Motley Crew for July 29
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The
Questions
1. Do you find it ironic that the Gentile magi adored Jesus as the King of the Jews, but Herod, the king of the Jews tried to murder him?
2.
Why would the magi travel so far?
3.
How far did they travel?
4. How would the Gentiles know about the Jewish Messiah?
5.
How could a star lead them?
6.
Why would Herod be so troubled?
7. What were the gifts and what did they signify?
8. Who were the
first Christian martyrs?
9. How many baby
boys were in Bethlehem at this time?
10. How does
Hosea 11: 1 apply to the return from Egypt?
11. Do you think
Joseph is getting good at listening to angels?
12. In verse 23, another “fulfilled” is used. What is important about Jesus’ being from Nazareth?
Motley Crew ideas for July 29
Thanks Gene!
Some
Answers
Before we start:
Which King Herod is first talked about? Herod the Great (74 BC – 4 BC), a non-Jew.
[He was described as King of the Jews, Ruler of Galilee and Batanea. He was also the founder of the Herodian Dynasty that ruled parts of of the Holy Land for over 100 years.]
What is a magi? Probably, they were in fact wise men and astronomers/astrologers from Babylon in Persia. They were not kings.
How many magi were there? We do not know.
[There were three gifts, but the number of magi is not mentioned. That there was more than one magi can be inferred from Matt. 2:10, “When they saw the star, they were overjoyed.” No names were given, no places of origin were mentioned, and there were no physical descriptions (age, skin tone, beards or clean shaven, etc. All of these were Medieval speculations without any basis in Scripture or other fact.]
Where did the magi find the child Jesus? In a house in Bethlehem.
How old was Jesus at this time? We do not know. He was a child.
[Matthew 2:16: “...[Herod] gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi.”]
1. Do you find it ironic that the Gentile magi adored Jesus as the King of the Jews, but Herod, the king of the Jews tried to murder him?
Yes.
2. Why would the magi travel so far?
They were really interested in discovering the King of the Jews, the great Messianic hope of the Jews. Their astronomy/astrology told them this was happening and they wanted to be a part of it.
3. How far did they travel?
Estimated to be 550 miles.
4. How would the Gentiles know about the Jewish Messiah?
They had been introduced to the concept of a Messiah by the Jews during the Jewish exile by the Babylonians. Probably Daniel, who 600 years prior to this was made chief of the governors over all the wise men of Babylon.
Daniel 2:48. “Then the king placed Daniel in a high position and lavished many gifts on him. He made him ruler over the entire province of Babylon and placed him in charge of all its wise men.”
5. How could a star lead them?
The
star could not have been an ordinary star because it apparently
appeared and disappeared as needed and was low enough when the magi
arrived in Bethlehem to identify a specific house.
6. Why would Herod be so troubled?
Herod the Great was a murderer of his own family members and extremely ruthless. He intended to remain in power no matter what. He did not want any Jewish movement in favor of this royal Messiah to dethrone him.
This is the
first appearance of Herod the Great. He, two of his sons, a grandson
and a great-grandson would all figure in the history of the early
Christian church. A brief history is available on the Prayer and
Resources Page, “The
Effect of Herod the Great and His Descendants Upon the Early
Church.”
http://www.hymnsandcarolsofchristmas.com/SPLC/Herodian_Dynasty.html
7. What were the gifts and what did they signify?
Gold intended for the child as being the King. Frankincense for Him as being God. Myrrh for Him as destined to die.
Some translations give incense for “frankincense” for incense (NIV).
Matt. 2:11. “On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh.”
One other interpretation of the
gift of myrrh, which was used in making medicines, was that it
symbolized Christ as the healer and great physician.
8. Who were the first Christian martyrs?
The baby boys slaughtered in Bethlehem
Matthew 2:16. When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi.
The feast day of the Holy
Innocents is December 28. Numerous hymns and carols have been written
in their memory.
See:
http://www.hymnsandcarolsofchristmas.com/Hymns_and_Carols/Notes_On_Carols/hymns_of_the_holy_innocents.htm
9. How many baby boys were in Bethlehem at this time?
Estimated based on the population of Bethlehem to be as few as 6 to 8 to as many as 30.
