(last edited 3/16/04)Jan's Bible Notes
Matthew 2
1 Where and when this takes place; no date, but the historical setting is given. How many magi? Be careful that your ideas about Christmas are really from the Bible, not from Christmas cards or Sunday School flannelgraphs. It’s very possible that there were many; would three really have made such a splash? Maybe. There might have been a large entourage. Were they Jews? How far was Bethlehem from Jerusalem?
2 Why would they want to worship this one? Why would they go to this bother to find Him? If non-Jews studied and had such knowledge of the scriptures, why didn’t more Jews recognize Him? Num. 24:17. Who said this, to whom? It’s possible that non-Jews had access to Jewish writings. Some think the constellations were originally given by God to all the world as a visual testimony to the redemption story. See Ps. 19:1-4, 50:6, Rom. 1:20. Or God could have just revealed information to them, in a dream or vision, as He often did in Old Testament times. The information was there for any who desired to know the truth, just like today. Do most people search for truth?
Here is the first New Testament use of the word “worship.” It is always interesting to note how the Bible first uses important words; the context sets the tone for how we should interpret these words throughout scripture. Let's take a brief detour to talk about this very important word. The first Bible use of "worship" is in Gen. 22:5, in the story of Abraham being asked to sacrifice his son Isaac, although the similar word "bow" was already used in Gen. 18:2, where Abraham bowed to the Lord when He and the two angels appeared to Abraham. Both words are translated from the same Hebrew word and are often used interchangeably, or together, as in Ex. 4:31, 12:27; see your margin notes for alternate translations. Strongs: to prostrate (especially in homage to royalty or God), bow (self) down, crouch, fall down (flat), humbly beseech, do (make) obeisance, do reverence, make to stoop.
So what happens in Gen. 22:5 that is worship? Holding nothing back from God, complete trust and obedience. What happens in Mt. 2:2 and 2:11 that is worship? Recognizing who God is and reverencing Him, humbling one's self before Him. What do people do on Sunday at 11:00 that they call worship? Is that really worship, in the biblical sense? People talk about what they get out of a worship service--if it was good or not, if they got anything out of it, if the "worship leader" was any good. Is true worship for us to get something out of, or is it for God?
The church today, unfortunately, has redefined worship to mean something it is not. It focuses on the feelings we get from group singing. True worship--when Self bows to God--is not about warm fuzzy feelings. What feelings do you suppose Abraham has as he is heading toward the place at which he will worship? It is about dying to Self, about giving up, about saying "no" to Self and "yes" to God. It is often hard. Read Dan. 3, the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, in which we find the word "worship" used 10 times (in the NASB), and which illustrates what true worship is. Notice that each time the word "worship" appears with another term that helps us understand what worship is--fall down, serve, trust, yield up their bodies.
So instead of teaching this concept of worship, too often Christians, even churches, take the Bible term and use it to mean something nice that is easy and fun to do. In many "worship songs" we sing about what we will do for God, and how we will be His completely. Is that the same as actually doing those things? How many of us are doing, or will do, what we say to God in that song? What about the unbelievers who may be present and singing that song? If we sing those words but are not actually doing them, have we really worshipped? Which would God rather have? Words are easy; actions are much harder. It makes us feel good to sing those words about ourselves, but if they are not really true, we have only deceived ourselves and lied about ourselves to God. It is much better to sing about who God is and what He has done, is doing, and will do, than to sing about "I..I..I"
When we worship, what does God get? Rev. 4:10-11. Can you find any place we are told in the Bible to get together as a body to worship? When and how do we worship? Worship can take place in church, in a group, but only if it already takes place daily in that individual. Ex. 34:8, Dan. 3, Ps. 95:6, Matt. 4:9-10, I Cor. 14:25, Rev 22:8. What ARE we to do as a church? Acts 1:14, 2:1-47, 15:35, 18:11, 20:7, Rom. 12:4-8, I Cor. 16:2, Gal. 6:6, Col. 3:16 (group singing is to be done, but is not presented as worship). In the epistles (the directions to the church), "worship" is never used in connection with a gathering of believers. Notice how angels worship God, Rev. 7:11, 11:16, and the shepherds, Mt. 2:2, 8. Compare what the Bible says about false worship; does it have anything to do with singing to that person/thing or to an uplifting group experience? Ex. 34:14, Deut. 8:16, Is. 2:8, 20, Jer. 44:19, Zeph. 1:4-6, Dan. 3:5-7, Rev. 9:20, 13:4, 8, 12, 15.
