The Magi Visit the Messiah (2:1-2): “After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him”
The Magi also referred to as the (Three) Wise Men or (Three) Kings, were a group of distinguished foreigners (Gentiles) who visited Jesus after his birth, bearing gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. Matthew shows that people of all nations acknowledged Jesus as “king of the Jews” and came to worship him a Lord.
The Magi did not visit Jesus at the manger on the night of his birth as did the shepherds. They came some months later and visited him as a “child” in his “house.” The three gifts (gold, incense and myrrh) perhaps gave rise to the legend that there were three “wise men.” But the Bible does not indicate the number of the Magi, and they were almost certainly not kings.
The Escape to Egypt (2:13-14):“When they had gone, an angelof the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream.“Get up,” he said, “take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.
Hence, the holy family received the messages and heeded the warning immediately (verse 14). The flight to Egypt was unexpected in so many ways. What a change in circumstances in such a short period of time. Now that the baby Jesus has received symbolic and important gifts from some pretty unusual visitors, the family must run for their lives (verses 13-14). Fleeing Herod, who wants to destroy the young Messiah, is their only option (verse 13). We know that some time has probably transpired since the birth but the trip must have been fraught with fear and danger as they looked over their shoulder virtually every step of the way.
However, getting to Egypt did not stop the executions back at home as Herod tried to find and kill the holy child (verse 16). The story of the flight from Egypt and the killing of innocent boys under the age of two in Bethlehem and the surrounding area are often called “fulfillment” texts, in that they supposedly fulfill OT texts and prophesy (verses 15, 17). While the “fulfillment” of these texts in this passage is limited at best, the text makes clear that this event was not ordained by God — it was ordered by Herod. These acts are not “fulfillment” of God’s desires; these are examples of human fear, power seeking, anger, and evil (verse 16).
Return to Nazareth (2:19-23): Nazareth, a rather obscure town, nowhere mentioned in the OT was Jesus’ hometown (13:54-57; see Lk 2:39; 4:16-24; Jn 1:45-46). Mary and Joseph went there to live after the Lord appeared again to Joseph in a dream. This fulfilled what was said through the prophets: “He will be a Nazarene.”
God’s unfolding plan for the salvation of humanity – “This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yetdid not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorceher quietly” (Matthew 1:18-19).
There were no sexual relations during a Jewish betrothal period, but it was a much more binding relationship than a modern engagement and could be broken only by divorce (see verse 19). In Deuteronomy 22:24 a betrothed woman is called a “wife,” though the preceding verse speaks of her as being “pledged to be married.” Matthew uses the terms “husband” (v.19) and “wife” (v. 24) of Joseph and Mary before they were married.
The Messianic Connection:“But after he had considered this, an angelof the Lord appeared to him in a dreamand said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:20-21).
The phrase “in a dream” occurs five times in the first two chapters of Matthew (here; 2:12-13, 19, 22) and indicates the means the Lord used for speaking to Joseph. “Son of David” – perhaps a hint that the message of the angel related to the expected Messiah.
The Fulfillment of the Prophecy: “All this took place to fulfillwhat the Lord had said through the prophet:“The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel(which means “God with us”). Twelve times (here; 2:15,23; 3:15; 4:14; 5:17; 8:17; 12:17; 13:14,35; 21:4; 27:9). Matthew speaks of the OT being fulfilled, i.e., of events in New Testament times that were prophesied in the OT. This is a powerful testimony to the divine origin of Scripture and its accuracy even in small details. In the fulfillments, we also see the writer’s concern for linking the Gospel with the Old Testament (OT).
Verse 23 is the first of at least 47 quotations, most of them Messianic, that Matthew takes from the Old Testament.
“When Joseph woke up, he did what the angelof the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife.But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.” (v. 24-25)
Notes: Messiah – “The Christ” (Greek) and “the Messiah” (Hebrew) both mean “the Anointed One” (v.17). Jesus is the Greek form of Joshua, which means the Lord saves (v. 23).
