Shocking! God Draws Pagans
Notes
Transcript
Purpose of Matthew. Throughout his gospel, Matthew desires to display to the Jewish people, how Christ is the fulfillment of the OT promises and the rightful heir to the Abrahamic and Davidic covenant. Matthew accomplishes this purpose by referencing more Old Testament prophecies than any other of the gospel writers.
| December 22, 2019
Purpose of Matthew. Throughout his gospel, Matthew desires to display to the Jewish people, how Christ is the fulfillment of the OT promises and the rightful heir to the Abrahamic and Davidic covenant. Matthew accomplishes this purpose by referencing more Old Testament prophecies than any other of the gospel writers.
Christ, as the messianic king, had to be born of a virgin (1:23) in Bethlehem (2:6), to go into Egypt (2:15), to reside in Nazareth (2:23), to be announced by John the Baptist, His forerunner (3:3), to minister basically in Galilee (4:15–16), to perform miracles of healing (8:17), to be humble (12:18–21), to speak in parables (13:35), to offer Himself to Israel as the lowly king (21:5), to be arrested (26:56), and to be crucified (27:35). Such frequent mention of the Old Testament is not coincidental nor incidental; it was specifically planned.[1]
A consistent them as well emerges throughout Matthew’s gospel. “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” The kingdom of heaven is present, primarily because the king is present. Through the use of genealogy in chapter 1, Matthew connects Jesus to his distant relatives, Abraham and David; and then in chapter two, Matthew introduces the king. Here is your King!
Behold! Listen up! Pay attention! Don’t miss this!
1:20 An angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph, the son of David
1:23 A virgin shall conceive a son (cf. ,)
2:1 Wise men will come from the east
2:9 A star will rest over the child
2:13 An angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph – go to Egypt
2:19 An angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph – leave Egypt
God draws pagans to himself.
God draws pagans to himself.
Considering all the Gospels, Matthew primarily writes to a Jewish audience. The other gospel authors, writing to Gentile audiences, choose to leave out the wisemen coming to worship Jesus. Interesting! It appears that Matthew desires to draw attention to these Magi and realizes that their presence will be unexpected to his Jewish audience.
A brief definition of Magi. (1) Likely the priestly caste of the Medes and Persians. (2) Daniel refers to the “magicians, enchanters, sorcerers, and the Chaldeans.” This is likely the group referred to as Magi. (3) They were people of learning. Elite intellectuals. Probably religious priests. (4) There is no indication they were kings and most likely there were more than three of them.
BEB. The Eastern church held that there were 12 travelers, although this may simply derive from the biblical penchant for that number (12 tribes of Israel, 12 disciples). The Western church settled on 3 wise men, based presumably on the 3 gifts brought in homage. The exact number is not known. A similar silence exists in Matthew regarding the names of the wise men. The names Gaspar, Melchior (Melkon), and Balthasar are legendary and do not derive from Matthew. Similarly, the later tradition that Gaspar was a king of India, Melchoir a king of Persia, and Balthasar a king of Arabia has no basis in fact.[2]
We three kings, really? (1) The idea of kings likely flows from passages such as and . The psalmist writes, in chapter 72, that “kings of Tarshish” will render him tribute and bring gifts. They will “fall down before him” (). Additionally, Isaiah writes of nations and kings coming “to the brightness of your rising” () and “a multitude of camels . . . shall come. They shall bring gold and frankincense” ().
The three gifts – gold, frankincense, and myrrh – likely have resulted in the idea of three people. We can’t know the number of people that came in this caravan. Three is highly unlikely. Additionally, these two passages indicate kings coming to the Messiah. Therefore, tradition develops the idea of three kings.
More likely a fulfillment of . While these magi were likely servants of kings, they were not kings. Yet, does begin shining a light on the two passages in Psalms and Isaiah coming to fruition. , however, is only a glimmer, not a complete fulfillment. Instead, consider John’s statements in .
And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb. By its light will the nations walk, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it, and its gates will never be shut by day—and there will be no night there. They will bring into it the glory and the honor of the nations. ().
