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    Matthew 2:1-12  Lesson 2

    Read both the "King James Bible" and the "New Living Translation."

    In this lesson:
     
    The wise men.​  ​

    Mary and Jesus.

    By Raffaello Sanzio (1483-1520).
    Study Tip:
     
    As you study the Bible, use the five W's technique employed by investigative journalists. 
    Ask yourself who, what, when, where and why as you read each passage.
    Where was -
        
    Jerusalem -
    Hebrew for "foundation of Shalem" (peace).  Jerusalem is also called Mount Zion, David's city, or the Holy City.  The city of Jerusalem is located fourteen miles west of the Dead Sea and thirty-three miles east of the Mediterranean and sits in the Judaean Mountains approximately 2,500 feet above sea level.  Surrounded by valleys on three sides, Jerusalem dominated the area and in Jesus' time was the epicenter of Jewish life, government, and religion.  The ancestral home of Israel's King David, ancient Egyptian texts mention the city going back to the 19th century BC.  It is first mentioned in the Bible under the name Salem (Genesis 14:18) and is first called Jerusalem in Joshua 10:1.  The original city covered only about eight acres but was constantly being rebuilt and expanded.  Many early Christians had to flee Jerusalem or face persecution.  Through the centuries Jerusalem has been occupied by Assyria, Egypt, Babylon (2 Kings 25), Persia, Greece, and Rome (who destroyed the city and killed its citizens in AD 70).  Rome then rebuilt the city, renamed it Colonia Aelia Capitolina, banned Jews, and constructed a temple to the pagan god Jupiter.  In AD 614, the Persians captured the city and again Jerusalem's citizens were murdered.  The European Crusaders occupied Jerusalem in 1099 and later the Turks.  Today, Jerusalem is the capital of Israel and holds religious significance for Jews, Christians, and Muslims. 

    The Gospel According to St. Matthew

    The King James Bible    ​

    Matthew 2:1-12
    Visitors from the east
    ​
    1Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem

    2Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.

    3When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.

    4And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born.

    5And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judea: for thus it is written by the prophet,

    6And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel.

    7Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, enquired of them diligently what time the star appeared.
     
    8And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search diligently for the young child; and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also.
     
    9When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was.
     
    10When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.
     
    11And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense and myrrh.
     
    12And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way.                         ​
    ​Margin notes: 
     
    "Jesus was born in Bethlehem." (2:1) - Another prophecy fulfilled.  Jesus was born in Bethlehem as prophesied in Micah 5:2 seven hundred years earlier.  Bethlehem (meaning "bread of life") was originally called Ephrath (Genesis 35:19; 48:7) and was a small town in Judea five miles south of Jerusalem.  Also called "the city of David" (Luke 2:4), it stood on the highway from Hebron to Egypt.  Since Jesus was raised in Nazareth, many didn't know He was born in Bethlehem and didn't connect Him with the prophecy.  Additional note: Jesus was born as a man in Bethlehem, but He always existed as God (John 17:5).
     
    "In the days of Herod the king." (2:1) -  If you were told that a certain thing happened during President Carter's administration, you could better place it.  Telling us that Jesus was born during the reign of King Herod puts a time stamp on events. 
     
    "He was troubled." (2:3) - King Herod was not the rightful heir to the throne and was afraid of being overthrown by the new "King of the Jews,"  See "Today's Questions" below for more information on Herod.
     
    "Scribes." (2:4) - Often called "doctors of the law" (Luke 5:17), teachers, or "lawyer"  (Matthew 22:35; Luke 7:30; 10:25), scribes were experts on the Mosaic Law and the Old Testament prophecies.  They interpreted the Law, helped settle religious arguments, and taught Judaism.  They were highly regarded in Jewish society, to the point where "The burden of a teacher is to be born in preference to that of a father, a teacher must be ransomed from captivity before one's own father."  (From "Unger's Bible Dictionary" by Merrill F. Unger, published by Moody Press, Chicago, Illinois; page 981).  Because scribes hindered people in their religious journey, burdened them with unnecessary religious legalisms and tried to entrap Jesus (Luke 11:52-54), He condemned them as hypocrites (Luke 11:44). 
     
    "They said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea." (2:5) - The priests and scribes knew that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem because it had been prophesied 700 years earlier in Micah 5:2.  Imagine, centuries before His birth, God told Micah precisely where Jesus would be born.  See also John 7:42.
     
    "That I may come and worship him." (2:8) - A ruse, in reality, Herod wanted to kill young Jesus (Matthew 2:13-18).
     
    "Into the house." (2:11) - By the time the wise men arrived in Bethlehem, Mary and Joseph had moved out of the manger.
     
    "Gold, and frankincense and myrrh." (2:11) - Three lavish gifts.  Gold because Jesus is King.  Frankincense because Jesus is a healer.  Frankincense was used for medicinal purposes.  Myrrh because it represented suffering, which Jesus would do on the cross (Mark 23:15). ​

                                                  New Living Translation 
     

    Matthew 2:1-12              
    Visitors from the East
     
    1Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod. About that time some wise men from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem, asking,

    2 "Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star as it rose, and we have come to worship him."
     
