Third Presbyterian Sunday Morning Bible Study - December 27, 2020

Below is the Bible Study written by Jim Rudiger for his Sunday School Class which meets at Third Presbyterian Church, Norfolk, Virginia. It's based on Matthew 2:1-23.

Did you ever move as a child? What bothered you most about moving? What bothered me most was losing old buddies and having to make new ones. When I moved from the luxury and opulence of Lambert’s Point to the middle classness of Ward’s Corner, there was a culture shock. No more Saturday morning trips to the Hampton Theater for a Durango Kid movie, Three Stooges comedy, Heckal and Jeckal cartoon and the latest chapter of the Captain Midnight serial. Those Saturday mornings were what got me through the week at Madison Elementary School. Now I was living at Ward’s Corner. No Hampton Theater, but new guys to develop as friends. All of these guys were big into baseball, basketball and football so I had to not only make new friends but learn something about playing sports. Fortunately, as a fourteen year old, I didn’t need sports to find something in common with these new buddies. We all had a keen interest in that other dress wearing, lip sticked species known as Saturday night dates. It didn’t take long to forget about the Durango kid and the Three Stooges.

In today’s study, a new little family, a family with a new born little baby, has to move. And then they moved again. And they moved again. And they moved, yet, again. Why all the moves and how did the little baby fare on these moves? That’s what our study is all about today.

To get us up to speed, last week we learned about Mary and Joseph and the birth of Jesus. A couple months have passed and Mary and Joseph are still in Bethlehem. Gone are the shepherds. Gone is the chorus of angels. It’s just Mary and Joseph and a little baby nestled in a small town in Judea named Bethlehem. What do you know about Bethlehem? Bethlehem was about six miles from Jerusalem. At the time of Jesus’ birth, there probably wasn’t more than fifty families living there. The name, Bethlehem, means The House of Bread. It probably got it’s name because it was surrounded by fertile land just right for growing good crops. The town was located high on a limestone ridge about 2500 feet above sea level and nestled between two hills at each end.

Bethlehem had been around a long time. Jacob had buried Rachel just outside the town limits. Remember when we studied Ruth, this was where Ruth met Boaz and from the ridge, she could see the land of Moab where she came from. But most of all, Bethlehem was whose home town? David. Since the prophets had said that the Messiah was going to be descended from David, the Jews expected the Messiah to come from David’s home town, Bethlehem. Because Bethlehem was bracketed by lime stone hills full of caves, people with houses there probably used the natural caves in their backyards as housing for their live stock. It was probably in one of those caves that Christ was born.

The family’s solitude is about to be interrupted by events beyond their control. And that is where we pick up our story today.

Matthew 2 1: After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem 2 and 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."

Where does Matthew say Jesus was born? Bethlehem in Judea. Why specifically identify the town as Bethlehem in Judea? Why not just Bethlehem? There were two Bethlehems in Israel. One in Judea and one in Zebulon. We learned a couple of weeks ago that Zebulon was one of the most northern tribes. It was the prophet Micah who identified Bethlehem in Judea as the as the birth place of the expected Messiah.

Who was the king when Jesus was born? Herod the Great. Herod is best known for wanting to do what? Kill the baby Jesus. Other than that, he had quite a history. Herod started out as one of the local guys who cooperated with the Romans when they invaded Judea. In appreciation, Rome made him the governor of the province. This happened in 47 BC. In seven years Herod had proven to be such a good governor that Rome appointed him King of Judea. His reign was successful as far as Rome was concerned because he kept the peace. But, he wasn't a perfect king as far as the Jews were concerned. Their main complaint was that he wasn’t 100% Jew. There was some Canaanite blood in him. Another problem was that Herod wasn’t a descendant of David. Let’s just say, he wasn’t going to win any popularity contests. Maybe because of this, he wanted to get in good with the people, so he went on a building spree. His own stimulus package. He even started rebuilding the Temple in Jerusalem. It wasn’t finished until sixty years after his death.

Herod was a complex man. Sometimes he could be very generous. Like in 25 BC when there was starvation in the land, and he melted down his own gold plate to buy food for his people. Or when money got tight and the people were struggling to make ends meet, he cut their taxes - not once but twice. Maybe he was the first Republican.