Scripture indicating negative view of magi. The modern reader most often draws a fairly positive, if not highly respected, view of the magi. Translations render magi as wisemen, and rarely will one conclude a wisemen to be a bad thing. Yet, both the OT and NT view of magi is hardly positive. (1) We first encounter them in Deuteronomy, where Moses recounts God’s command to not follow the abominable practices of those who practice divination, interpret omens, sorcerers. God declares that “whoever does these things is an abomination to the Lord” (). Both Isaiah and Jeremiah reaffirm God’s judgment on those who practice magic and sorcery (; [3]). (2) Philo, a Hellenistic Jewish philosopher living in the first century, considered Balaam to be one of the magi. Neither scripture nor Philo present Balaam in a positive light.[4] In , Balaam displays a great deal of foolishness. (3) We next encounter the magi in Daniel. Except for Daniel and his three friends, all the magi were corrupt magicians and enchanters (, ).[5]
New Testament. Two times, outside of , magi are mentioned in the New Testament, both negatively. In Acts, both Peter and Paul condemn magicians. First, in , both Philip and Peter interact with Simon a magician. Simon appears to believe, but shortly afterward Peter condemns him for his desire for power. Secondly, in , Paul condemns another magician by the name of Elymas who attempted to oppose Paul’s gospel presentation.[6]
Significance of the gifts. William Barclay offers an interesting, although highly speculative, interpretation for the three gifts. “Gold for a king, frankincense for a priest, myrrh for one who was to die . . . even at the cradle of Christ, they foretold that he was to be the true king, the perfect high priest, and in the end the supreme Saviour of the world.”[7] While God may have intended such meaning to undergird these gifts, Matthew reveals no such meaning. The majority of commentators simply conclude that the grandeur of these gifts displays the magi’s intent to offer a gift, suitable for a king.[8]
So what? God drew pagans to himself. Why? Because Christ will be worshiped.
Following Jesus triumphal entry into Jerusalem, the Pharisees caution Jesus to rebuke the crowd for their over dramatic praise. He responds, “I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out” ().
In similar fashion, the Jews, who live only miles away from the birthplace of Jesus, refuse to come and worship their Messiah. As a result, God draws pagan sorcerers to worship Christ. Why? Because Christ will be worshiped.
Those who should have been the first to worship failed to do so. Throughout the OT the Jews were supposed to bring the pagans to God. They failed and God drew them himself.
The dumb animals come and worship. The lowly unrespectable shepherds come and worship. The pagan sorcerers and conjurers come and worship. But, not the religious Jews.
Christ will be worshiped. If you don’t do it, God will draw others to do so. Even the rocks will cry out.
God draws us from where we are to himself.
God draws us from where we are to himself.
Behold! The star came to rest over the place where the child was. Once again, Matthew desires to grab our attention in order that we not miss an important element of this birth narrative. A star reappeared, allowing the Magi to once again follow it to the very house in which Jesus lived.
What do we know of this star? (1) The star appears to have failed to grab everyone else’s attention. Maybe no one else cared about such a star, or maybe the star only revealed itself to the magi. This reality might lead one to conclude that the star was something other than a heavenly light and instead a divine light similar to Moses burning bush or the pillar of fire by night. (2) The star appeared to the Magi, went away for a time, and then reappeared. We can’t know the chronology or how long the star first appeared; but clearly Matthew acknowledges that the magi rejoiced when they saw the star for the second time (2:9,10). (3) The star rested over the house in which Jesus lived. While some have offered plausible explanations, it appears unlikely that a heavenly light (supernova, comet, or a triple conjunction of planets) could have rested over one house. (4) Matthew uses the Greek word for “star.” If this phenomenon were similar to the pillar of fire () Matthew would have likely used a similar word. The fact that he uses the word for “star” seems to indicate it wasn’t equivalent to the pillar of fire.
What was the star? (1) Maybe an actual star or a supernova. (2) Maybe the convergence of two or three planets. Both Origen and Johannes Kepler thought the star was the convergence of Jupiter and Saturn. (3) Maybe a comet. (4) Maybe an angel. Angels are spread throughout the entire birth narrative. (5) Maybe a Theophany like the pillar of fire leading the Israelites in the wilderness. I lean towards this opinion, although I don’t think it was the same as the pillar of fire. But, God’s appearances throughout the OT varied as well, which would logically follow that his appearance in this moment would as well be different. Although all of them are marked by a bright light.
The fact that it moved seems to limit the possibilities. The convergence of two planets wouldn’t likely move. An actual star wouldn’t either. Some of these require shifting chronological dates such as Herod’s death or Jesus’ birth, in order to align with potential dates of astronomical events.
So what? Does the makeup of the star matter? Not really. What matters is what the star accomplishes. The star leads a group of pagan sorcerers to Jesus. Interestingly, God uses the very thing he condemns in these men to draw them to himself. “He goes as far as to exploit the very channel of their deepest idolatry to draw them to Jesus.”[9] Mathis goes on to write the following:
The magi are messy. This crazy star is confounding. It’s messy that the magi are pagan astrologers, such blatant sinners, and it’s messy that God is stooping so far, exploiting their sinful practices as it were, to bring them to Jesus.
But maybe it shouldn’t surprise us too much. This is, after all, about the greatest divine stooping in all of history, when God himself, in the person of his Son, stooped a humanly incalculable distance by not grasping his divine prerogative, but becoming fully human, humbling himself to take our flesh and blood, our finite mind and feeble affections, and take our humanity all the way to death, even death on a cross, for us.
