St Louis UBF UBF Bible Study : Matthew 2:1-12

Bible Study Materials

Matthew 2:1-12

by Paul Choi 12/20/2011

Question

WORSHIP THE KING

Matthew 2:1-12

Key Verse: 2:2

1. Read verses 1-2. Who were the Magi? Why did they come? How is the time of their coming indicated? What is significant about "his star?" ( Mt 4:16;Nu 24:17)

2. What does it mean that they came to worship? (Mt 22:37; Isa 9:6,7) In what sense are they model truth seekers? (Dt 4:29; Jn 18:36,37; Jn 8:31-32)

3. Read verses 3-4. What effect did their inquiries have on King Herod and the people of Jerusalem? Why? What did King Herod do? How did Herod use the Bible? (5,6; Micah 5:2,4)

4. Read verses 7-8. How did he try to use the Magi? How did God protect the baby Jesus? (12, 13-15) What was Herod's attitude toward truth?

5. Read verses 5-6. What does this prophecy teach us about God? about Jesus? What does it mean that he is a shepherd king? That he should be born in Bethlehem? How is King Jesus different from King Herod? (16)

6. Read verses 9-10. How did the Magi find Jesus? Why were they so joyful to see the star and find Jesus? How is Jesus himself like a star? (Rev 22:16b)

7. Read verses 11-12. What did the Magi do when they found Jesus? Why must people seek and find the one worthy of worship? What can we learn from them?

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Message

WORSHIP THE KING

Matthew 2:1-12

Key Verse: 2:2 “…and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.”

Merry Christmas! Today’s message is the Magi’s visit to Jesus. Who were the Magi? The Magi were three wise men who followed a star and came to Bethlehem to worship the baby Jesus. Someone may ask, “Was it necessary for them to come to see Jesus?” Our answer is “Yes!” when we learn about who the newborn King Jesus really is.

First, the Magi, truth-seekers (1,2) Look at verse 1. “After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem” The Magi might have come from Babylonia or Persia. They were scholars and astrologers who studied stars and interpreted men’s birth by what the stars foretold. They wanted to find the meaning and purpose of life by studying the stars. One night they saw an extraordinary star which captured their soul. It was not an ordinary star, but an extraordinary star, full of wonder and beauty. While wondering about the star, they remembered Numbers 24:17 which says, “I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near. A star will come out of Jacob; a scepter will rise out of Israel. He will crush the foreheads of Moab, the skulls of all the sons of Sheth.” Around BC 600, Israel was exiled to Babylon. The Magi learned from Jewish prisoners that the Messiah would come as King of the Jews. The King of the Jews indicated the Messiah, Christ.

The Magi were scholars and kingly people. They were also famous and rich. However, before God they were no different from all others who suffer from sin and death and wander without knowing the meaning of life. But what made them different from many was that they were truth seekers. They were seeking God who could save them from sin and death, and truth which would set them free. In the same way we are not much different from others. What makes us different from others is that we seek God and live by the truth. While seeking God and truth, the Magi found the star. They had hope in the star. They decided to follow the star. Here we learn that God is found by those who earnestly seek him. Deuteronomy 4:29 says, “But if from there you seek the Lord your God, you will find him if you look for him with all your heart and with all your soul.” Jeremiah 29:13 says, “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you.” When the Magi were earnestly seeking God, God hung his star in the sky and showed them the way to see Him.

People seek someone or something which meets their needs and gives meaning to life. Some seek a good relationship. Others seek human achievements. Still others seek pleasure. However, the dilemma is that no one and nothing can meet their needs and fill their empty void. There was a woman who married five times. She thought her thirst might be quenched by human love, so she married five different men. Still she was thirsty. Levi followed money. Money was God to him. However, he couldn’t buy happiness with his money. Sin means missing a target. People sin when their life does not aim to God. They seek the source of happiness and the meaning of life in wrong places, not in God who is the source of life. The Bible says, “My people have committed two sins; They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water.” (Jer 2:13) People need to restore their broken relationship with God. They need someone who reconciles between God and sinners. They need a Savior who can save them from their sins and death. He is Christ the Lord. Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea as Christ. In Luke’s gospel, the angel appeared to the shepherds in the field and said, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.” (Luke 2:10,11)The Magi needed a Savior, Christ who saves them from their sins and death and gives them eternal life.