One reason people associate worship with church may be the numerous Bible references to coming to the temple to worship. Many people confuse the temple with the church, the Sabbath with Sunday, Israel with the church, and the Old Testament with the New Testament. In the Old Testament, Israel did meet with God at the temple only, Ex. 20:24, 25:21-22, 29:42-43, 30:6, 36, Lev. 1:3. That was the only place that their sacrifices (their required mode of worship) could be offered. For the Jews, the temple and the altar were necessary for worship. In the New Testament (the church age, the age or dispensation of grace), the individual believer comes to God through Christ, and our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit. The church is not the temple or even the house of God; it is just the place of gathering of true believers. The Sabbath was not given to Israel as a day of worship but as the day of rest, Ex. 20:8-11; Sunday is not the Sabbath or the day of rest, nor are we commanded to worship on Sunday. It is done to remember the resurrection, which was on the first day of the week. Later the Jews did begin to assemble on the Sabbath at the local synagogues, as well as visiting the temple to bring their sacrifices.
3 We usually think of just Herod as being concerned; who else was?
4 So did they know the prophecies about the Messiah? Yes.
5-6 Fulfilled prophecy; this was important to the Jewish reader of Matthew’s account. Compare Gen. 49:10; Mic. 5:2, the next lines of this prophecy make it clear that this ruler, the Messiah, would be more than just a man. Eternal = divine.
7 Why secretly, since everyone was already looking into all this? 16, he already knew what he was planning to do.
8 What do we learn about Herod here? But they might have believed him; after all, THEY were anxious to worship Him, and they weren’t even Jews.
9 We wonder about a star moving like that; how can a star stop over a building? Perhaps it was the shekinah glory, and that was how they described it; like the fire/cloud in the wilderness, it seemed to lead, and to stop at a recognizable spot.
11 Is this the scene of Christmas cards, shepherds and magi in the stable? Compare the wording with Luke 2:7,12,16. Manger, babe, no house, no magi (surely they would have been mentioned if they were there). So according to Mt. 2, they are living in Bethlehem in a house, and the babe is now a child, not a newborn (Luke uses the word for newborn baby). Some time has passed. Gold is connected with kings; frankincense with sacrifices, Ex. 30:34 and others; myrrh with death, John 19:39. What term do we see here in connection with worship? These two terms are often found together, and clarify for us what worship is.
12 So did Herod really want to worship? Can we fool God, if we say one thing but something else is in our hearts? Herod had no intention of trying to please God. Sometimes we try, or want, to do or say what is right but we fail because we are weak and sinful; that is different than what Herod did. His intentions were evil. So we wonder if these magi were believers? I would think so. They worshipped Christ, they knew who He was, their actions (works) were evidence of their faith. Works don’t save, but can be evidence of faith. Read James 2:14-26. Works are to follow salvation, but are never the means of salvation. Read Eph. 2:8-9.
13 God is not mentioned in this verse, but what do we learn here about God? He knows the future, He knows what people are thinking, He is able to protect us, He is able to lead and guide us, He doesn’t give us the whole plan but just one step at a time, guidance sometimes comes at the “last minute.”
15 This trip to Egypt is not mentioned by Luke; why might that be? More fulfilled prophecy; this is important to Jewish readers. Luke was written to the Greeks, who were not up on Jewish scripture and prophecy. Read Hos. 11:1; the context is Israel, God’s son. God had called Moses to lead Israel out of Egypt when they were in slavery. But we see how the Holy Spirit shows Matthew that it is also meant to apply to Christ. Or perhaps Christ taught this and that is where Matthew got it. Prophecies often have several levels of meaning, but none of them ever contradict; they are all true. They never have to be revised afterwards or explained away, like man’s writings and later supposed “revelations” that many groups espouse. Unlike a man, God’s knowledge of the future is perfect, and His use of words is perfect and accurate.
16 What does this tell us about Jesus? At this time He could possibly have been up to the age of two. Herod was cruel; he had several of his own children and wives put to death because he thought they were plotting against him.
17-18 More fulfilled prophecy. Read Jer. 31:15-17. What was the original context? But the Holy Spirit has applied it to this situation. Rachel was the wife of who? The children of Israel/Jacob/Rachel. Also, Rachel’s tomb was near there.
19 Joseph has another dream.
22 Another dream. Matthew gives the story of Joseph, Luke gives the story of Mary. What do we learn about Matthew in this account? He was obedient. This was a son of Herod, possibly was insane (due to inter-marriage).
23 More fulfilled prophecy. The prophets told that the Messiah would come from Bethlehem, from Egypt, and from Galilee. Here it is said he would be called a Nazarene, but not that He would be from Nazareth. The Old Testament does not speak of Nazareth. But the word “Nazarene” is very similar to the Hebrew word for branch or sprout (Is. 11:1, 53:2-3, Ps. 22:6, this psalm speaks of Christ), and it was a term of contempt because Nazareth housed a Roman garrison and was associated with the idea of consorting with the enemy; read John 1:45-46. (This is different from the word "Nazirite," one who is under a vow, Num. 6:13-21.)
Copyright 2003 Jan Young