Application Commentary of the Gospel of Matthew: 2015 Revised Edition

13:10-20)

INTRODUCTION ON THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW

"Say to the daughter of Zion,

‘Behold your King is coming to you,

Gentle, and mounted on a donkey,

Even on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.’"³

Matthew 21:5

The theme of the Gospel of Matthew is Christ the King. It was written to the Jews. Often Matthew quotes from the Old Testament showing how Jesus fulfills specific prophesies referring to the Messiah.

To start our examination of this Gospel we need to review some of the historical background. Matthew, an apostle of Christ, is the author of this Gospel.⁴ Many conservative theologians believe that this Gospel was written somewhere in the 50’s or 60’s AD. This view is bolstered, in part, by the fact that Matthew contains no mention of the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem, which occurred in 70 AD.

The book is one of the four Gospels. The term gospel means good news! What is this good news? The good news is that a sinner, destined to judgment, can be saved from eternal damnation by the grace of God through faith in the sacrificial work of Jesus Christ on the cross. Some commentators believe that each of the four gospels demonstrates the person of Jesus in a different way. Matthew show Jesus as King. Mark manifests Him as a Servant who sacrificed Himself for mankind. Luke proves Jesus is the Perfect Man. John reveals Jesus as the Divine Son of God. The first three New Testament books (Matthew, Mark and Luke) are referred to as the Synoptic Gospels. Synoptic comes from a Greek term that in essence means to view together. When you examine Matthew in comparison to the other gospels, Out of a total of 1071 verses, Matthew has 387 in common with Mark and Luke, 130 with Mark, 184 with Luke; only 387 being peculiar to itself. ⁵

So what is the background of this person Matthew? He also went by the name Levi, and was a publican (i.e. a Jewish tax collector who worked for the Roman Empire.) Publicans were deeply despised by their fellow Jews. One must realize that during this time period the Jews were under Roman control and thus subject to Rome’s taxes. Publicans were viewed as traitors because they made money for themselves by helping Rome tax fellow Jews. John MacArthur explains the tax system as follows:

"Roman senators and various other high-ranking officials would buy from the central government at public auction the right of collecting the toll taxes in a given country, province, or region at a fixed rate for a period of five years. Whatever was collected above that amount was kept as profit. Those who held such taxing rights were called publicani. The publicani would hire others, usually citizens of the country being taxed, to do the actual collecting.

Those collectors had somewhat the same arrangement with the publicani that the publicani had with Rome. Whatever they managed to collect above the amount demanded by the publicani they kept as their own profit. Both the publicani and the tax-gatherers, therefore, had strong motivation to exact and collect as much tax as possible knowing they were backed by the full authority, including the military authority, of Rome. The tax-gatherers quite naturally were hated by their own people, not only as extortioners but as traitors. In Israel they were ranked with the lowest of human society—sinners, prostitutes, and Gentiles (Matt. 9:10-11; 18:17; 21:31-32; Mark 2:15-16; Luke 5:30; etc.)."⁶

Matthew describes in his Gospel how Jesus called him out of his corrupt tax-collecting life to one of discipleship:

Matthew 9:9-13: ⁹ As Jesus went on from there, He saw a man called Matthew, sitting in the tax collector’s booth; and He said to him, ‘Follow Me!’ And he got up and followed Him. ¹⁰ Then it happened that as Jesus was reclining at the table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were dining with Jesus and His disciples. ¹¹ When the Pharisees saw this, they said to His disciples, ‘Why is your Teacher eating with the tax collectors and sinners?’ ¹² But when Jesus heard this, He said, ‘It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick. ¹³ But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire compassion, and not sacrifice,’ for I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.’

From Luke’s Gospel we find out that when Matthew (Levi) was called by Jesus, he, left everything behind, and rose and began to follow Him. Luke 5:28. We also find out in Luke 5:29 that it was Matthew himself who hosted the big dinner in which, "many tax-gatherers and sinners came and were dining with Jesus and His disciples." Matthew 9:10 (cf. Luke 5:27-32).

Summary and Application

The book of Matthew sets forth the Good News of salvation and forgiveness in Jesus Christ! Matthew, the person, serves as living proof of God’s power to transform a corrupt man. As we read of his conversion in Matthew 9:9-13, it is clear that he recognized himself as a sinner before a Holy God. This is what every person who comes to Christ must understand. When Matthew ate in the presence of Jesus, he lumped himself in as a member of this group of sinners when he stated in verse 10, behold many tax-gatherers and sinners came and were dining with Jesus and His disciples.

Even if one has been saved for years, it is still healthy for that person to reflect on the state he was in prior to God’s forgiveness and transformation. An example of this is in Matthew 10:2-4. In that section Matthew lists the apostles. When he names himself in v.3, he adds a little description:

Matthew 10:2-4: Now the names of the twelve apostles are these: The first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; and James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; ³ Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax-gatherer; James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; ⁴ Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot, the one who betrayed Him.

Even though Matthew had repented of the corrupt world of tax collecting decades before writing his Gospel, he mentions that he was, "the tax-gatherer." He never forgets that he is a sinner saved by the grace of God. We would do well to remember the same. We must look upon the unsaved with compassion and prayer rather than self-righteous judgment (cf. Titus 3:3-7, 1 Cor. 6:9-11). By remembering our constant need of grace we will be more effective servants of Almighty God and evangelists of the Gospel. We must realize that dedicated service to Christ is what God expects of all who name themselves Christian. Jesus instructs us regarding what our attitude should be when serving Him:

Luke 17:10: So you too, when you do all the things which are commanded you, say, ‘We are unworthy slaves; we have done only that which we ought to have done.’