    3 King Herod was deeply disturbed when he heard this, as was everyone in Jerusalem.

    4 He called a meeting of the leading priests and teachers of religious law and asked, "Where is the Messiah supposed to be born?"
     
    5 "In Bethlehem in Judea," they said, "for this is what the prophet wrote:
     
    6 'And you, O Bethlehem in the land of Judah,
          are not least among the ruling cities of Judah,
       for a ruler will come from you
          who will be the shepherd for my people Israel.'"
     
    7 Then Herod called for a private meeting with the wise men, and he learned from them the time when the star first appeared.

    8 Then he told them, "Go to Bethlehem and search carefully for the child. And when you find him, come back and tell me so that I can go and worship him, too!"
     
    9 After this interview the wise men went their way. And the star they had seen in the east guided them to Bethlehem. It went ahead of them and stopped over the place where the child was.

    10 When they saw the star, they were filled with joy!

    ​11 They entered the house and saw the child with his mother, Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasure chests and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
     
    12 When it was time to leave, they returned to their own country by another route, for God had warned them in a dream not to return to Herod. 

    This second Bible text from the "New Living Translation" (Tyndale House, Publishers, Wheaton, Illinois) is a paraphrase and not an accurate word for word translation of the Bible.  However, it is a helpful tool when read with the "King James Version."
    Today's Questions:

    1. Who was King Herod? (2:1) 
     
    2. Who were the wise men? (2:1)                                                          

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    Answers: (Do you agree?) ​
    ​
    1.  King Herod the Great reigned over Judea for almost thirty-five years as a bloodthirsty tyrant.  He murdered among others, his wife Mariamne, his mother-in-law Alexandra, his two brothers-in-law Costobarus and Alexander, dozens of innocent children in Bethlehem (Matthew 2:16-18) and three of his sons (two by strangulation).  The Roman emperor Augustus Caesar said, "It is better to be Herod's hog than to be his son!"  He was placed on the throne by the Roman Emperor Mark Antony, and he built numerous cities and rebuilt the great Temple in Jerusalem destroyed by the Babylonians.  Many of the ancient ruins tourists visit in Israel today date back to Herod's era.  Part Jew and part Gentile (Edomite), Herod lived in constant fear of being overthrown.  He referred to himself as "the King of the Jews," but most Jews called him "a half Jew" and hated him.  As he lay on his deathbed, Herod gave orders for all the prominent Jewish men to be rounded up and immediately killed after he died so there would be mourning when he passed.  His instructions were ignored. 
     
    2.  We can't be sure who the wise men were.  They may have been descendants of Jews who were taken as captives centuries earlier to Babylon (2 Kings 24:14-16; Jeremiah 27:20; Daniel 1:1-2).  Many captives stayed in Babylon rather than return to Israel after they were released (Ezra 2:1).  Such men would have known the Old Testament prophecies about the coming Messiah.  However, many Bible scholars believe the wise men were Persian elders schooled in philosophy, medicine, and science.  Still, others think that the wise men were from a priestly tribe of Medes (inhabitants of an ancient Asiatic country south of the Caspian Sea called Media).  In biblical days Zoroastrian scholars (followers of the first monotheistic religion founded by Zarathushtra Spitaman in 1500 B.C.) from Persia were also familiar with the Hebrew Scriptures and would have known about the prophesized birth of Christ and what the star represented.  Perhaps they were a combination of all the above.  At any rate, the wise men traveled hundreds of miles over rough and dangerous terrain to greet the Messiah. 
     
    Additional note: Why are they referred to as "the three wise men" when the Bible never says how many there were?  Many people assume there were three because they brought three gifts (gold, frankincense, and myrrh).






    Application thought for the day:
     
    Compelled by faith, the wise men traveled hundreds of miles to honor a child they had never met.
    How do you honor Christ?  
    Do you offer Him gifts, or do you ask for gifts?
    Thanks to the writings and commentary of John Wesley and Adam Clarke. Also, "The Layman's Bible Study Notebook" by Irving Jensen published by Harvest House Publishing, Irvine, California; the "Life Change Series" published by NavPress Books, Colorado Springs, Colorado; the "Life Application Study Bible" published by Tyndale House Publishing, Carol Stream, Illinois; "The Quest Study Bible" published by The Zondervan Corporation, Grand Rapids, Michigan; "Robertson's New Testament Word Studies"; "The MacArthur Bible Commentary" by John MacArthur published by Thomas Nelson, Nashville, Tennessee; "Wisdom of the Bible" CD by Topics Entertainment, Inc., Renton, Washington for their inspiring pictures; "My utmost for His Highest" by Oswald Chambers published by Barbour publishing, Inc., Uhrichsville, Ohio; The "Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge" by Reuben Archer Torrey; "Hope For Each Day" by Billy Graham published by J. Countryman, a division of Thomas Nelson, Inc., Nashville, Tennessee; "Easton's Bible Dictionary" by Matthew George Easton; "Unger's Bible Dictionary" by Merrill F. Unger, published by Moody Press, Chicago, Illinois; "Halley's Bible Handbook" by Henry H. Halley, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan; "The Living New Testament" published by Tyndale house; "The New Living Translation" published by Tyndale House; BibleGateway.com for all their wonderful links; and of course the "King James Bible".  All were critical in putting these lessons together.
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