But, there was a dark side to Herod. He was always unsure of his place in Judea which made him paranoid. The older he got the more paranoid he became. This paranoia led him to murder his wife and her mother, his eldest son and then two other sons. The Roman Emperor Augustus said that it was safer to be one of Herod’s pigs than one of his sons. When Herod was seventy and ready to die, he moved his palace to Jericho which by all accounts was the finest city in the kingdom. He ordered that the most prominent well liked men in Jerusalem be arrested and held until he died. At the moment he died, they were to be killed. Why do you think he did that? Here was his reasoning. Nobody liked him, so, when he died he was sure that nobody would shed a tear for him. But, they would weep for a prominent man they liked if he died. So, to make sure that there would be people crying when he died, he would kill these popular guys. This is the king who will play a key role in what happens to the Holy Family in Bethlehem.

Who are the next characters entering the story? The Magi. Who are these guys and how did they get in our Bible anyway? The Magi were from a part of Persia called Medes. The Medes led by the Magi tried to revolt against Persian rule and had been put down. After Medes was conquered, the Magi got out of politics and became a religious order who served the Persian emperor as priests and councilors. No sacrifice would take place in Persia unless a Magi was present. In addition to being priests and teachers, the Magi were the philosophers, doctors and scientists for the empire. After Persia was defeated by Babylon, the Magi were accepted as Babylonian advisors.

Unfortunately, after Babylon fell, the Magi lost influence on the world’s stage. By the time of Christ, most people thought of the Magi as magicians and slight-of-hand artists. This wasn’t the first time that the Magi appeared in scripture. In the book of Daniel, the Magi are described as rivals of Daniel and his buddies. Nebuchadnezzar first asked the Magi to interpret his drams. When they couldn’t, he turned to Daniel who had all of the right answers. In fact, Jeremiah implies that Babylon made Daniel the president of the Order of Magi. So, the Magi had some exposure to Jewish wisdom.

In those days, everybody believed in astrology. They thought that the position of the planets and stars foretold the future. Ever read your horoscope in the paper? A lot of people start their day looking at their horoscopes. For the Magi, the most important thing to look for in the stars were clues about the birth of world leaders. The Magi were experts at interpreting the stars and studied the heavens every night.

Then one night, they discovered an unusually bright star. The Magi had overlaid the map of the world with the map of the skies and certain areas of the skies were assigned to areas on earth. The star they saw was from an area in the heavens associated with Judea. We don’t know what star it was, but, it must have been a hum-dinger to see. Based on their calculations, the Magi identified the star as an announcement of the birth of a new king in Judea. Wanting to be the first to see this new king, the Magi took off for Judea.

How many magi do you think left to see this new king? Would you believe that in the early church, the number was 12? How did this number get whittled down to just three? How many gifts were listed? Three. Tradition accepted the idea that there was one gift per wise man which meant that there were three wise men.

They weren’t sure where in Judea the baby is, so they go to the local seat of power, Jerusalem. As was their custom they check in with the local king. Herod receives them and asks what they are doing so far from home. That’s when he learns that they are there to see the new king of the Jews. Remember, Herod is paranoid about people trying to replace him as king. How do you think he took this news?

Matthew 2:3 When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 When he had called together all of the people's chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Christ was to be born. 5 "In Bethlehem in Judea," they replied, "for this is what the prophet has written: 6 'But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judea, 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."

How does Herod take the news of a new king for Judea? Herod was an old man -about seventy years old. He had ruled for over forty years and he intended to die as king. Now, three wise men came from the east and tells him that they had read the stars and found that a new king was going to be born in his country. One thing Herod knew for sure. It wasn’t one of his kids. He’s got to find out where this new king is, so what does he do?

Herod excuses himself and calls in the priests and tells them to go through scripture and see if there is anything there that says where the Messiah will be born. They told Herod that the prophets had foretold that the Messiah would come from Bethlehem.

Matthew 2:7 Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. 8 Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, "Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage." 9 When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 11 On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshipped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of frankincense and of myrrh. 12 And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.

