Matthew Chapter 2 - Helpful Notes

Critics of the Bible sometimes liken it to a fairy tale, with fictional characters; a “once-upon-a-time” story.

From the beginning of Matthew Chapter 2 it should be clear that nothing could be further from the truth. There are enough names, geographical locations and events, to soundly repudiate what John Clifford called “sceptic blows.” God’s interaction with the world, His interruption of the affairs of men, particularly in terms of His Incarnation, take place at a certain time; at a certain place. This is one of the great strengths of the Bible; that you can go to these places that are spoken of; you can walk on the same patch of earth, you can see the Mount of Olives, Jerusalem, you can take a boat across the lake of Galilee, just as Jesus did.

If you go to the town of Caesarea, you will see an Amphitheatre there from the time of Herod. It was excavated in the late 1950s to the early 60s and it contains a Latin inscription: “Pontius Pilate, Prefect of Judea.” These names and places are historical and real. You can even continue your research beyond the Bible, into historians like Flavius Josephus. You will find corroboration of events like the Resurrection and the destruction of Jerusalem; but why would you not look at what is the primary source for the life of Jesus Christ, that source that accurately and faithfully puts these names and places into their correct context; why would you not go to the oldest and most closely connected text, the New Testament.

The Birth of Jesus

Christ’s birth, (here in chapter 2) is described as being in “Bethlehem Judea.” This is to distinguish it from Bethlehem in Galilee. Bethlehem Judea is situated about six miles south of Jerusalem and is also called the city of David, since it was the place of his birth. Go to 1 Samuel 16:1 (Read) this is particularly important for us, since we read in Chapter 1:1 Jesus is called “the son of David.” Remember that Christ being a descendant of David is a sign of His kingship; something that Matthew frequently emphasises, not least in this second Chapter.

But it is a different kind of kingship:

• His crown is to be a crown of thorns.
• His throne is to be a cross.
• He came to serve, rather than be served.
• What was intended as mockery, proclaimed the truth: Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews. 

In Matthew Chapter 2, we learn of another, very different king, Herod the Great.

Magi

At the time of Herod, “there came wise men from the East to Jerusalem.” It is generally held that “the East,” means Arabia, and is more or less confirmed in Genesis 25:6 and Judges 6:3. Sometimes the wise men are referred to as “the Magi,” the plural of Magus; this where we get our English word “magic” from. The etymology of the word is from the Old Persian; the Magi were kind of pagan Priest-Scholars. But hang on, doesn’t the Bible condemn Magic, and aren’t the wise men supposed to be, for want of a better phrase, the good guys! As John Wesley points out, this name “was anciently given to ALL philosophers, or men of learning; those particularly who were curious in examining the works of nature, and observing the motions of the heavenly bodies.” (John Wesley’s Explanatory Notes on the New Testament.) They were the scientists of their day! But how could the study of such things draw them to the God of the Bible?  Romans 1:20 and Psalm 8:3 give us the answer. In fact serious scientific enquiry, should lead one to a belief in God. In fact Christian apologists like Dr William Lane Craig use their knowledge of science and philosophy to give evidence for the existence of God.

• The Kalam Cosmological argument.
• The Teleological,“fine tuning” argument.
• And the Ontological Argument.

All of these utilise logical and scientific argumentation for the furtherance of the Gospel. Interesting that particularly, the Kalam is of Eastern origin.

 Matthew Henry said, “Good scholars should be good Christians, and then they complete their learning when they learn Christ.” (Matthew Henry’s Commentary) Those scholarly men searched the natural world and studied the stars to find the truth, and it is therefore, perhaps fitting, that it was a star that led them to He who was “the way, the truth and the life.” The star also perhaps indicated that the kingdom of this ruler, was to be a heavenly one.

King of the Jews

The wise men give Jesus the title, “King of the Jews.” So we have the contrast; there are, in a manner of speaking, two kings of the Jews. King Herod, violent, self-serving, desperate to preserve his own status and life and the Lord Jesus, gentle, self-sacrificing, the suffering servant, a king who “made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant…” as Paul puts it in Philippians 2:7.

Herod had been made king of Judea by the Roman senate in about 40 BC at quite a young age and had increased the glory of Jerusalem by building the second temple “Herod’s Temple,” or “The Herodian Temple.” King Jesus on the other hand talks about the significance of a different temple; he calls it “this temple” meaning His own body. The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. As the Theologian Louis Berkhof puts it:

“In the Incarnation the Son of God became flesh by assuming human nature…This wonderful birth was due to the supernatural influence of the Holy Spirit.” (A Summary of Christian Doctrine – Louis Berkhof)

God had had found a temple that was free from the pollution of sin. God had entered into His own creation, in a most remarkable way.

We have the fulfilment of prophecy in verse 6, remember, Matthew is very much on the theme of OT prophecy fulfilled.

In verses 7 and 8 we see the deceptiveness of Herod, the malice and determination. All this is hidden under a mask of religion “that I may come and worship him also.” Those who have an appearance of religion, sadly even the Christian religion, are often the most vehement and vociferous opponents of Christ and His Gospel. In Acts 4:25-27 (Read) a quote from Psalm 2. Even as Jesus was still an infant “thy holy child Jesus,” the devil sought to destroy Him through evil men.

