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December 27, 2009 |
| Messiah's Birth Causes Mixed Emotions | ||
Of course Mary and Joseph would have been excited about the birth of their first son. And their family and friends would have been happy for them. But other people and groups would have had different emotional reactions.
In the time of Jesus, science wasn't as specialized as it is today. For example, Astronomy and Astrology were equally legitimate and part of the same field of research. It would be 1500 years before the two would split. Astronomy, the study of astronomical objects, would remain legitimate, but Astrology, the use of astronomical objects to predict the future, would become illegitimate.
At the time of Jesus, there was very little understanding of the night sky. Every bright object in the sky was a "star". What we now call planets and comets were also considered to be stars. Recall references in the Bible to the bright and morning star, which was really a planet.
Understanding part of this lesson will require an understanding of one aspect of Astronomy known to all sky watchers. The Earth rotates. The result of this rotation is the appearance, to viewers on the earth, that all the stars spend the night circling around either a point above the north pole or a point above the south pole.
This rotation makes for interesting pictures, as seen here1, but it makes it impossible to use a star as a guide to a location on the Earth. If you were to use a star as a guide you would spend the night zigzagging instead of making a straight line to your destination. Likewise when you got to a point directly below a star, you would have to keep moving west at 1,000 miles per hour all night to stay below the star.
We also need to understand a little bit about the Magi. They were the scholars of their time. While they could have been kings, they were not necessarily kings but certainly would have been wealthy men to have had the spare time to pursue sky watching. The Magi studied the sky to determine major events such as the births of great men or the coming of great events. This was a well established practice in Persia and other countries to the east of Judea. "Many sources from this period report the skill of Magi in divination"2
From events in the night sky, the Magi would interpret events on Earth. But it would have been very unusual for them to travel. They would have known the problem with using stars as guides.
Matthew's story of the birth of Jesus continues in chapter 2.
1After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem 2and 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."
They have followed a "star" to Judea but the star is too high in the sky for them to pinpoint the exact location. So, they wander around Jerusalem asking the inhabitants where the king of the Jews (Judeans) was born. Perhaps they are expecting that the king would be born in the palace.
Some believe their question indicates that they knew of the prophecies of the Messiah, but this isn't necessarily so. The appearance of a new star would have been a sign that a king was born. With the sign hovering over Judea, they would have assumed it was the birth of a king of the Judeans.
The Magi's emotional state would have been one of great anticipation and wonder. Normally they would spend their nights sitting, while studying and interpreting the sky. This time an unusual star has led them out to witness the event.
3When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4When he had called together all the people's chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Christ was to be born.
Herod would have been aware the Jews had prophecies of the coming Messiah, whom they believed would be a great king and would return them to their former greatness. Herod the Great became King by force and Kings like that needed to be aware of the people's beliefs. Talk of a Messiah or someone claiming to be the Messiah could cause the people to rise up against him. He also would have had people who kept him informed of what was going on in the city and all of Judea.
The king's emotional state is one of concern for his safety and longevity. "In this period most Greeks, Romans and even Jews respected astrological predictions"3 He needed to take this seriously.
5"In Bethlehem in Judea," [the priests] 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.'"
The priests have correctly understood this prophecy. It's hard to imagine that they were unaware of the visitors from the east and what they were saying. The priests had to wonder why Herod would ask such a thing. Their emotional state should have been one of determination to learn the truth. But instead it was one of disinterest. Nowhere do we see any hint that they made the short 7 mile trip to Bethlehem to see if the promised Messiah had come.
7Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. 8He 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 is assembling the information needed to make a plan to deal with this problem. Because of the long time it would have taken for the Magi to prepare for and make the trip to Judea, he needs to know when the star appeared, to get a better idea of the age of the child.
We don't know if the Magi saw through Herod's treachery. Being studied and also wealthy and perhaps the sons of kings, or even kings, they should have understood what it would mean to have a contender for the throne. But it is possible "they have no reason to think that Herod is not as sincere as they are to find the newborn king"4 Perhaps their amazement has overshadowed their thinking.