J.C. Ryle summarized this concept when he stated that:

Sinners we are in the day we first come to Christ. Poor needy sinners we continue to be so long as we live…. We shall find ourselves sinners in the hour of our death, and shall die as much indebted to Christ’s blood as on the day when we first believed.⁷

FOOTNOTES FOR INTRODUCTION

³ The New American Standard Bible®, Copyright 1960,1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation. Most verses are cited from the 1977 edition with some verses from the 1995 update]. Biblical verses cited, with permission, are from the New American Standard Bible unless designated otherwise.

⁴ Many early church fathers cited Matthew as its author, including Pseudo Barnabas, Clement of Rome, Polycarp, Justin Martyr, Clement of Alexandria, Tertullian, and Origen.

Walvoord, John F., and Zuck, Roy B., The Bible Knowledge Commentary. (Wheaton, Illinois: Scripture Press Publications, Inc.) 1983, 1985, [Online] Available: Logos Library System.

⁵ Easton. Eastons Bible Dictionary (electronic ed.).

⁶ MacArthur, John F., The MacArthur New Testament Commentary, Introduction (Chicago: Moody Press) 1985, Logos Library System.

⁷ Ryle, J.C., Matthew (Expository Thoughts on the Gospels), (Crossways Classic Commentaries: v.1) p.65.

MATTHEW 1:1-17

MATTHEW 1:1-17

(THE GENEALOGY OF JESUS THROUGH JOSEPH)

"THE book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.

² To Abraham was born Isaac; and to Isaac, Jacob; and to Jacob, Judah and his brothers; ³ and to Judah were born Perez and Zerah by Tamar; and to Perez was born Hezron; and to Hezron, Ram; ⁴ and to Ram was born Amminadab; and to Amminadab, Nahshon; and to Nahshon, Salmon; ⁵ and to Salmon was born Boaz by Rahab; and to Boaz was born Obed by Ruth; and to Obed, Jesse; ⁶ and to Jesse was born David the king. And to David was born Solomon by her who had been the wife of Uriah;

⁷ and to Solomon was born Rehoboam; and to Rehoboam, Abijah; and to Abijah, Asa; ⁸ and to Asa was born Jehoshaphat; and to Jehoshaphat, Joram; and to Joram, Uzziah; ⁹ and to Uzziah was born Jotham; and to Jotham, Ahaz; and to Ahaz, Hezekiah; ¹⁰ and to Hezekiah was born Manasseh; and to Manasseh, Amon; and to Amon, Josiah; ¹¹ and to Josiah were born Jeconiah and his brothers, at the time of the deportation to Babylon.

¹² And after the deportation to Babylon, to Jeconiah was born Shealtiel; and to Shealtiel, Zerubbabel; ¹³ and to Zerubbabel was born Abihud; and to Abihud, Eliakim; and to Eliakim, Azor; ¹⁴ and to Azor was born Zadok; and to Zadok, Achim; and to Achim, Eliud; ¹⁵ and to Eliud was born Eleazar; and to Eleazar, Matthan; and to Matthan, Jacob; ¹⁶ and to Jacob was born Joseph the husband of Mary, by whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.

¹⁷ Therefore all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; and from David to the deportation to Babylon fourteen generations; and from the deportation to Babylon to the time of Christ fourteen generations."

Introduction

This section sets out the lineage of Christ through His earthly father, Joseph. Often when I see genealogies in the Bible, my eyes start to glaze over and I begin skimming over the names (many of which I cannot even pronounce!). The reality is that God has an important truth for me to learn if I study the genealogical text.

As mentioned previously, Matthew was written to the Jews. The Jews knew the prophesies regarding the Messiah. Part of prophesies dealt with the lineage from which the Messiah would come. If Jesus did not fulfill those prophesies it would exclude Him from a claim to be the Messiah.

VERSE 1: "THE book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham."

As mentioned above, in the Gospel of Matthew the genealogy of Jesus is set out through His earthly father Joseph. Jesus is introduced as, the son of David, the son of Abraham. The importance of this statement is to demonstrate Jesus’ fulfilling the scriptural mandate of God’s promises both to David and Abraham. Scripture prophesied several centuries before Christ’s birth that the Messiah would be a descendent of David:

Isaiah 9:6–7: ⁶For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. ⁷There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness from then on and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will accomplish this.

This prophesy of being a descendant of David was fulfilled in Luke 2:4: And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David,...

Jesus also fulfilled the great promise to Abraham that his descendant would be one to whom, all the families of the earth will be blessed.

Genesis 12:1–3:

¹Now the Lord said to Abram,

"Go forth from your country,

And from your relatives

And from your father’s house,

To the land which I will show you;

²And I will make you a great nation,

And I will bless you,

And make your name great;

And so you shall be a blessing;

³And I will bless those who bless you,

And the one who curses you I will curse.

And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed."

Joseph is Jesus’ legal father but His actual father is God the Father. (See Luke 3:23: …Jesus Himself was about thirty years of age, being supposedly the son of Joseph,). The Gospel of Luke sets out Jesus’ genealogy through Mary (see Luke 3:23-38). It should be remembered that since the destruction of the Temple of Jerusalem in 70 AD, there no longer exist complete, documented genealogies that can trace a living Jew to a specific tribe of Israel. Jews who state that they are waiting for the Messiah have an insurmountable verification problem for their supposed future messiah. Anyone claiming to be the Messiah after 70 AD cannot be verified to have come through the lineage of King David. Jesus is the one and only Messiah for Israel and the world. He alone fulfills all the prophetic requirements.⁸

The name Jesus is not merely a name chosen by Mary. It is the name the Angel told her to call the child: Matthew 1:21: And she will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for it is He who will save His people from their sins. The Greek equivalent of Jeshua, or Jehoshua means Jehovah (Yahweh) saves.⁹ The term Christ is a Greek word which translates to Hebrew as Messiah, which means Anointed One. "Son of David" is a term used for the Messiah (i.e. a messianic title). Some of the people understood that He was The Messiah:

Matthew 9:27-30: And as Jesus passed on from there, two blind men followed Him, crying out, and saying, ‘Have mercy on us, Son of David!’ ²⁸ And after He had come into the house, the blind men came up to Him, and Jesus *said to them, ‘Do you believe that I am able to do this?’ They *said to Him, ‘Yes, Lord.’ ²⁹ Then He touched their eyes, saying, ‘Be it done to you according to your faith.’ ³⁰ And their eyes were opened….

