enrage exceedingly; you might say, 'his blood began to boil.'
"And sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem,"
Literally, he slew all the little boys, "noted by the use of the masculine article" (Vincent). Herod displays just exactly how terrible he is, and what a perverted despotic dictator he really is.
"And in all the coasts thereof,"
In this context this means all the little hamlets that bordered Bethlehem.
"From two years old and under,"
Herod had no idea how old Christ was at this time, so he wasn't taking any chances, he sent out orders to kill all the little boys 'two years and under.' Herod was a madman.
"According to the time which he had diligently inquired of the wise men."
This phrase simply tells us how Herod calculates the time since he first made an inquiry of the Magi, when they first reported seeing the star.
"Herod was an odious [detestable] and bloody tyrant, and the facts of his reign prove that he was abundantly capable of this wickedness. The following bloody deeds will show that the slaying of the infants was in perfect accordance with his character. The account is taken from Josephus, as arranged by Dr. Lardner. Aristobulus, brother of his wife Meriamne, was murdered by his direction at eighteen years of age, because the people of Jerusalem had shown affection for his person. - In the seventh year of his reign, he put to death Hyrcanus, grandfather of Meriamne, then eighty years of age, and who had formerly saved Herod's life; a man who had, in every revolution of fortune, shown a mild and peaceable disposition. - His beloved and beautiful wife, Mariamne, had a public execution, and her mother Alexandra followed soon after. - Alexander and Aristobulus, his two sons by Mariamne, were strangled in prison by his orders upon groundless suspicions, as it seems, when they were at man's estate, were married, and had children. In his last sickness, a little before he died, he sent orders throughout Judea requiring the presence of all the chief men of the nation at Jericho. His orders were obeyed, for they were enforced with no less penalty than that of death. When they were come to Jericho he had them all shut up in the circus, and calling for his sister Salome and her husband Alexis, he said to them, 'My life is now short. I know the Jewish people, and nothing will please them better than my death. You have them now in your custody. As soon as breath is out of my body, and before my death can be known, do you let in the soldiers upon them and kill them. All Judea, then, and every family, will, though unwillingly, mourn at my death.' Nay, Josephus says that with his tears he conjured them, by their love to him and their fidelity to God, not to fail of doing him this honor. - What objection, after this account, can there be to the account of his murdering the infants at Bethlehem? Surely there could be no cruelty, barbarity, or horrid crime which such a man was not capable of perpetrating" (Barnes' Notes).
Verse 17, 18, "Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet saying, In Rama was the voice heard, Lamentation, and weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, and would not be comforted, because they are not."
LGT "Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremias the prophet, saying,
A voice in Ramah was heard.
Lamentation and weeping and great mourning;
Rachel weeping [for] little children,
And would not be comforted, because they are not."
This prophecy of Jeremiah the Prophet [Jer 31:15] succinctly expresses the horror of Herod's murderous deed. There is a twofold application to this prophecy in Jeremiah, and the one here is the mothers of Jerusalem weeping and wailing over their infants slaughtered by Herod 'the pervert.'
Verse 19, "But when Herod was dead, behold, and angel of the Lord appeareth in a dream to Joseph in Egypt."
LGT "But the Herod, having died, behold an angel of the Lord was manifest in a dream to Joseph in Egypt."
Here we have an angel, there is no article, so it does not mean 'the angel of the Lord' sent by God. McGee notes: "We are told that the angel of the Lord appeared to Jacob at Peniel (Gen. 32). Here it is an angel of the Lord. The angel of the Lord is the pre-incarnate Christ. Now the incarnate Christ is down in Egypt."
Verse 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."
LGT "Saying, having arisen, take the little Child and His mother under your care into [the] land of Israel: for they have died, the ones seeking the life of the little One."
The angel assures Joseph that it is now safe for them to take Jesus back to the Land of Promise in order for Christ to be raised among their countrymen, and that Jesus will begin His earthly ministry there.