9After 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. 10When they saw the star, they were overjoyed.
The star they had followed west toward Judea now turns south to lead the Magi to Bethlehem. It also descends enough to lead them directly to a particular house. The "star" is clearly not an astronomical body. It is traveling in Earth's atmosphere and thus does not circle a pole as stars do. This is why it has been possible for the Magi to follow the star from the east. They would have first noticed the "star" because it was not moving with the other stars during the night. Then they would have realized it was geostationary and that it marked a spot on the ground. Questions?
Their emotional state? Overjoyed. Not only have they completed their long journey but they have successfully reached the goal. Never before in their studies have they seen or heard of such an announcement of a birth. They are blessed among Magi.
There is not another mention of the star. It too has completed its mission. Perhaps it shines on through the night and disappears during the day as it would have before, but this time permanently. We don't know for sure.
11On 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.
12And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.
In a dream, an angel warns the Magi what will happen if they return to Herod. They choose to reject the request he had made of them – not a safe thing to do. An angel also tells Joseph to get up and flee to Egypt. Being the righteous man he is, he does so. This will be a hard journey for them and it will mean a difficult new start in a new country.
16When 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. 17Then 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."
Herod ruled by force and he was ruthless about it. "Other rulers also proved paranoid about astrologers (see MacMullen 1966:133; Kee 1980:71), and some had been ready to kill their own descendants to keep the throne (Herod. Hist. 1.107-10). But as many incidents during Herod's reign illustrate, he was more paranoid than most other rulers."5
"When Herod's young brother-in-law was becoming too popular, he had a "drowning accident" in what archaeology shows was a rather shallow pool; later, falsely accused officials were cudgeled to death on Herod's order (Jos. War 1.550-51). Wrongly suspecting two of his sons of plotting against him, he had them strangled (Jos. Ant. 16.394; War 1.550-51), and five days before his own death the dying Herod had a more treacherous, Absalom-like son executed (Ant. 17.187, 191; War 1.664-65). Thus many modern writers repeat the probably [false] story that Augustus [Caesar] remarked, "Better to be Herod's pig than his son" (Ramsay 1898:219-20)."6
19After Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt 20and 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."
15[…]. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: "Out of Egypt I called my son." Out of sequence
When Herod the Great dies about 6 years later the Romans divide control of Judea among four of his sons, Herod Archelaus, Herod Antipas (killer of John the Baptist), Herod Agrippa I (killer of James), and Herod Agrippa II.
"Archelaus is given the provinces of Judea, Samaria and Idumea. Archelaus is every bit as evil as Herod the Great, but not as skilled politically. He is eventually exiled to Gaul (modern France) […] by the Romans"7
21So [Joseph] got up, took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel. 22But 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, 23and he went and lived in a town called Nazareth. So was fulfilled what was said through the prophets: "He will be called a Nazarene." no known Biblical reference
Nazareth is in the Galilee area which was ruled by Herod Antipas. Far from Jerusalem and Jewish affairs but practicing orthodox Judaism, Nazareth was the perfect place for the Messiah to grow up.
We see here that Jesus was missed by the priests but worshiped by the Gentiles at his birth. This was to be the pattern for the boy king's ministry. Another theme here is God working out His plan despite the plans of those in power.
How many Magi were there?
It appears God's intent was to send the Magi to Jerusalem first, then to Bethlehem. Why?
1 http://www.danheller.com/images/FAQ/Tech/Stars/img7.html#img11
2 http://www.biblegateway.com/resources/commentaries/IVP-NT/Matt/First-Star-Trek
3 http://www.biblegateway.com/resources/commentaries/IVP-NT/Matt/First-Star-Trek
4 NIV Standard Lesson Commentary, Christ the Fulfillment, Unit 1, Lesson 4
5 http://www.biblegateway.com/resources/commentaries/IVP-NT/Matt/First-Star-Trek
6 http://www.biblegateway.com/resources/commentaries/IVP-NT/Matt/Persecuted-Child
7 NIV Standard Lesson Commentary, Christ the Fulfillment, Unit 1, Lesson 4