(See also Matthew 15:22, Matthew 20:30.)

Matthew 21:9: "And the multitudes going before Him, and those who followed after were crying out, saying,

"…‘Hosanna to the Son of David;

BLESSED IS HE WHO COMES IN THE

NAME OF THE LORD;

Hosanna in the highest!’"

VERSES 2-17: "To Abraham was born Isaac; and to Isaac, Jacob; and to Jacob, Judah and his brothers; ³ and to Judah were born Perez and Zerah by Tamar; and to Perez was born Hezron; and to Hezron, Ram; ⁴ and to Ram was born Amminadab; and to Amminadab, Nahshon; and to Nahshon, Salmon; ⁵ and to Salmon was born Boaz by Rahab; and to Boaz was born Obed by Ruth; and to Obed, Jesse; ⁶ and to Jesse was born David the king. And to David was born Solomon by her who had been the wife of Uriah; ⁷ and to Solomon was born Rehoboam; and to Rehoboam, Abijah; and to Abijah, Asa; ⁸ and to Asa was born Jehoshaphat; and to Jehoshaphat, Joram; and to Joram, Uzziah; ⁹ and to Uzziah was born Jotham; and to Jotham, Ahaz; and to Ahaz, Hezekiah; ¹⁰ and to Hezekiah was born Manasseh; and to Manasseh, Amon; and to Amon, Josiah; ¹¹ and to Josiah were born Jeconiah and his brothers, at the time of the deportation to Babylon. ¹² And after the deportation to Babylon, to Jeconiah was born Shealtiel; and to Shealtiel, Zerubbabel; ¹³ and to Zerubbabel was born Abihud; and to Abihud, Eliakim; and to Eliakim, Azor; ¹⁴ and to Azor was born Zadok; and to Zadok, Achim; and to Achim, Eliud; ¹⁵ and to Eliud was born Eleazar; and to Eleazar, Matthan; and to Matthan, Jacob; ¹⁶ and to Jacob was born Joseph the husband of Mary, by whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ. ¹⁷ Therefore all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; and from David to the deportation to Babylon fourteen generations; and from the deportation to Babylon to the time of Christ fourteen generations."

These verses mention five women.

1) In verse 3 we read of Tamar. Her story is very scandalous. She disguised her identity and fooled her father-in-law Judah into thinking she was a prostitute. Incest was then committed resulting in the birth of Perez and Zerah (Genesis 38:6-30).

2) In verse 5 is Rahab. She was a harlot from Jericho (Joshua 2). Through faith in God she hid the two Israeli spies from the King of Jericho. Her faith in God is mentioned in Hebrews 11:31: By faith Rahab the harlot did not perish along with those who were disobedient, after she had welcomed the spies in peace…

3) Also in verse 5 is Ruth. Ruth was not a Jew but a Moabitess. Her story of repentance and becoming a follower of the One true God is set out in the Book of Ruth (see Ruth 1:3-22.)

4) In verse 6 we read a reference to Bathsheba. She committed adultery with King David. Later they were married and she gave birth to Solomon (2 Samuel 11). Her unsavory conduct is touched on in verse 6 as she is identified as, her who had been the wife of Uriah;….

5) In verse 16 Mary, the mother of Jesus is mentioned. Mary was a wonderful godly woman. With that said, it is unbiblical to claim she is divine or acts as co-redemptrix or co-mediator with Christ as some in the Roman church have claimed. If she were perfectly divine and without sin why would she need a savior? Mary herself declared her need for a Savior when she said in Luke 1:46-47: And Mary said: ‘My soul exalts the Lord, ⁴⁷ And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior’.... ¹⁰

Summary and Application

God made a promise to Abraham that the world’s Messiah would come through his line in Genesis 12:3: …And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed. God promised to bring up the Savior from the family of David. J.C. Ryle states that these first 16 verses, prove that Jesus was the Son of David and the Son of Abraham, and that God’s promise was fulfilled. ¹¹

The application of this lesson to our life is that God will fulfill every promise He makes in His Word. We must also understand that no one is so lost that he cannot be transformed by Christ. Rahab, who was a harlot in Jericho, was lost in her sin like every other person before that person comes to Christ. But her story does not end there, and yours does not have to end there either. By the grace of God through faith, Rahab was forgiven and made a part of God’s covenant family and the royal line of Christ. The Christian is not only released from his sin by Christ’s sacrifice, he is also made part of His kingdom and family.

Revelation 1:5-6: …and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the first-born of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who loves us, and released us from our sins by His blood, ⁶ and He has made us to be a kingdom, priests to His God and Father; to Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Jesus explained this concept of our belonging to the family of God when He stated:

Mark 3:33-35: And answering them, He said, ‘Who are My mother and My brothers?’ ³⁴ And looking about on those who were sitting around Him, He said, ‘Behold, My mother and My brothers! ³⁵ For whoever does the will of God, he is My brother and sister and mother.’

MATTHEW 1:18-25

MATTHEW 1:18-25

(THE VIRGIN BIRTH)

Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows. When His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit. ¹⁹ And Joseph her husband, being a righteous man, and not wanting to disgrace her, desired to put her away secretly. ²⁰ But when he had considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for that which has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. ²¹ And she will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for it is He who will save His people from their sins.’ ²² Now all this took place that what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet might be fulfilled, saying, ²³ ‘BEHOLD, THE VIRGIN SHALL BE WITH CHILD, AND SHALL BEAR A SON, AND THEY SHALL CALL HIS NAME IMMANUEL,’ which translated means, ‘GOD WITH US.’ ²⁴ And Joseph arose from his sleep, and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took her as his wife, ²⁵ and kept her a virgin until she gave birth to a Son; and he called His name Jesus.