Imagine their journey to Jerusalem. It was not like an enjoyable road trip to Chicago driving on Hwy 55, when we don’t meet the highway patrol or run into a traffic jam. The Magi had to cross streams, pass through deserts and climb mountains. They might have met thieves and bandits who hunted treasures from the kingly travelers. In order to follow the star, they had to travel during the nights. They had to overcome coldness, homesickness and fear. They often lost the star because of bad weather. However, they did not give up on their journey. They overcame all the hardships and obstacles and continued their journey to see the newborn King. Their desire to see the King made their journey possible. They were indeed truth-seekers.

If our life journey aims to the kingdom of God, we are modern Magi. We are truth-seekers and holy pilgrims who travel to New Jerusalem, the kingdom of heaven. In our holy pilgrimage, we cross over rivers, deserts, and mountains. Sometimes, we confront danger, loneliness, and failures. However, our journey to New Jerusalem must continue. Our journey will never end until we see Christ face to face. Amen.

Finally the Magi arrived in Jerusalem. They came to King Herod, thinking that the King of the Jews would be born where a king lives. Look at verse 2. “and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.” People worship God, not men. The Magi came to worship the newborn King. The newborn King Jesus is worthy of being worshiped because he is God the incarnate. The Bible says, “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (Jn 1:14) Jesus is worthy of being worshiped because he is the image of the invisible God. He is the Lord of the whole universe. All things were made for him and by him. He is the meaning and purpose of each person’s life. Jesus is the true object of our worship, love, and devotion.

St. Augustine said that people’s hearts are restless until they find their rest in God. He meant that people wander here and there until they find the true object of worship. The woman who married five men was still thirsty, not because she didn’t find Mr. Right, but because she didn’t meet Christ, the true object of worship and love. The woman said, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ)” is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.” Then Jesus declared, “I who speak to you am he.” (Jn 4:25,26)

Second, the evil king Herod (3-5). What was King Herod’s response? Look at verse 3. “When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. (3) King Herod, who is known as ‘Herod the Great’, was an evil king. He was very clever and cruel; he built a temple, an aqueduct and several colossal buildings in Jerusalem to please his people. But he removed anyone who became a threat to his kingship. Out of jealousy and suspicion he killed his wife and his two own sons. To King Herod, the Magi’s visit was a great challenge. However, Herod did not know that Jesus was not a political king, but a spiritual King. Once Jesus was tried, Pilate asked Jesus, “Are you the king of the Jews?” Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world…But now my kingdom is from another place…” (Jn 18:36) Jesus meant that his kingdom is in heaven. Jesus is a spiritual King who rules his people with grace and truth.

People in Jerusalem became anxious, wondering if the evil king Herod was about to do everything to remove his rival. Out of his wicked scheme Herod had called all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law and asked them where the Christ was to be born. (4) “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written: “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.’” The birthplace of Jesus was prophesied in the book of Micah. According to Micah 5:2, the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem, the town of King David. It was prophesied that the Messiah would come as the descendant of King David. Jeremiah prophesied, “…when I will raise up to David a righteous Branch, a King who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land.” (Jer 23:5)

Third, the Shepherd King Jesus (6) God’s prophecies informed not only the birth place of Jesus, but also the nature of Jesus’ kingship. Jesus will be a shepherd of his people. He is the Shepherd King. A shepherd cares for sheep by feeding them, protecting them, and guiding them. Jesus is the good shepherd. He cared for his sheep. He fed five thousand with five loaves of bread and two fish. He taught the kingdom of God with many parables. He filled thirsty souls with living words of life. He healed lepers, opened the eyes of the blind, and raised the dead. He said, ‘I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” (Jn 10:11) As he promised, Jesus laid down his life for us on the cross.