The types of people mentioned in this genealogy reveal the broad scope of those who make up the people of God as well as the genealogy of Jesus. Chapter 1:1 reads, “A record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ the son of David, the son of Abraham.” “The son of David,” is a Messianic title found several times in this Gospel. The term, “The son of Abraham,” is used because Matthew was writing to Jews, it was important to identify Jesus in this way.
Chapter 1:16 – Matthew does not say that Joseph was the father of Jesus but that he was the husband of Mary and that Jesus was born of her. In this genealogy, Matthew shows that, although Jesus is not the physical son of Joseph, he was the legal son and therefore a descendant.
“Thus, there were fourteen generations in all from Abraham to David, fourteen from David to the exile to Babylon, and fourteen from the exile to the Messiah.” (Matthew 1:17). Fourteen generations…fourteen…fourteen – These divisions reflect two characteristics of Matthew’s Gospel: (1) an apparent fondness for numbers and (2) concern for systematic arrangement. Or, the number 14 may have been chosen because it is twice seven (the number of completeness).
Both Matthew and Luke record genealogies of Jesus. Why was this so important?
In our modern culture—especially in America—many families have little sense of heritage. Many of us don’t even know the names of our great, great grandparents or where they lived, what they did, etc. In contrast, genealogies were a deeply integral part of Jewish society at the time of Jesus. Land was inherited based on family lines, and those who could not prove their ancestry in Israel were considered outsiders.
The genealogies in Matthew and Luke (3:23-37) show Jesus as the descendant of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and eventually David—men to whom these prophecies were made. God promised Abraham that all nations would be blessed through his offspring, which was ultimately fulfilled in Jesus Christ (Galatians 3:7–9,16).
By reading these genealogies, we also see that Jesus was a direct descendent of King David. This is also a fulfillment of many Old Testament promises.
Therefore, the genealogies of Christ help show that He is the promised Messiah.
AUTHOR: The early church fathers were unanimous in holding that Matthew, one of the 12 apostles, was its author. However, some modern critical studies stress Matthew’s alleged dependence on Mark for a substantial part of his Gospel. This have caused some Biblical scholars to abandon Matthean authorship. Matthew, whose name means “gift of the Lord,” was a tax collector who left his work to follow Jesus (9:9–13). In Mark and Luke he is called by his other name, Levi.
DATE AND PLACE OF WRITING: Some have argued on the basis of its Jewish characteristics that Matthew’s Gospel was written in the early church period, possibly the early part of A.D. 50, when the church was largely Jewish and the gospel was preached to Jews only (Ac 11:19). However, some scholars feel that Matthew would have been written in the late 50s or in the 60s; while others assume that Mark was written between 65 and 70.The Jewish nature of Matthew’s Gospel may suggest that it was written in the Holy Land, though many think it may have originated in Syrian Antioch.
RECIPIENTS: Since his Gospel was written in Greek, Matthew’s readers were obviously Greek-speaking. They also seem to have been Jews. For example, Matthew’s concern with fulfillment of the OT; his tracing of Jesus’ descent from Abraham (1:1–17); his emphasis on Jesus’ role as “Son of David” (1:1;9:27; 12:23; 15:22; 20:30–31; 21:9,15; 22:41–45). This does not mean, however, that Matthew restricts his Gospel to Jews. He records the coming of the Magi (non-Jews) to worship the infant Jesus (2:1–12), as well as Jesus’ statement that the “field is the world” (13:38). He also gives a full statement of the Great Commission (28:18–20). These passages show that, although Matthew’s Gospel is Jewish, it has a universal outlook.
PURPOSE: Matthew’s main purpose is to prove to his Jewish readers that Jesus is their Messiah. He does this primarily by showing how Jesus in his life and ministry fulfilled the OT Scriptures. Matthew includes nine proof texts unique to his Gospel (1:22–23; 2:15; 2:17–18; 2:23;4:14–16; 8:17; 12:17–21; 13:35; 27:9–10) to drive home his basic theme: Jesus is the fulfillment of the OT predictions of the Messiah.
OUTLINE – Monday, February 13- February 19, 2017
The Birth and Early Years of Jesus (Chapters 1 and 2):
Please read the chapters assigned in the outline and comment on the BLOG or by email or just send us a note: We will be posting summaries of the chapters during the week.