Introduction

The first 17 verses of Matthew detail Jesus’ human genealogy. Verse 18 is the first to outline His divinity. In this section we will study the virgin birth of Christ. We will see why the virgin birth is a fundamental doctrine of the Christian faith. When studying this doctrine, one must also examine what the virgin birth does not mean. Often religious traditions and mythologies are in direct conflict with the Word of God. When that occurs, the Word of God prevails over the vain imaginations of men (2 Cor. 10:5; 1 Tim. 1:4). Many like to marginalize Christ as a, great man of God. Scripture is very clear; Jesus was not merely a great spiritual leader, but God Himself who came in the form of a man.

John 1:14: And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.

VERSE 18: Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows. When His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit.

This verse sets out the actual lineage of Jesus, God’s Son (i.e. "child by the Holy Spirit."). As mentioned above, some would much rather think that Jesus was merely a man from God or some great prophet/teacher/spiritual leader/guru et al. Many cults will talk about Jesus, but not the Jesus of the Bible. Jehovah’s Witnesses and Mormons both deny the deity of Christ.¹² Jehovah Witness’ Jesus is not God and the Mormon Jesus is an elder spirit brother to Satan. Their Jesus is not the Jesus of Scripture. Paul warns us that there will be false teachers preaching about a false Jesus in 2 Corinthians 11:4: "For if one comes and preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached…." The Jesus of the Bible was born of a virgin, by the Holy Spirit. The virgin birth is also set out in Luke 1:34-35: And Mary said to the angel, ‘How can this be, since I am a virgin?’ ³⁵ And the angel answered and said to her, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy offspring shall be called the Son of God.’

The virgin birth was prophesied several hundred years before the birth of Christ (see Isaiah 7:14 -referenced in Matthew 1:23). Virgin birth means Mary was a virgin at Christ’s conception (i.e. she was pregnant with Jesus but never had sexual relations with a man). The virgin birth demonstrates the preservation of the eternal Father-Son relationship of the first and second person of the Trinity.¹³ This explains why the sin nature of Adam is not transmitted to Christ since Christ was not born of an earthly father like the rest of humanity; (‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy offspring shall be called the Son of God.’ Luke 1:35). If Christ were fathered of human sexual origin (i.e. through Adam) He would be sinful and subject to His own death penalty, thus preventing Him from standing in as the substitutionary penalty bearer for sinful mankind. Since God was Christ’s Father, it explains why Adam’s sin and its consequences (death) could not be passed on to Christ. In other words, with God as Jesus’ Father, it was impossible for the sinless Son to be born sinful (Acts 2:24). Paul explained it explicitly in Galatians 4:4: But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman,….

One should not get confused by some false teachings out there regarding this subject. One false teaching claims that sin runs only through the man and not the woman, thus Jesus could be born or Mary, but not Joseph. There is nothing in scripture that supports that claim. Scripture is very clear that women are just as sinful as men and equally tainted by the fall.¹⁴ Paul points out that Eve also had a significant role in the fall of humanity.

1 Timothy 2:13–14: For it was Adam who was first created, and then Eve. ¹⁴And it was not Adam who was deceived, but the woman being deceived, fell into transgression.

Some speculate whether Jesus had Mary’s DNA? Again, these types of questions are not relevant as scripture does not claim that sin is something that reside specifically in blood or DNA. We are told that sin taints all humanity after Adam. In Romans 8:3 we read

For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh,….

There are some concepts that are important to remember regarding this subject:

1) God created a human body for Adam and Eve without a sin nature. Genesis 1:31: God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good…. See also Genesis 2:20-25). Adam and Eve were tempted in that body and choose to sin, which defiled all humanity with sin and death.

2) Jesus as God, always existed with the Father before he took on a human body. God created a human body for Christ without a sin nature. Jesus (His fetus) that Mary carried had no taint of sin because created it that way. God can do this. Remember, Adam was created by God without a sin nature. Jesus was tempted in that body like Adam, but Jesus did not sin:

Hebrews 4:14–15: Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. ¹⁵For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.

Jesus is often referred to as the second Adam. It states in 1 Corinthians 15:45: So also it is written, The first man, Adam, became a living soul. The last Adam became a life-giving spirit." Jesus uses the title Son of Man for himself throughout the gospels expresses His humanity and messiahship (Daniel 7:13-14): Matthew 18:11 For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost. This entire concept is summarized by the Apostle Paul:

Romans 5:12-19: Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned— ¹³for until the Law sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed when there is no law. ¹⁴Nevertheless death reigned from Adam until Moses, even over those who had not sinned in the likeness of the offense of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come. ¹⁵But the free gift is not like the transgression. For if by the transgression of the one the many died, much more did the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abound to the many. ¹⁶The gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned; for on the one hand the judgment arose from one transgression resulting in condemnation, but on the other hand the free gift arose from many transgressions resulting in justification. ¹⁷For if by the transgression of the one, death reigned through the one, much more those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ. ¹⁸So then as through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all men, even so through one act of righteousness there resulted justification of life to all men. ¹⁹For as through the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the One the many will be made righteous

Mac Arthur summarizes the concept of the virgin birth when he states He was Son of Mary, Son of Joseph in the legal sense, but He was Son of God in the sense of His nature, in the sense of His essence. He was Son of God in human form.¹⁵

Roman Catholics agree with Scripture’s claim that Mary was a virgin at Christ’s conception, but then they have also added the unbiblical myth of the miraculous virgin birth. This false doctrine maintains that the baby Jesus passed out of Mary’s body in such a way as to leave her medically still a virgin.¹⁶ This idea had its beginning in the Protevangelium of James (mid-2nd century–Syrian origin) and became a standard doctrine as part of the idea of the perpetual virginity of Mary.¹⁷ We know this concept is mythological because it is opposite of what the Scripture states. Scripture tells us Mary gave the sacrifice for the first child that, opens the womb.

