Slices
Prepare
‘O come let us adore him, Christ the Lord’ (John Francis Wade, 1841). Reflect on these lyrics.
Bible passage
The Magi visit the Messiah
2 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi 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 when it rose 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 Messiah 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 shepherd my people Israel.”’
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 search carefully 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 when it rose 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 worshipped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. 12 And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.
Explore
Notice once again the arrangement of Jesus’ family tree into three groups of 14 names (1:1–17). It’s designed by Matthew to focus on Abraham, then David and the Jews’ exile in Babylonia. Finally, Jesus is the climax of the story. As well as being the One to bless all nations and rescue them from the worst that can happen to them – separation from God – Jesus also fulfils God’s promise to David: ‘Your house and your kingdom shall endure for ever before me; your throne shall be established for ever’ (2 Samuel 7:16).
Now, however much or little the astrologers know about who Jesus is, they, unlike King Herod, certainly realise he’s a king (vs 1,2) and bring gifts, at least one of which is chosen for a king (the gold). Isaiah’s prophecy of nations coming to the Lord’s light (Isaiah 60:3) starts to be fulfilled right here.
In Revelation 11:15, we see how all the kingdoms of the earth and the kingdom of heaven belong to Jesus. Reflect on Revelation 5:6–10. The environment of heaven is worship of Jesus the Lamb, who is also the King.
Respond
How amazing it was that one of the hymns Queen Elizabeth II chose for her funeral (‘Love Divine’) included the line ‘Till we cast our crowns before thee, lost in wonder, love and praise’ (Charles Wesley, 1747).
Deeper Bible study
As with gladness men of old / did the guiding star behold … so, most gracious Lord, may we / ever more be led to thee.’1
A visit to the feared king of the Jews, Herod, to ask him to tell you the whereabouts of a rival king of the Jews was unlikely to be a great success. Herod had a fierce temper and was known for his violent suppression of any challenger, so when people outside the palace heard about this request, they trembled at the thought of it. The arrival of a huge caravan of attendants from the East probably stirred up the whole area. Matthew is keen to point out that the coming of the Messiah impacted people far beyond the confines of Israel. As foretold in the Old Testament, the rule of God’s Anointed One would bring justice and peace to the whole world.2 He is warning the Jewish community that there is a new King of the Jews on the block – and not one from Herod’s dynasty.
It is said that wise men still seek Jesus, but who were the original group (‘three’ wise men is not in fact in the text)? Perhaps a remnant of the Jewish community in Babylon who still had access to Old Testament writings and maybe the prophecies of Daniel? Or astrologers from Mesopotamia who had seen a cosmic event such as the conjunction of Jupiter, Saturn and Mars in 6 bc3 and interpreted it as an omen of the coming of a king? It is more likely that they were prominent men from the East to whom God had spoken, prompting their long journey and search. It is still the work of God’s Holy Spirit today to draw people to search after God and to find him in the person of Jesus. After these Magi had found him and made their sacrificial and generous gifts, bowing before him in worship and submission, they returned home by another route. People always do when they encounter Jesus.
Take a moment to give thanks for the greatest Christmas gift ever, God’s wonderful Son, and join the wise men in worshipping him today.
1 William Chatterton Dix 1837–98 2 Ps 72:8,19; Isa 11:9 3 Life Application Bible Commentary: Matthew, ed Philip Comfort, Tyndale House, 1996, p23
Bible in a year
Read the Bible in a year: Zechariah 7,8; Revelation 19
Pray for Scripture Union
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