What did Herod want to know from the magi? The exact time they saw the star. Why would he want to know that? Herod’s plan from the first minute that the Magi told him about the birth of the king, was to kill that baby. If he knew exactly when the baby was born it would help in identifying which baby in Bethlehem to kill. Herod puts on an act and passes on that Hebrew scripture says that the Messiah will be born in Bethlehem. He encourages the Magi to act quickly. When they find the baby, what should they do? Tell him. Why? He wants to be the first one to pay homage to the new king. What Herod has in mind is more like a wake than a baby shower.

Now, these weren’t wise men for nothing. They smelled a rat here, so, they agreed to report back to Herod but were leery of following through with the agreement. They said their good-byes to Herod and took off following the star to Bethlehem to lay their gifts before this new king. They wouldn’t have to go far, because Bethlehem is only six miles away.

What were the names of the wise men? Caspar, Melchior and Balthasar. How do we know that since our scriptures doesn’t name them? Because that is what we have always been told by Sunday School teachers. The names weren’t assigned until centuries later. And then personal descriptions were developed for each wise man. Have you ever heard what each wise man looked like and no fair peeking at your manger scene? Well, here is what tradition says they looked like. Melchior was an old man with grey hair and a long beard. He was the guy who brought the gold. Then there was Caspar. He was a young guy who hadn’t grown a beard yet. His face had a ruddy complexion and like any young guy, he was eager to learn about new things. He brought the frankincense, or as my granddaughter used to say - the Frankenstein. We have an old guy and a young guy and now we have a middle aged guy. Sounds a little like the three bears, Right? Balthasar had a dark swarthy complexion and a short newly grown beard. He brought the myrrh.

What about the star they followed? Was it really a star? Was it a super nova? A comet? We know that Halley’s comet appeared in Judea, but that was in 11 or 12 BC - way to early for the birth of Jesus. There was the conjunction of Saturn and Jupiter which appeared to be a large star. This took place in 7 or 6 BC which could be the star. Remember, that any bright light up in the sky was a star as far as the Magi were concerned. Ever see a star move around and then stop over a house? Neither had the Magi. They didn’t understand what was happening, but their eyes weren’t playing tricks on them. That star seemed to settle over the house where Joseph, Mary and the baby were and beckon them there.

What if the bright light wasn’t a star, but an angel? Who appeared to announce the birth of Christ to the shepherds? An angel so bright he lit up the whole countryside. And this brightly lit angel was high enough in the sky to be seen by shepherds spread all over the Bethlehem hillside. Could it be that on that very night the Magi were searching the sky and saw a brightly lit angel in the Judean part of the sky and mistook him for a star? Based on their knowledge, that bright star heralded the birth of a king in Judea and they were right about that. Maybe God was meeting the Magi where they were comfortable - reading the stars so they could announce to the whole world that Christ had been born. As the Magi followed the heavenly light, it would move. No real star could move around and then settle over Joseph and Mary's house, but an angel could. Has God ever used a heavenly light as a beacon to lead people? How about the pillar of fire that led the Hebrews in the wilderness? Or the bright clouds leading Moses up the slopes of Mt. Sinai? God was using the Magi and their understanding of the stars to witness to the birth of His son.

Wait a minute. There is a little problem here. Scripture tells us the Magi walked into the house. House? What happened to the manger scene? Remember this was maybe months after the birth. Some scholars believe that it could have been as long as two years before the Magi arrived in Bethlehem. The census had been taken and most people had gone back home. Mary was still unable to travel, but rooms had become available and Joseph might have found a room for them. Since they would be in Bethlehem for several weeks, Joseph probably took on carpentry jobs to earn a little money. He may have even considered that with Jerusalem only a few miles away, Bethlehem offered more steady work for his trade. Into this quiet room comes three strangers - strangers carrying gifts.