Luke 2:21-23: And when eight days were completed before His circumcision, His name was then called Jesus, the name given by the angel before He was conceived in the womb. ²² And when the days for their purification according to the law of Moses were completed, they brought Him up to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord ²³ (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, ‘EVERY first-born MALE THAT OPENS THE WOMB SHALL BE CALLED HOLY TO THE LORD’ ),

Since her womb was opened (v.23), it cannot be said that the baby passed out of Mary’s body so as to leave her medically a virgin. Additional textual proof denying the perpetual virginity of Mary is Matthew 1:24-25 which states, And Joseph arose from his sleep, and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took her as his wife, ²⁵ and kept her a virgin until she gave birth to a Son; and he called His name Jesus. Finally, Scripture states Mary was not a virgin forever by the fact that Jesus had brothers and sisters as set out in Mark 6:2-3 …Where did this man get these things, and what is this wisdom given to Him, and such miracles as these performed by His hands? ³ ‘Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, and brother of James, and Joses, and Judas, and Simon? Are not His sisters here with us?’ And they took offense at Him.

VERSES 19-23: And Joseph her husband, being a righteous man, and not wanting to disgrace her, desired to put her away secretly. ²⁰ But when he had considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for that which has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. ²¹ And she will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for it is He who will save His people from their sins.’ ²² Now all this took place that what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet might be fulfilled, saying, ²³ ‘BEHOLD, THE VIRGIN SHALL BE WITH CHILD, AND SHALL BEAR A SON, AND THEY SHALL CALL HIS NAME IMMANUEL,’ which translated means, ‘GOD WITH US.’ ²⁴ And Joseph arose from his sleep, and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took her as his wife, ²⁵ and kept her a virgin until she gave birth to a Son; and he called His name Jesus.

Joseph’s reaction to finding out that Mary was pregnant says a lot about his gracious character. He assumed that her pregnancy was the result of adultery. The penalty for adulterous conduct could have resulted in Joseph having her stoned (Deuteronomy 22:23-24). Notice how gracious Joseph is in that his first reaction was to not disgrace her, but instead to put her away secretly. To put her away …. means to divorce her, even though they were betrothed at the time. Being betrothed was a more serious step to marriage than our culture’s concept of engagement. Before Joseph took any action, an angel from God appeared to him and told him what was really happening. In obedience to God’s Word, Joseph took Mary as his wife.

In verse 21 we read that Joseph was instructed to name the child Jesus, but then verse 23 states that He will be called IMMANUEL. The names Jesus and Immanuel each represent a different aspect of the Son of God:

"One describes his office, the other his nature…. Jesus means ‘Saviour’ because ‘He saves His people from their sins.’…The name ‘Emmanuel’… is the name which is given to our

Lord from His nature as God-man, as ‘God revealed in the body.’ It means ‘God with us."¹⁸

The importance of understanding Christ’s divine and human nature cannot be neglected.

[T]here was a union of two natures, the divine and the human, in the person of our Lord Jesus Christ…. We should settle it firmly in our minds that our Saviour is perfect man as well as perfect God, and perfect God as well as perfect man. If we once lose sight of this great foundational truth, we may run into fearful heresies.¹⁹

For more on the concept of human and divine nature of Christ see the footnote below.²⁰

Summary and Application

We see here the importance of the doctrines of the virgin birth and the divinity of Christ. These are fundamental doctrines on which true Christianity does not compromise (see a review of fundamental doctrine in the comments for Matthew 13:31-32). There are many people who claim they are Christians and will even acknowledge that Jesus is the Son of God, but they will not acknowledge that Jesus is God the Son. There are others who will say things like, Hey, we all are Christians, because we all believe in Jesus. It is not enough to believe whatever you want to about Jesus. If one does not believe the Word of God, that person neither knows God nor His will. One can give ceremonial allegiances to Jesus by calling Him Lord but that is not true faith. Jesus Himself said this in Matthew 7:21: "Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven; but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven."

FOOTNOTES FOR MATTHEW CHAPTER 1 COMMENTS

⁸ John MacArthur states that, Jesus was therefore the blood descendant of David through Mary and the legal descendant of David through Joseph. Genealogically, Jesus was perfectly qualified to take the throne of David. It is essential to note that in His virgin birth Jesus not only was divinely conceived but through that miracle was protected from regal disqualification because of Joseph’s being a descendant of Jeconiah (v. 12). Because of that king’s wickedness, God had declared of Jeconiah (also called Jehoiachin or Coniah) that, though he was in David’s line, no man of his descendants will prosper, sitting on the throne of David or ruling again in Judah (Jeramiah 22:30). That curse would have precluded Jesus’ right to kingship had He been the natural son of Joseph, who was in Jeconiah’s line. Jesus’ legal descent from David, which was always traced through the father, came through Jeconiah to Joseph. But His blood descent, and His human right to rule, came through Mary, who was not in Jeconiah’s lineage. Thus the curse on Jeconiah’s offspring was circumvented, while still maintaining the royal privilege. MacArthur, John F., The MacArthur New Testament Commentary, p.3 (Chicago: Moody Press) 1985. [Note continued on the next page].

