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All right, we are now in Matthew chapter 2. Let's get it. Let's read verses 1 through 11. Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king Behold wise men from the east came to Jerusalem Saying where is he who has been born king of the Jews?
For we saw his star when it rose and we have come to worship him. When Herod the king heard this he was troubled in all Jerusalem with him and Assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people.
He inquired to them where the Christ will be born. It told him in Bethlehem of Judea for it's written by the prophet and you of Bethlehem in the land of Judah are by no means least among the rules of Judah.
For from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel. And Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared. He sent the Bethlehem saying go and search diligently for the child and when you have found him bring me word that I may May come.
I may to come and worship him. Excuse me first time. After listening to the king they went their way and behold the start they had seen when it rose went Before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was.
When they saw the star they rejoiced exceeding with great joy and going to the house. They saw child the child with Mary's mother and they fell down and worshiped him. Then opening the treasures they offered him gifts of gold frankincense and myrrh.
And being warm than a dream not to turn the hair they parted to their own country by another way. All right, guys. First off. I hope you're liking so far our study in the book of Matthew. We're gonna go through the whole thing as long as it takes.
We'll probably take through March, but then we'll have it recorded on here for all of us. Okay, so looking at the handout I made guys a couple things here. Let's see at what point I talk about. Oh, yeah, we'll go over the misconceptions about the birth of Jesus in just a little bit.
Okay. All right. So first off the Magi I'd like to point out. They're often called the wise men the Magi. We'll read about who they are in a minute. In fact now let's go ahead and do that now. When it says the Magi were from the east this probably refers to Persia, which is modern-day Iraq.
It would have absolutely been a long journey for them. They could have been Court officials that could have been pagan ritualistic sorcerers combining astrology with magic that makes the most sense. When it says they worshipped him.
This may be the first time in their life that they recognize who the true cream the true God of Israel is. We might be seeing in verse 11 them a Conversion or at least the first time they worship the true cream.
Something drove them from their paganism to Jesus and of course we read about the star. But let's go back up here to verse 2 for a minute. Herod the king he is the king of the Jews. He's set up by the Roman Empire.
Here's that wise men are asking for the king of Jews where he's going to be born. Obviously Herod felt some type of way about the question because he was the king of the Jews. So when they say where's the king of Jews gonna be born? this implies That you're not him.
Now it says they were in Jerusalem and they were asking. This implies they were going around. Asking a bunch of people they were saying these things. Herod hears about it and then summons them, right?
He When he hears the these these Magi from the east by the way way more than just three of them. Would have been a lot of them when he hears that they Came and were in Jerusalem asking this he's troubled so he and all of Jerusalem's troubled with him.
They asked Herod asked where The Christ was going to be born. He and all Jerusalem knew the Christ the Messiah was the real king of the Jews. They all knew that they just wanted to reject It so the pastors of a day looked to the scriptures To ask where he would be born.
Now they know where he's gonna be born because they know the Old Testament we talked last week. I believe it was the Sadducees of course rejected all but the first five books of the Old Testament, but the Pharisees Accepted it and they had read Micah and they understood the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem.
I Want to have a quick side note here. I wrote it right here, please recognize. Since The scribes were able to tell Herod that he would be born in Bethlehem because it's written Micah. This means they had an accurate copy of the book of Micah because our copy of the book of Micah Chapter 5 verse 2 also says that Christ would be born in Bethlehem.
Which means when Matthew wrote this in the first century they had an accurate copy of the book of Micah to be able to say. To be able to say that Jesus would be born in Bethlehem. I hope you didn't just miss that in other words guys.
The Bible was not compiled by the Catholic Church in 325 AD or whatever bullcrap you've been told. It's a living act of Word of God that has been accurately transcribed and accurately transmitted Throughout history that evidence is seen in the New Testament, which shows accurate transmission of the Old Testament itself.
A Lack of faith and submission to the newborn King is evidenced by their not accompanying the Magi to the location of Christ's birth. Guys, if these people who were supposedly loved the Word of God loved the Old Testament.
They knew it, but they didn't know it. They knew it in their head, but not their heart. If they really were faithful and submissive to what God had revealed they would have gone with the Magi to see the newborn King.
But they didn't. Um. So, yeah, Herod summons the wise men and he wants to figure out how long they've been seeing this star. This star appears to only be visible to the Magi and it got them to Jerusalem.
Which is really close just five miles north of Bethlehem. And apparently the stars disappeared because now they're trying to look and see where the king is. Now They I think it's best to see this star as a supernatural event not a supernatural phenomenon because in verse 9 They saw the star again, and it goes it rest directly over the place where Jesus and his parents are staying and.
And They are Overwhelmed with joy in verse 10 when they see it because apparently had disappeared when they entered Jerusalem. So it appears again in verse 10 and they're overwhelmed with joy. It says They rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.
What a phrase. Well, I mean what a phrase right? Verse 10 when they see the star again, they know they're close to the king. It says they rejoiced exceedingly. With great joy. Haron with great joy with Megalane guys don't don't tune out now.
Someone told me well tune out whenever you go to the Greek side guys. You can understand this to Megalane like mega with great with mega joy there rejoicing exceedingly rejoicing exceedingly with mega joy amazing.
Mega joy now. What happens is as we just read Excuse me, what happens is. The Magi are warned in a dream not to return the Herod. So they don't they go by another way since we know this is way more than just three of them.