"For they are dead which sought the young child's life."
The word 'they' of course, is making reference to Herod, and his men who he sent out to do his evil bidding; but it is only Herod, the perpetrator, who has died.
"Herod died of a loathsome disease in 4 B.C., a short time after the perpetration of this terrible crime. He had sought relief in the mineral baths of Callirhoe. There he attempted suicide, which was prevented. At the same time, he ordered thousands of the most prominent Jews to be shut up in the circus of Jericho, to be executed at the hour of his death, that there might be no lack of lamentation in the land. But Salome to whom he instructed the bloody order, when his death was announced set the prisoners free" (Shepherd - quoted by Pentecost).
Verse 21, "And he arose, and took the young child and his mother, and came into the land of Israel."
LGT "And he, having arisen, took the little Child and His mother and went away into [the] land of Israel."
Joseph immediately gathered together their things and left for the land of Israel, probably with the full intention of settling in Bethlehem, where Christ was born.
Verse 22, "But when he heard that Archelaus did reign in Judea 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."
LGT "But hearing that Archelaus [was] king of Judea instead of his father Herod, he was afraid to be going there: and having been divinely instructed in a dream, he withdrew into the parts of the Galilee."
"But when he heard that Archelaus did reign in Judea in the room of his father Herod, he was afraid to go thither:"
"It must have been soon after the accession [taking office] of Archelaus, but before tidings of it had actually reached Joseph in Egypt, that the Holy Family returned to Palestine. The first intention of Joseph seems to have been to settle in Bethlehem, where he had lived since the birth of Jesus. Obvious reasons would incline him to choose this, and, if possible, to avoid Nazareth as the place of his residence. His trade, even had he been unknown in Bethlehem, would have easily supplied the modest wants of his household. But when, on reaching Palestine, he learned who the successor of Herod was, and also, no doubt, in what manner he had inaugurated his reign, common prudence would have dictated the withdrawal of the Infant-Savior from the dominions of Archelaus. But it needed Divine direction to determine his return to Nazareth" (Edersheim).
"Notwithstanding, being warned of God in a dream, he turned aside into the parts of Galilee."
"At this time the land of Palestine was divided into three parts: GALILEE, on the north; SAMARIA, in the middle; and JUDEA, on the south. Galilee was under the government of Herod Antipas, who was comparatively a mild prince, and in his dominions Joseph might find safety" (Barnes).
"The smiling landscape of lower Galilee invited the easy labor of the agriculturist. Even the highlands of upper Galilee were not, like those of Judea, somber, lonely, enthusiasm-killing, but gloriously grand, free, fresh, and bracing. [Galilee covered the ancient possessions of Issachar, Zebulun, Naphtali, and Asher. 'In the time of Christ it stretched northwards to the possessions of Tyre on the one side, and to Syria on the other. On the south it was bounded by Samaria - Mount Carmel on the western, and the district of Scythopolis on the eastern side, being here landmarks; while the Jordan and the Lake of Gannesaret formed the general eastern boundary line' - Sketches of Jewish Soc. Life-p.33-Edersheim. It was divided into Upper and Lower Galilee - the former beginning where Sycomores -not our Sycamores- cease to grow. Fishing in the Lake of Galilee was free to all]. A more beautiful country - hill, dale, and lake - could scarcely be imagined than Galilee Proper. It was here that Asher had 'dipped his foot in oil.' According to the Rabbis, it was easier to rear a forest of olive trees in Galilee than one child in Judea. Corn grew in abundance; the wine, though not plentiful as the oil, was rich and generous. Proverbially, all fruit grew in perfection, and altogether the cost of living was about one-fifth that in Judea. And then, what a teeming [crowded] population! Making every allowance for exaggeration, we cannot wholly ignore the account of Josephus about the 240 towns and villages of Galilee, each with not less than 15,000 inhabitants. In the centers of industry all then known trades were busily carried on; the husbandman pursued this happy toil on genial soil, while by the Lake of Gennesaret, with its unrivalled beauty, its rich villages, and lovely retreats, the fisherman plied his healthy avocation. By those waters, overarched by a deep blue sky, spangled with brilliancy of innumerable stars, a man might feel constrained by nature itself to meditate and pray; he would not be likely to indulge in a morbid fanaticism" (The Life and times of Jesus the Messiah-Alfred Edersheim).