“The number killed has
often been exaggerated as being in the thousands. In so small a
village as Bethlehem, however (even with the surrounding area
included), the number was probably not large – though the act,
of course, was no less brutal.” Zondervan's TNIV Study Bible
(2006), p. 1608.
10. How does Hosea 11:1 apply to the return from Egypt?
It identifies what happened as previously being spoken of by God Himself 800 years earlier.
Hosea 11:1 (NIV)
"When Israel was a child, I
loved him,
and out of Egypt
I called my son.
“Israel” here is interpreted to be Jesus.
Matt 2:19-20. “After
Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in
Egypt and said, 'Get up, take the child and his mother and go to the
land of Israel, for those who were trying to take the child's life
are dead.' "
11. Do you think Joseph is getting good at listening to angels?
Yes.
He should be, since there are three instances in the first two chapters of Matthew when an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream:
Matthew 1:20-21: “But after he had considered this [i.e., to divorce her quietly], an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, 'Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.' "
Matthew 2:13: “When they [the magi] had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. 'Get up,' he said, 'take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.' "
Matthew 2:19-20: “After Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said, 'Get up, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who were trying to take the child's life are dead.' ”
Also, the Magi, in Matthew
2:12: “And having been warned in a dream not to go back to
Herod, they returned to their country by another route.”
12. In verse 23, another “fulfilled” is used. What is important about Jesus’ being from Nazareth?
At the time, being called a Nazarene was a derogatory comment. This was a title of reproach used by the unbelieving Jews to vilify Jesus.
Matthew 2:23: … and he went and lived in a town called Nazareth. So was fulfilled what was said through the prophets: "He will be called a Nazarene."
These words are not found in the Old Testament, and are considered by most to be referring to several OT prophesies and/or predictions that the Messiah would be despised. In Jesus' time, “Nazarene” was a synonym for “despised.” Zondervan's TNIV Study Bible (2006), p. 1610.
A few believe that this refers to
Isaiah 11:1 where the Messiah is spoken of as “a shoot (netzer)
… from the stump of Jesse.” Scofield's Study
Bible-ESV, p. 1257.
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1 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi[a] from the east came to Jerusalem 2 and asked, "Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east[b] and have come to worship him."
3 When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and
all Jerusalem with him. 4 When he had called together all the
people's chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where
the Christ[c]
was to be born. 5 "In Bethlehem in Judea," they replied,
"for this is what the prophet has written:
6 " 'But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are
by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for
out of you will come a ruler
who
will be the shepherd of my people Israel.'[d]"
7 Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. 8 He sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and make a careful search for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him."
9 After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east[e] went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 11 On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh. 12 And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.
13 When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. "Get up," he said, "take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him." 14 So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, 15 where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: "Out of Egypt I called my son."[f]
16 When Herod realized that he had been outwitted
by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys
in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in
accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi. 17 Then what
was said through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled:
18 "A voice is heard in Ramah,
weeping
and great mourning,
Rachel weeping for her
children
and refusing to be
comforted,
because they are no more."[g]
19 After Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt 20 and said, "Get up, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who were trying to take the child's life are dead."
21 So he got up, took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel. 22 But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning in Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. Having been warned in a dream, he withdrew to the district of Galilee, 23 and he went and lived in a town called Nazareth. So was fulfilled what was said through the prophets: "He will be called a Nazarene."
Footnotes:
Matthew 2:1 Traditionally Wise Men
Matthew 2:2 Or star when it rose
Matthew 2:4 Or Messiah
Matthew 2:6 Micah 5:2
Matthew 2:9 Or seen when it rose
Matthew 2:15 Hosea 11:1
Matthew 2:18 Jer. 31:15
Micah 5:2:
"But you, Bethlehem
Ephrathah,
though you are
small among the clans of Judah,
out of you will come for me
one who will be ruler over Israel,
whose origins are from of old,
from ancient times. "
Hosea 11:1:
"When Israel was a child, I
loved him,
and out of Egypt
I called my son.
Jeremiah 31:15:
This is what the LORD says:
"A voice is heard in
Ramah,
mourning and great
weeping,
Rachel weeping for
her children
and refusing to
be comforted,
because her
children are no more."
+ + +
Both the Matthew and Luke accounts of the birth of Jesus can be seen in this web page:
The Biblical Accounts of The Birth of Christ, http://www.hymnsandcarolsofchristmas.com/Text/birth_of_christ.htm