Each gift represented something special. Gold was the king of metals, so was a fit gift for the king of men. Frankincense is the gift for a priest. In the Temple worship and Temple sacrifices, frankincense was the sweet smelling perfume that was used to lift the sacrifice to God and make it more pleasing to God. Myrrh is the gift for someone who about to die, because it was used in embalming bodies. Jesus came into our world to die for our sins and myrrh is a recognition of his mission and purpose. Gold for the king, frankincense for the priest and myrrh for someone destined to die. Even in the gifts of the wise men, we see the future foretold for this special baby. What was the value of these gifts in today’s market? Assuming gold is about $1300.00 an ounce, one pound would be worth about $21,000.00. Assuming an average pay of $20.00 per hour, a pound of frankincense cost about six days wages or about $960.00 and a pound of myrrh cost about 50 days wages or $8,000.00. Evidently, the Magi were smart enough to make a killing in the Persian and Babylonian stock exchanges. After worshiping Jesus they were supposed to report back to Herod. What happens? They have a dream telling them to forget Herod, and, head back home. They choose a different return route, though, to avoid running into Herod’s men. And that’s the last we hear about the Magi.

Matthew 2:13 Now after they had left, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, "Get up, take the child and his mother and flee to Egypt and remain there until I tell you; for Herod is about to search for the child to destroy him." 14 Then Joseph got up, took the child and his mother by night and went to Egypt, 15 and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet. "Out of Egypt I have called my son."

Mary and Joseph stayed in Bethlehem so Mary could regain her strength. One night after the Magi left, Joseph had another dream. What was the first dream he had? An angel told him to marry Mary. This time the angel told him to take Mary and the baby and get out of town. The angel tells them that Herod will be coming to find the baby to kill him. Where should they go? To Egypt says the angel.

This didn’t come as shock to Joseph. In the past when things got tough for the Jews, they moved to Egypt until things settled down. So many Jews lived in Egypt that almost anywhere Joseph went, he would find Jews to help them out. In fact Alexandria, the biggest city in Egypt at the time, had a Jewish community numbering a million people.

Matthew 2:16 When Herod saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, he was infuriated, and he sent and killed all the children in and around Bethlehem who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had learned from the wise men. 17 Then was fulfilled what had been spoken through the prophet Jeremiah: 18 "A voice was heard in Ramah, wailing and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be consoled, because they are no more."

19 When Herod died, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said, 20 "Get up, take the child and his mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who were seeking the child's life are dead." 21 Then Joseph got up, took the child and his mother, and went to the land of Israel. 22 But when he heard that Archelaus was ruling over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. And after being warned in a dream, he went away to the district of Galilee.

The Magi didn’t return to Herod, so what did Herod think? He had been suckered. How did that make Herod feel? He was fit to be tied. You see all the time he had planned on using the information supplied by the Magi to find out exactly where this new king was, so he could kill the baby. What is his solution to the Jewish king question? Not taking any chances, Herod sends out a proclamation that all male children in Bethlehem under the age of two should be killed.

Matthew then quotes Jeremiah hearing Rachel in Ramah crying for her children. Remember I said that Jacob had buried Rachel near Bethlehem? Ramah was the place that Rachel was buried. Matthew is saying that Jeremiah saw this horrible event taking place centuries before and it caused Rachel to cry from her grave for the children of Bethlehem.

Herod dies in 6 BC, two years after the birth of Jesus. His kingdom was divided among his three sons. Judea went to Archelaus who was worse than his father. He started off by killing 3000 Jewish leaders just for the fun of it. He didn’t last too long before he was kicked out. Galilee went to Herod Antipas who was the best of the lot. A third son, Philip got the land on the other side of the Jordan. Who visits Joseph again? An angel tells Joseph in a dream that Herod is dead and its’ all right to return to Judea. Bethlehem was in the part of Judea ruled by Archelaus, so, if the family went back to Bethlehem, then they would be faced with another bad king who probably would set out to get rid of Jesus, too, like his father tried to do. The safest place for Jesus was Galilee. The family settled in the town of Nazareth.

Not many people move as many time as Jesus did in his first two years. But, our moving isn’t through yet. I moved from 27th Street to Maycox Avenue, to Roland Park, to VPI, to Pittsburgh, to Staunton, to Newport News and finally to Moose Ave. All of these moves brought challenges, joys, heartaches and planning. But, the best move I made was from the cold, sad world of a secular existence to the warm loving embrace of God through Jesus Christ. Our final move will be to that heavenly house where a room is already being prepared for us. The best part is that you don’t even have to make new friends because all of your old ones will be there to greet you.

Prayer: Father, thank you for moving into our hearts. Now encourage us to prepare others for the same move. Amen.