Verse 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."
LGT "And having come He dwelt in a city called Nazareth: so that it should be fulfilled which was spoken through the prophets, that He will be called a Nazarene."
"And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth:"
"The little town of Nazareth was one of the loveliest spots in Galilee. Situated on the southwest slope of a hollow pear-shaped basin, which descends gradually from the elevated plateau 1500 feet above sea level and opens out through a steep winding way - the stem of the pear - into the plain of Esdraelon, a thousand feet lower, it commanded a prospect truly pleasing. On the hill five hundred feet above the town, a most wonderful panorama opens to view of the beauties and historic scenes of the land" (Pentecost).
"That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, He shall be called a Nazarene."
"A NT term exclusively, which identified Jesus both by self-designation and by the remarks of others, acknowledging His long residence at Nazareth.
Matthew wrote (Mat 2:23) that what was spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled; He shall be called a Nazarene. What was meant by this is far from certain, since Nazareth was not mentioned in the OT, and there is no specific prophecy that says this in so many words. Several lines of interpretation have been followed. It has been suggested that Matthew knew a prophecy unrecorded in the OT, which has been lost. Calvin said that this was a reference to the law of the Nazarites (Num. 6:1-21), but it seems that Nazarite and Nazarene came from two different Hebrew roots. Most interpreters have thought that he had in mind Isaiah 11:1 in which the Messiah was referred to as a Branch or a Shoot out of the roots of Jesse (Hebrew nester, 'branch' or 'shoot'). Others have said that Matthew meant only that the Messiah would be a despised person (Isa. 53) and not a prominent or accepted individual. Nazarenes apparently were despised by their neighbors in the 1st century (John 1:46). Others have mentioned this only as a positive statement which pointed to a negative truth, namely, that the Messiah would not be called a Bethlehemite, the place of His nativity, in order to avoid hostility. He, therefore, would be called something else, in fact, a Nazarene.
The opprobrium [disgrace], which attached to Nazareth probably came because of the processes, which mixed its population, which in turn brought about a rough dialect by the people who were outsiders. It seems also from history that its people were given to sedition and rebellion, which may further have brought them under censure.
This name, given to Jesus in the beginning as a simple designation of His residence, was attached to Him through all His ministry, and in the end came to bear something of the reproach associated with the locality. Among the people it was said that 'Jesus of Nazareth' passes by (Mark 10:47; Luke 24:19). The Gospels record also that the unclean spirits identified Jesus with this term (Mark 1:24; Luke 4:34). The angels announced the Resurrection by referring to Him with it (Mark 16:6).
In the last days of Jesus' ministry the term was applied to Him in scorn and derision. It became for the Jews a means of expressing their hostility toward Jesus and their increasing bitterness over Him. The watchmen at the high priest's house revealed that quality of rejection (Matt. 26:71; Mark 14:67). The hatred of Jesus' enemies caused this term to accompany Him to the grave, having caused it to be written by Pilate and nailed to the Cross (John 19:19).
The term continued beyond the days of Jesus' earthly life as a designation for His followers. An entire Christian community was called 'the sect of the Nazarenes' (Acts 24:5). Like wise the followers of Jesus continued after His ascension to refer to Him as 'Jesus of Nazareth' (Acts 2:22; Acts 3:6; Acts 10:38)" (The Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible - Merrill C. Tenney - General Editor). [Note: Please don't confuse Merrill C. Tenney with that clown 'Tenney' on TBN - Trinity Broadcast network]
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