The Bible Knowledge Commentary explains this also: Matthew gave Jesus’ lineage through His legal father, Joseph (v. 16). Thus this genealogy traced Jesus’ right to the throne of David, which must come through Solomon and his descendants (v. 6). Of particular interest is the inclusion of Jeconiah (v. 11) of whom Jeremiah said, Record this man as if childless (Jer. 22:30). Jeremiah’s prophecy related to the actual occupation of the throne and the reception of blessing while on the throne. Though Jeconiah’s sons never occupied the throne, the line of rulership did pass through them. If Jesus had been a physical descendant of Jeconiah, He would not have been able to occupy David’s throne. Luke’s genealogy made it clear that Jesus was a physical descendant of David through another son named Nathan (Luke 3:31). But Joseph, a descendant of Solomon, was Jesus’ legal father, so Jesus’ right to the throne was traced through Joseph. Walvoord, J. F., Zuck, R. B., and Dallas Theological Seminary. (1983-). The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Matt. 1:2–17) Vol. 2, p.18, Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.

⁹ Ibid

¹⁰ Concepts of Mary as co-redemptrix or as a co-mediator are contrary to scripture and thus heretical. They came into the church hundreds of years after Christ and have at their inception the mystery religions of the Babylonian’s. Id. Please note the exact quote from the official Roman Catholic Catechism regarding Mary as co-redemptrix or as a co-mediator in 968 and 969:

968 Her role in relation to the Church and to all humanity goes still further. In a wholly singular way she cooperated by her obedience, faith, hope, and burning charity in the Savior's work of restoring supernatural life to souls. For this reason she is a mother to us in the order of grace.

969 This motherhood of Mary in the order of grace continues uninterruptedly from the consent which she loyally gave at the Annunciation and which she sustained without wavering beneath the cross, until the eternal fulfillment of all the elect. Taken up to heaven she did not lay aside this saving office but by her manifold intercession continues to bring us the gifts of eternal salvation . . . . Therefore the Blessed Virgin is invoked in the Church under the titles of Advocate, Helper, Benefactress, and Mediatrix.

We are not taught in scripture to go to Mary, an angel, a saint, or a priest/pastor as an intercessory to Jesus or the Father. Scripture is clear that there is only one mediator between us and God, and that mediator is Jesus Christ. 1 Timothy 2:5: For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, … Jesus is our only intercessor: Romans 8:34: …Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us. Hebrews 7:25: Hence, also, He is able to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.

We are not to bow and give our praise to anyone or anything except almighty God. Isaiah 42:8: I am the Lord, that is My name; I will not give My glory to another, Nor My praise to graven images. We see John being rebuked by a great angel when he bows before him. Revelation 22:8-9: And I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I heard and saw, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed me these things. ⁹ And he *said to me, ‘Do not do that; I am a fellow servant of yours and of your brethren the prophets and of those who heed the words of this book; worship God.’

¹¹ Ryle, J.C. Matthew (Expository Thoughts on the Gospels), (Crossways Classic Commentaries: v.1) p.2.

¹² Sproul, R. C., Essential Truths of the Christian faith, Wheaton, Ill.: Tyndale House (1996, c1992).

¹³ Norman L. Geisler., The Essential Doctrines of the Christian Faith (Part 2). Christian Research Journal Vol. 28, No.6 (2005)

¹⁴ All the earth and creation also suffered as a result of Adam’s sin – ( See Romans 8:20-22 and Gen 3:17-19).

¹⁵ MacArthur, John F, (Sermon: The Virgin Birth: A Divine Miracle-Luke 1:34-38; March 07, 1999 42-12).

¹⁶ Note the non-scriptural based quote from the official Roman Catholic Catechism #499: 499 The deepening of faith in the virginal motherhood led the Church to confess Mary’s real and perpetual virginity even in the act of giving birth to the Son of God made man. In fact, Christ’s birth did not diminish his mother’s virginal integrity but sanctified it. And so the liturgy of the Church celebrates Mary as Aeiparthenos, the Ever-virgin." [See also: Mary is not a co-redemptrix or co-mediator; see footnote comments in Matthew. 1:2-17.]

¹⁷ The New Bible Dictionary, "Virgin Birth" (Wheaton, Illinois: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.) 1996.

¹⁸ Ryle, J.C., Matthew (Expository Thoughts on the Gospels), (Crossways Classic Commentaries: v.1) p. 4.

¹⁹ Ibid

²⁰ DIVINE AND HUMAN NATURE OF CHRIST: Here are some short notes of mine on Jesus’ humanity and divine nature as shown in Scripture. Examples of His manhood are that He was: tempted (Luke 4:1-13), tired (John 4:6), hungry (Matthew 4:2), thirsty (John 19:28) slept (Matthew 8:24) and died (Mark 15:39-45, Matthew 27:50). Examples of His divine nature are that He was: born of a virgin (Luke 1:30-38), did miracles (John 11:38-44, Luke 7:21-23), never sinned (2 Corinthians 5:21), and rose from the dead (1 Corinthians 15:3-8, Matthew 28:5-15, John 21:14).

"Christ is God and man by a hypostatic or personal union, both natures, divine and human, remaining distinct without composition or confusion, in one and the same person."

Vincent, T. (1996). A family instructional guide. Index created by Christian Classics Foundation. (electronic edition based on the first Banner of Truth ed., 1980.) (p. 73). Simpsonville SC: Christian Classics Foundation.

Brakel explains the concept this way: "This union also was not established by mixing these two natures, with a third type of person coming forth. Rather, this union was established without change and without mixture each nature retaining its own attributes; each nature contributes its attributes to the Person. Thus, the same Christ has divine as well as human attributes by virtue of the union of these two natures in Him. However, the one nature does not have the attributes of the other nature. The union of these two natures in one Person has three consequences — communication of: 1) gifts and honor, 2) attributes, and 3) activity and office. a Brakel, W. (1996, c1992)."

The Christian's reasonable service, Volumes 1 and 2. Published in electronic form by Christian Classics Foundation, 1996. (electronic ed. of the first publication in the English language, based on the 3rd edition of the original Dutch work.) (Vol. 1, pp. 505-506). Morgan PA: Soli Deo Gloria Publications.

