Moffat Mungazi
MATTHEW 2:1-16 KJV
Now 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, [2] Saying, 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. [3] When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. [4] And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born. [5] And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet, [6] And 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. [7] Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, enquired of them diligently what time the star appeared. [8] And 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. [9] When 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. [10] When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. [11] And 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. [12] And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way. [13] And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him. [14] When he arose, he took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt: [15] And was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called my son. [16] Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently enquired of the wise men.
The wise men were astrologers and were watching the stars. They obviously believed that before God does anything on the earth, He shows it in the heavens. They knew that a star would rise out of Jacob, according to the prophecy of Balaam in the Book of Numbers.
They must have read the interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream which depicted the rise and fall of kingdoms, as Daniel interpreted it.
The star depicted that a kingdom was rising.
Indeed, a Kingdom was rising, while another was falling.
The birth of Jesus was the birth of a King. A Kingdom was coming to superimpose Itself on another kingdom.
The wise men took two years to follow the star. When they did not return through Jerusalem with news that they had found Jesus, Herod ordered the killing of boys of two years and below.
Verse 16 says: “Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently enquired of the wise men.”
Herod would not kill two-year-olds if the wise men had not told him when they had seen the star.
The wise men were asking where He that was born King of the Jews, was born. They followed the star from when Christ was born, to when they finally arrived where He was.
When they saw Him, the Bible in Matthew 2 verse 11 says: “He was in a house. He was no longer in a manger.”
Indeed, He could not have been found in a manger two years after His birth.
Only the shepherds, in the account in Luke, saw Him while He was still in a manger.
The wise men presented their gifts: gold, frankincense and myrrh. Their gifts depicted the role that Christ would play in His ministry.
Gold in the Bible, symbolises many things, but one of the things it symbolises is God.
Gold represents God. Time fails me to break this down. The gift of gold meant that they understood Jesus to be the Deity.
Frankincense was used by priests in the service of God in the temple. Frankincense produced the incense which had a sweet-smelling savour. Prayers would go up with the incense. The gift of frankincense depicted Jesus as a Priest, in service before God.
Myrrh was used in embalming the dead. It was used to preserve the body and drive away odour. The gift depicted that Jesus would die to redeem humanity.
Gold for Deity, frankincense for service and myrrh for death, meant that the wise men understood Jesus to be “Deity Who was in service in order to die”.
Their understanding of who He was made them give Jesus gifts that were appropriate to Him.
How you understand Who He is, is how you serve Him. Your gifts depict how you perceive Him. If He is the Lord of your life, He deserves the best.
Serve Him with all your heart, body and soul.
TRUST MAANDA is a Gospel preacher and transformational speaker. He writes in his personal capacity. He can be contacted on +263772432646