Conclusion
Conclusion
Christ will be worshiped. God will overcome any obstacle to provide worshipers for Christ.
God presents you with an opportunity. God will provide worshipers for Christ. Will you be one? You don’t have to worship Christ? But be certain of this, if you don’t worship him, most certainly someone or something else will worship him.
[1] Robert G. Gromacki, New Testament Survey (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 1974), 71–72.
[2] Walter A. Elwell and Barry J. Beitzel, “Wise Men,” Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1988), 2154.
[3] But evil shall come upon you, which you will not know how to charm away; disaster shall fall upon you, for which you will not be able to atone; and ruin shall come upon you suddenly, of which you know nothing. Stand fast in your enchantments and your many sorceries, with which you have labored from your youth; perhaps you may be able to succeed; perhaps you may inspire terror. You are wearied with your many counsels; let them stand forth and save you, those who divide the heavens, who gaze at the stars, who at the new moons make known what shall come upon you. Behold, they are like stubble; the fire consumes them; they cannot deliver themselves from the power of the flame. No coal for warming oneself is this, no fire to sit before! Such to you are those with whom you have labored, who have done business with you from your youth; they wander about, each in his own direction; there is no one to save you. ().
Hear the word that the Lord speaks to you, O house of Israel. Thus says the Lord: “Learn not the way of the nations, nor be dismayed at the signs of the heavens because the nations are dismayed at them, ().
[4] Philo, Philo, trans. F. H. Colson, G. H. Whitaker, and J. W. Earp, vol. 6, The Loeb Classical Library (London; England; Cambridge, MA: William Heinemann Ltd; Harvard University Press, 1929–1962), 419. “The next day at dawn Balak took the prophet to a hill, where it chanced that in honour of some deity a pillar had been set up which the natives worshipped. From thence a part of the Hebrew encampment was visible, which he shewed as a watchman from his tower to the wizard.”
Philo, vol. 2, 4. “This last leads to the reflection that Balaam, the foolish one, was rightly made swordless, as is shown in his words to the ass, “if I had a sword, I would have pierced thee”
Philo, vol. 2, 27. “And thus too Balaam (“foolish people” that is) is represented by Moses as disarmed, one who neither fights nor keeps the ranks, for Moses knew well that war which the soul should wage for knowledge as its guerdon.”
[5] Then the king commanded that the magicians, the enchanters, the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans be summoned to tell the king his dreams. So they came in and stood before the king. ().
The Chaldeans answered the king and said, “There is not a man on earth who can meet the king’s demand, for no great and powerful king has asked such a thing of any magician or enchanter or Chaldean. ().
[6] When they had gone through the whole island as far as Paphos, they came upon a certain magician, a Jewish false prophet named Bar-Jesus. (). But Elymas the magician (for that is the meaning of his name) opposed them, seeking to turn the proconsul away from the faith. ().
[7] William Barclay, The Gospel of Matthew, Third Ed., The New Daily Study Bible (Edinburgh: Saint Andrew Press, 2001), 38.
[8] Leon Morris, The Gospel according to Matthew, The Pillar New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI; Leicester, England: W.B. Eerdmans; Inter-Varsity Press, 1992), 41. “Clearly all three were valuable, and together they formed a munificent gift, suitable for offering to a king. Christians have often seen symbolical meanings in them, gold for royalty, frankincense for deity, and myrrh pointing to suffering and death, but Matthew says nothing about this.”
Ulrich Luz, : A Commentary on , ed. Helmut Koester, Rev. ed., Hermeneia—a Critical and Historical Commentary on the Bible (Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2007), 114–115. “What the gifts themselves mean is not certain. . . . Both were regarded as very expensive (imported) luxury items. Along with gold, the most likely meaning is that the magi bring the child the most costly gifts possible.”
John Nolland, The Gospel of Matthew: A Commentary on the Greek Text, New International Greek Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI; Carlisle: W.B. Eerdmans; Paternoster Press, 2005), 117. “In OT use we find various pairs from Matthew’s gold, frankincense, and myrrh, but never the three together. No particular symbolism should be attributed to the individual items making up the present from the Magi: as expensive luxury items the gifts befit the dignity of the role for which this child is born.”
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset, and David Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible, vol. 2 (Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1997), 7–8. “That the gold was presented to the infant King in token of His royalty; the frankincense in token of His divinity, and the myrrh, of His sufferings; or that they were designed to express His divine and human natures; or that the prophetical, priestly, and kingly offices of Christ are to be seen in these gifts; or that they were the offerings of three individuals respectively, each of them kings, the very names of whom tradition has handed down—all these are, at the best, precarious suppositions.”
[9] David Matthis, “That Crazy Star of Bethlehem,” Desiring God (blog), December 25, 2011, https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/that-crazy-star-of-bethlehem.