The Coming of the Magi

In verse 11 the wise men finally meet the king they have been seeking. One can only imagine their thoughts as they enter into an environment very different from Herod’s palace, not quite what they expected as they came to pay tribute to this young monarch. No sweeping long corridors, no marble pillars, no guards, or fanfares to greet them! Yet, nevertheless they bow to Him who is worthy and offer their gifts.

So we have three gifts. “Footnote,” we do not necessarily have three givers! We don’t know for sure how many wise men there were.

The gifts are:

 

• Gold.
• Frankincense.
• Myrrh.

Gold is associated with kingship and Divinity in the Bible. The Ark of the Covenant was overlaid with gold (Exodus 25:10-17).

 Frankincense, also called Olibanum, is an aromatic resin or gum. It comes from a tree by making incisions in the bark and allowing the gum to flow out. When the gum is burned, it lets off a fragrance, a sweet smell and was therefore was used in worship, where it was burned as a pleasant offering to God (Exodus 30:34).  As indeed the life of Jesus was to be to the Father.

 Myrrh was obtained from a tree in the same manner as frankincense. It was a spice and was used in embalming. Perhaps this is pointing ahead to the death and burial of the Lord Jesus and as a symbol that there was to be no substitute in death; despite what the Qur’an teaches; no last minute reprieve, as in the case of Isaac and the ram caught in the thicket; but that Jesus Himself would be “the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world.”

These were the most expensive and valuable treasures that the East had to offer, worthy of a king and yet how extraordinary that the recipients were just a simple carpenter and his wife. We know that Mary and Joseph were not wealthy individuals; how do we know? Because in Luke 2:24 we read that they offered in thanks for the birth of Jesus “according to that which is said in the law of the Lord, A pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.” Why is that significant? Because in Leviticus 12:8 we read that if the mother “be not able to bring a lamb,” that is if she cannot afford to bring a lamb as an offering to God, “then she shall bring…two young pigeons.”

When such a poor family receive some of the most valuable gifts in Arabia, deposited on their doorstep, did you ever wonder, what did they do with them?

Read verse 13… How were such a poor family supposed to finance a prolonged stay in Egypt? Those gifts were not just prophetic, they were providential.

Read verse 15… This is a quote from the Old Testament, specifically from Hosea 11:1. Let’s read it. (Read) We see how God’s dealings with His people Israel, can also be prophetic and can have New Testament fulfilments, particularly Messianic fulfilments.

 

In other words, a passage of Scripture, whether it is openly prophetic, or historical, or poetic can be said to be fulfilled, when it is accommodated with what we might call the greatest propriety. That is the most fitting and perfect fulfilment. Israel, figuratively God’s son in Hosea 11:1, is literally God’s Son, in Matthew 2:15.

Again we see another prophetic fulfilment in verse 18, “In Rama…Rachel weeping for her children.” The people in Rama were Benjamites, the descendants of Rachel and in fact she was buried near that place. It is as if she has risen out of her grave and is weeping for her descendants, her children.

This is the product of the rage of Herod and his desire for vengeance. His murder of the infants, “from two years old and under…” echoes the murderous persecution of Pharaoh, and just as Moses was hidden and kept safe, small and vulnerable though he was, so are this poor family and especially, the infant Jesus, preserved and saved from destruction.

A Remnant

God has always preserved and protected His people in times of persecution; now this doesn’t mean there are no martyrs, but what it means is that a remnant is always kept. “I have reserved to myself seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to the image of Baal.” Romans 11:4. During times of great persecution, God has always kept a faithful remnant: The Waldensians in France, the Hussites in Bohemia, the Lollards in England. In fact God stopped the expansion of Islam at the borders of North-Western Europe; I believe the remnant of the church became squeezed into that geographical space; that’s why we have the first attempts at Bible translation into the common tongue, the concentration of theological study and things like the Reformation taking place where they did. The church had fled persecution to “where she hath a place prepared of God. “ That is mainly why we find Christianity, a Middle-Eastern religion, flourishing in Europe; appearing almost indigenous.

So we read that when Joseph heard that Herod the Great was dead, they planned to return to Bethlehem. But the Bible tells us that Herod’s son, Archelaus was now the ruler. He is also known as Herod Archelaus, the son of Herod the Great and Malthace the Samaritan. He was the brother of Herod Antipas, and the half-brother of Herod Philip I.  I guess judging that it would be a case of “like-Father-like-son,” he decided not to return there, but to settle in Galilee, in the north; specifically, Nazareth.

And so, no doubt unknowingly, it was fulfilled “which was spoken by the prophets, He shall be called a Nazarene.”

Prophetic Fulfilment

So we have the fulfilment of three, seemingly contradictory, prophesies concerning the coming of the Messiah:

• That He was to be born in Bethlehem.
• That He was to be come out of Egypt.
• That He would be called a Nazarene.

Yet in this, as with all things concerning the coming of our Saviour, we see the astounding wisdom, providence and faithfulness of God and His word.

Copyright © Paul Jennings.