But a bunch of them they go a whole nother way to go back home to their own country. They gave they saw Mary and Jesus. It doesn't say Joseph was there at this point when they got there. They worshipped the baby Jesus because they recognize he's really the king and they give him gold Frankincense and more gifts fit for the king now when G Joseph is warned in a dream to flee and go to Egypt.
They stay there probably for just a few weeks and then Herod kills all the male children. Two years and under in and around the town of Bethlehem. This fulfills a prophecy in Jeremiah 31. Herod kills all male children two and under by the way.
When the Magi get there this kind of because Herod figured out from them how long they'd seen the star. Jesus wasn't a little infant baby. He was already a toddler. Okay, so Jesus the toddler and Joseph and Mary then go to Egypt.
Um, Mary didn't receive this dream only Joseph did this little side note. Mary is trusting in Joseph's leaderships here. We see this type of near and far fulfillment of prophecy fulfilled all throughout Matthew in Jeremiah 31.
They're talking about the deportation of Babylon. But Matthew uses that as the near prophecy. Matthew use that to say well. There was a dual prophecy here because there was a near fulfillment with the deportation of Babylon and a future fulfillment in Jesus.
This happens a lot. We can't be overly zealous and looking at all prophecy this way. We must use scripture to interpret scripture the New Testament writers indicate for us when this type of fulfillment is used.
Okay. When Jesus comes out of Egypt and Mary and Joseph Matthew quotes Hosea 11, which says out of Egypt. I'll call my son now. Hosea 11 was talking about when Jesus calls the Israelites out of Egypt.
Okay. Parting the Red Sea and all that stuff. So why is Matthew setting up this typology this pictorial? Fulfillment of prophecy with Jesus we will get into that when we get to chapter 3 and 4. So remember in Hosea 11 1 Hosea was talking about how Israel is called out of Egypt by God goes to the Red Sea and goes to wilderness, but Matthew says there's also a Messianic prophecy in there as well out of Egypt.
Jesus was called after he was sent there probably for a few weeks while Herod was killing the children then out of Egypt. Joseph and Mary come and They go all the way north. To Nazareth when they come back.
All right, let's go over some common misconceptions and assumptions about the birth of Jesus. Nowhere in the Bible does it say there are three wise men. That's just assumed because that's the number of gifts given.
This one's a big one. Y 'all listen to me. Some people are gonna get mad at me, but I don't care just teaching the Bible. The manger scene is unbiblical. The whole major scene where the wise men are there at the same time the shepherds are with little baby Jesus in a manger is unbiblical.
That's not true. But we read in Luke the shepherds arrived shortly after Jesus is born maybe even on the same day. That's what Luke says the Magi took much longer getting there as indicated by verse 16.
Herod went and killed all chill all male children two years and under. Two years and under. Because that's how long started appeared. So the shepherds and the wise men were never there at the same time.
Additionally, we don't know that Jesus was born in a stable or cave that is tradition and speculation. All we know according to Luke is when he was born. There was no room in the end. So he had to sleep in a manger, which is an animal feeding trough.
By the time the Magi arrived a couple years later. This family are in there in a house. Verse 11 says they went into the house. So they didn't stay there forever. That's where he was born. Yes, I understand that but by the time the Magi the wise men get there and he's two years old.
They are living in a house. That's what verse 11 chapter 2 says. No one in the manger was white black or Hispanic or a Native American whatever color you want them to be. Would have been Semitic would have been Jewish that would have been Hebrew.
So if you have a manger scene with white people it that's not a biblical manger scene. Again, the shepherds and the wise men were not there at the same time. And when the Magi the wise men were there Jesus would have been a toddler.
It probably would have already been walking. They weren't in a manger or a stable by the time the wise men got there. All right. Let's go over a few Herod's of the Bible because there's a lot of okay.
There was a lot of there are six Herod's in the Bible. There's Herod the great. This is the Herod of the Christmas story one who massacred the male infants. There's Herod Arkelos, I don't know how to say that one.
This is when they leave Egypt. When they leave Egypt. When they leave Egypt this Herod the greatest died and This Herod who if I'm not mistaken, let's read that. Yeah, this was a Herod the great son. This Herod had taken over of that small region around Jerusalem in Bethlehem, so Joseph returns to Nazareth.
Okay, then we have Herod Antipas. He's the main Herod in the Gospels. He's one that killed John the Baptist and Was there for the trials of Jesus. Okay. Then we have Philip Herod. Philip the Tetrarch.
Tetrarch meanings for he ruled one-fourth of the kingdom of Israel. Herod this is Philip the Tetrarch. He's only mentioned in Mark 6 17. He ruled north and east of Galilee. Okay, we have a grip of the first.
This is the one that killed the Apostle James and prison Peter and God killed him by making eat worms in Acts chapter 12. He appears in Acts. Then we have Herod a grip of the second. This is the one who tried Paul and Caesarea in Acts 25 and 26.
Hopefully that helps you a little bit. I Know that took me a long time to write. I had to do a lot of reading there to make sure I have that right so many Herod's and That was a dysfunctional family a lot of incest happening there a lot of ungodliness.
That's why John the Baptist called out Herod Antipas because he was claiming to be a Jew but not obeying God's Word. So that is Matthew chapter 2, okay. You know what? Let's see. How do we want to do this?
Let's do. Let's do. John the Baptist the forerunner next week. So we'll do chapter 3 next week. That's chapter 2. We'll call that good for now. Okay Guys as always I love doing this kind of stuff. I hope it's beneficial to you.
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