(See also: THE HUMANITY AND DIVINITY OF CHRIST by Sproul, R. C. (1996, c1992). Essential Truths of the Christian Faith. Wheaton, Ill.: Tyndale House.

#27 The Humanity of Christ That God the Son took upon Himself a real human nature is a crucial doctrine of historic Christianity. The great ecumenical Council of Chalcedon in A.D. 451 affirmed that Jesus is truly man and truly God and that the two natures of Christ are so united as to be without mixture, confusion, separation, or division, each nature retaining its own attributes. Christ’s humanity was like ours. He became a man for our sakes. He entered into our situation to act as our Redeemer. He became our substitute, taking upon Himself our sins in order to suffer in our place. He also became our champion, fulfilling the law of God on our behalf. In redemption there is a twofold exchange. Our sins are imparted to Jesus. His righteousness is imparted to us. He receives the judgment due to our imperfect humanity, while we receive the blessing due to His perfect humanity. In His humanity Jesus had the same limitations common to all human beings, except that He was without sin. As a human being Jesus was restricted by time and space. Like all human beings He could not be in more than one place at the same time. He sweated. He hungered. He wept. He endured pain. He was mortal, capable of suffering death. In all these respects He was like us.

#25 THE DIVINITY OF CHRIST: "Faith in the deity of Christ is necessary to being a Christian. It is an essential part of the New Testament gospel of Christ. Yet in every century the church has been forced to deal with people who claim to be Christians while denying or distorting the deity of Christ…. As the Logos Incarnate, Christ is revealed as being not only pre-existent to creation, but eternal. He is said to be in the beginning with God and also that He is God (John 1:1-3). That He is with God demands a personal distinction within the Godhead. That He is God demands inclusion in the Godhead. Elsewhere, the New Testament ascribes terms and titles to Jesus that are clearly titles of deity. God bestows the preeminent divine title of Lord upon Him (Philippians 2:9-11). As the Son of Man, Jesus claims to be Lord of the Sabbath (Mark 2:28) and to have authority to forgive sins (Mark 2:1-12). He is called the "Lord of glory (James 2:1) and willingly receives worship, as when Thomas confesses, My Lord and my God! (John 20:28). Paul declares that the fullness of the Godhead dwells in Christ bodily (Colossians 1:19) and that Jesus is higher than angels, a theme reiterated in the book of Hebrews. [Note: All of Creation was made by Jesus – Colossians. 1:16-17.]

MATTHEW 2:1-12

MATTHEW 2:1-12

(HEROD and THE MAGI)

"Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, ² ‘Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east, and have come to worship Him.’ ³ And when Herod the king heard it, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. ⁴ And gathering together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he began to inquire of them where the Christ was to be born. ⁵ And they said to him, ‘In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it has been written by the prophet,’

⁶ ‘AND YOU, BETHLEHEM, LAND OF JUDAH,

ARE BY NO MEANS LEAST AMONG THE LEADERS OF JUDAH;

FOR OUT OF YOU SHALL COME FORTH A RULER,

WHO WILL SHEPHERD MY PEOPLE ISRAEL.’

⁷ Then Herod secretly called the magi, and ascertained from them the time the star appeared. ⁸ And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and make careful search for the Child; and when you have found Him, report to me, that I too may come and worship Him. ⁹ And having heard the king, they went their way; and lo, the star, which they had seen in the east, went on before them, until it came and stood over where the Child was. ¹⁰ And when they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. ¹¹ And they came into the house and saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell down and worshiped Him; and opening their treasures they presented to Him gifts of gold and frankincense and myrrh. ¹² And having been warned by God in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed for their own country by another way."

Introduction

In this section we will study the event of the magi visiting the Christ child. Our objective is to look to scripture, and not legend, to guide us. Scripture will reveal common misconceptions regarding this event. For example, many believe the legendary view that there were three magi who visited Jesus. Another misconception is that the magi visited Jesus at the manger on the night He was born (see v.11).

VERSES 1-2: Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, ² ‘Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east, and have come to worship Him.’

Jesus was born in Bethlehem, which is located about six miles south of Jerusalem (see footnote on celebrating Christ’s birth on December 25th).²¹ Micah 5:2 prophesied that the Messiah would come from Bethlehem. The name Bethlehem means house of bread. Remember what Jesus said in John 6:35: …I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me shall not hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.

These verses talk about magi who came from the East. Magi were a priestly class of astrologers / magicians and scholars of science, agriculture, mathematics and history. They resided east of Palestine. They also possessed great political influence in Persia and had knowledge of the Old

Testament Scripture.²² Many believe that their knowledge of the Scriptures can be traced back to Daniel of Daniel in the Lion’s Den. It was Daniel who had a great reputation as the chief Wiseman in Persia during his time. Look how Daniel was spoken of by the queen mother:

Daniel 5:11-12: There is a man in your kingdom in whom is a spirit of the holy gods; and in the days of your father, illumination, insight and wisdom like the wisdom of the gods were found in him. And King Nebuchadnezzar, your father, your father the king, appointed him chief of the magicians, conjurers, Chaldeans and diviners. ¹² This was because an extraordinary spirit, knowledge and insight, interpretation of dreams, explanation of enigmas and solving of difficult problems were found in this Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar. Let Daniel now be summoned and he will declare the interpretation.

There are Old Testament Scriptures and prophecies that make reference to a future Messiah. It is probable that Scripture in Numbers 24:17 is what the magi looked to when it was revealed to them that a new King, rising like a star, was born in Israel.

Numbers 24:17:

"I see him, but not now;

I behold him, but not near;

A star shall come forth from Jacob,

And a scepter shall rise from Israel,…."²³

In Isaiah we know that nations and kings will come to this King.

Isaiah 60:3:

"And nations will come to your light,

And kings to the brightness of your rising."