Look at verses 7,8. “Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. 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.’” Herod’s delegation of the Magi to Bethlehem was evil. He disguised himself as a worshiper, but attempted to kill Jesus. King Herod was not a truth seeker. He was a terrible benefit seeker who used the holy people in order to fulfill his ambition. We should not be benefit seekers like King Herod, but truth seekers like the Magi. Right?

Look at verse 9. “After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was.” According to this verse, the Magi lost the star in Jerusalem. They found the star again on their way to Bethlehem. The star guided them until it stopped over the place where the child was. Look at verse 10. “When they saw the star, they were overjoyed.” Why were they overjoyed? The star assured their successful journey. Above all, their great expectation to see the Messiah, who was born as King of the Jews, made them extremely happy. Here we learn the source of true joy and happiness on this earth. Where can you get true joy and happiness? Plotinus, a Greek philosopher, said that creatures experience ‘ecstasy’, extreme joy, when they meet the Creator God. The Magi met the Creator God in Jesus, so they were extremely joyful.

Look at verse 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.” Draw a picture of their entry into the house. They felt their hearts stop beating and felt suffocated by the deity and serenity of the holy place. It was a silent night and holy night. All was calm and all was bright. In the house, they saw the tender child who was sleeping in heavenly peace in the bosom of his mother Mary. This child was not an ordinary child; he was the Son of God. As the prophet Isaiah said, “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” (Is 9:6)

When Magi worshiped Jesus, it was the first Christmas worship service on this earth. It was the first Noel to the world. When the Magi worshiped Jesus, it was the moment when creatures encountered the Creator God. I don’t forget the moment all my sins were forgiven and Christ Jesus became my Lord and Savior. An unutterable joy overwhelmed my soul the hour I met Christ Jesus personally. I believe that the Magi found meaning of life in Jesus. They found reasons to live on this earth. To them, Jesus was the meaning and purpose of their lives. Mencius, a Chinese philosopher, said, “If I know the truth today, I will be happy to die tomorrow.” Now, the Magi were happy to die tomorrow since they found truth in Jesus. Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (Jn 14:6)

After worshiping Jesus, the Magi opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh. Gold, frankincense, and myrrh had prophetic meanings, more than just material value. Gold is the gift for a king. Frankincense is for priests and myrrh is for burial. Jesus is the King, High Priest and Christ. Was myrrh an appropriate gift for the new born child? “Yes, Jesus!” It is amazing that Christ was born to die. All are born to live, but the Son of God was born to die, die for our sins. This is a mystery. This is the gospel. Hymn 198 says, “I wonder as I wander, out under the sky, How Jesus the Savior did come for to die. For poor, ordinary people like you and I; I wonder as I wander, out under the sky…”

Their gifts were connotations of the future of the child and preparation for his messianic work as Christ. For our Christmas Worship Service 2011, we all have come to worship the King Jesus and bring our gifts to Him. Some bring their sincere testimonies. Others bring their music and still others bring gold. I believe that all our gifts will be pleasing aromas and acceptable offerings to our King and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

Today this Magi’s story brings all of us before Christ the newborn King. Let us kneel down before him, confess all our sins and receive him as our Savior and King. There is no sin which cannot be forgiven in Jesus. Jesus was born to die for our sins. He died and rose again from the dead for our second birth. There is forgiveness of sin and eternal life in Christ Jesus. Look at verse 12. “And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.” The angel appeared in their dream and warned them not to go back to Herod. In this way, God frustrated Herod’s evil scheme.

In today’s passage we learned that men are continually seeking until they meet God the Creator. What is the chief end of life? It is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. True happiness and meaning of life comes when we worship God and love Jesus. What do the words “worship God” mean? ‘Worship God’ means ‘love God’. Deuteronomy 6:4,5 says, “…The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.” Our life is the pilgrimage to our promised land, the kingdom of God. Our journey will continue until we meet our Lord Jesus Christ face to face. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the bright morning star, and worship him and follow him until we reach the heavenly kingdom safe and sound. Amen. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

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