The prophesies in both Numbers and Isaiah were accomplished by the magi’s visit in Matthew 2:2. Much of the folklore that there were only three kings is based on the three gifts ,of gold and frankincense and myrrh. Nowhere does Scripture tell us there were three wise men. It could have been two ("magi [plural] from the east") or it could have been many. With that being said, if one were to speculate, there is good reason to guess that the magi group contained a large entourage. We know that they were carrying very expensive gifts. More than likely they dressed and traveled luxuriously as a reflection of their status. Both the carrying of cargo and beautiful attire would quickly catch the attention of the many highway robbers looking for a traveling victim alone in the desert (cf. Luke 10:30). It is further possible that the magi traveled with a personal army / protective entourage, large enough to discourage any would-be robbers. Another fact tending toward a large-group theory is reflected by how quickly and respectfully the magi caught the attention of Herod, his court, as well as the entire city. Herod was not a cordial man who treated others with respect but when the magi arrived he pretended to be very cordial and respectful. Scripture tells us that, "when Herod the king heard it, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him." (v.3). ²⁴ He was very concerned about talk of a new king. In summary, although it is an interesting question, we have no idea how many magi came to worship the Christ-child.

Note that these magi did not ask "if" there was a child born King of the Jews. Instead, they had the confidence of God’s revelation when they asked, in verse 2, Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east, and have come to worship Him .... Do not underestimate the great faith we see demonstrated by these men. As one commentator states, they believed in Christ before they had ever seen Him. They believed even though the scribes and Pharisees did not. They believed having seen no miracles performed by Him. They saw what appeared to be a helpless child with His mother.²⁵ They emptied themselves of their earthly treasures. They bowed and worshiped Him.

VERSES 3-8: And when Herod the king heard it, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. ⁴ And gathering together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he began to inquire of them where the Christ was to be born. ⁵ And they said to him, In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it has been written by the prophet,

⁶ ‘AND YOU, BETHLEHEM, LAND OF JUDAH,

ARE BY NO MEANS LEAST AMONG THE LEADERS OF JUDAH;

FOR OUT OF YOU SHALL COME FORTH A RULER,

WHO WILL SHEPHERD MY PEOPLE ISRAEL.’"

⁷ Then Herod secretly called the magi, and ascertained from them the time the star appeared. ⁸ And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and make careful search for the Child; and when you have found Him, report to me, that I too may come and worship Him.

Herod wanted Jesus killed because one of the magi said they were looking for, "He who has been born King of the Jews." Herod viewed himself as the only King of the Jews and would kill anyone who would threaten his throne. Herod reigned over Palestine from 37 B.C. to 4 B.C.²⁶ Herod was an Edomite (i.e. not a Jew), and thus did not have a legitimate claim to be King of the Jews. He served at the pleasure of Rome, who ruled at the time. His insatiable desire to maintain power made him extremely paranoid of those who surrounded him. He had his wife’s brother, the high priest, Aristobulus,²⁷ drowned because he felt threatened by him. After committing the murder, he then held a big funeral for Aristobulus and pretended to weep at it. Herod had others killed, including his wife, mother-in-law, two of his sons, and five days before his death, he killed his third son.²⁸ MacArthur demonstrates the demonic insanity of Herod when he states:

Shortly before his death, he lured prominent Jewish leaders to Jericho where he imprisoned them. Knowing the people would not mourn his death, he ordered that these leaders be executed after he died. That way, he reasoned, there would at least be mourning going on at the time of his death. Fortunately, his mad scheme was not carried out. ²⁹

Herod’s homicidal style of hypocrisy is further manifested in verse 4 when he called in, all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he began to inquire of them where the Christ was to be born. He pretended he had an interest in worshipping the newborn King, but he actually wanted to kill Him. To accomplish this murder, he turned his attention to finding the location and age of the child. The priests and scribes found the location of His birth through the prophesy in Micah 5:2 stating that the King would be born in Bethlehem.³⁰ To help determine the age of the child (Herod secretly called the magi, and ascertained from them the time the star appeared….v.7). We do not know what the magi told him regarding their first sighting of the star, but we can conclude that it was likely within two years of their meeting with Herod. This conclusion is based on the fact that Herod eventually responded by having all the baby boys of Bethlehem who were two years of age and younger killed (Matthew 2:16). Herod mistakenly believed that by killing all the baby boys, he was assured that the newborn king would be among the dead. ³¹

VERSES 9-12: "And having heard the king, they went their way; and lo, the star, which they had seen in the east, went on before them, until it came and stood over where the Child was. ¹⁰ And when they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. ¹¹ And they came into the house and saw the Child with

Mary His mother; and they fell down and worshiped Him; and opening their treasures they presented to Him gifts of gold and frankincense and myrrh. ¹² And having been warned by God in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed for their own country by another way."

We know the visit by the magi took place sometime after the birth since it did not take place in the manger. Matthew 2:11 states that they entered the house. The gifts were gold, frankincense and myrrh. Some speculate that the gifts were symbolic of the character of Christ: gold might represent His deity or purity, incense the fragrance of His life, and myrrh His sacrifice and death (myrrh was used for embalming). ³²

Upon seeing the child, the magi worshiped Him. The text states that the magi bowed down and worshiped, giving gifts to the child. They did not pay any homage like that to Herod when they saw him. It should also be noted they worshiped the Christ-child, not the child and His mother.

We also see God’s divine protection in that the magi were warned to not return to Herod. The magi did not know that Herod wanted to kill the child but God knows the thoughts of every person. Evil men can make their plans but the Lord protects and will make foolishness of their evil schemes.

Psalm 2:2,4: "The kings of the earth take their stand,

And the rulers take counsel together

Against the Lord and against His Anointed…

⁴ He who sits in the heavens laughs,

The Lord scoffs at them."

Summary and Application

The story of the magi is one of revelation and faithful obedience to that revelation. They were given a word from God and they obeyed it. We have been given God’s revelation through the