“Who Were The Magi?”    12-21-97
Mt.2:1-12

MT 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."  3 When King Herod heard this he was disturbed (agitated), and all Jerusalem with him.

Who are these guys?  Casper, Balthazar, and Melchior?  Pagan astrologers?  How did they know about Jesus?
What is Herod so agitated about?  (rattled)  Not like the play – he was an old man (dies a matter of months later) – no chance that Jesus will grow up and become a threat to him.
What about this star?  What was it?

Magi is an untranslatable word (not “wise men”).
They were a tribe of priests in Persia.  Just like the Levites.  They were leaders of pagan religion and also brilliant, highly educated intellectuals.  
both astrologers and astronomers (both the science and the superstition, - not differentiated).
There were educated in science, history, agriculture, mathamatics, architecture, etc.  

As a result of their expertise in these areas (as well as magic and superstition), they ascended to great prominence.  They remained significant in the Medo-Persian Empire, the Babylonian Empire, the Greek empire, and the Roman Empire.  In Daniel’s time they were the personal advisors of the king.  They were there when Neb. conquered Jerusalem.  It was in that period that Daniel influenced them.

At first, Dan and friends showed them up.

DA 1:20 In every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king questioned them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters in his whole kingdom.

The magi would have come to an end under Neb.  He demanded they tell him his dream and they could not - so he ordered the execution of not only the Magi, but ALL the wise men of Babylon.  Dan saved them by interpreting the dream.  As a result he was placed over them (2:48).

What do you think Dan did as their authority?  He had tremendous wisdom, and they knew it.  They owed him their lives.  These men had devoted their lives to learning, and you can imagine how eager they would be to learn from Daniel as well as S, M and A.
(Didn’t they get him thrown into the lion’s den?  No – that was the satraps)

So it’s no wonder that their religious beliefs - even hundreds of years later - were very similar to Judaism in many ways.  For one thing, they believed in only one God.   They also had a sacrificial system similar to Judaism - (clean & unclean animals, etc.)

As the years went by, the influence of these men remained very strong.  I did read one source that said otherwise, but all the other sources agreed that by the time of Jesus, they controlled the Parthian Empire.

THE PARTHIAN EMPIRE

Rome was the world power, but the Parthians were always somewhat of a problem.  They were across the sea and then across the vast desert.  Rome was not able to keep an eye on them, and they developed an empire.  By the time of Herod the Great, there were continual wars.  Guess where they came together - Palestine.  The Parthians defeated Marc Anthony - who was the Roman Military leader who helped Herod take over Palestine.  Herod finally drove the Parthians out, but the Parthians were a formidable enemy.  They enjoyed war, and they were known as tremendous cavalrymen.  They shot their bows from horseback (learned that from childhood).  They were known for one attack as they charged, and another attack as they rode away (“Parthian shot”).

The Parthians did not have a royal line.  The king was chosen by the Magi.  They would place him in power, and they could depose him.  The magi were powerful men on the world scene.  There are even records of Roman Emperors consulting them.

These powerful men would have traveled on horses (not camels), and would have probably traveled with as many as 1000 mounted cavalrymen when venturing in to see Herod.   

So you can imagine the scene when Herod looked out his palace window and saw this tremendous procession of Magi with all the mounted cavalrymen etc. he was rattled.

The Foolish King: HEROD THE GREAT
Herod the Great was a man of great ability.  Winsome.  A consummate politician, successful military leader.   He was a good ruler in many ways (brought prolonged peace, eliminated terrorism, even remitted taxes and sold his own gold plates for the poor).  But insanely suspicious, jealous and maniacal. 

Herod was above everything else – PARANOID (especially toward the end of his life – around Jesus’ birth).
He was a heartless, vicious, ruthless man without a conscience.  

He was constantly plotting murders
The descendants of the Maccabees were the Hasmoneans.   He decided they were a threat, so he decided to kill them – all.
When he realized he was about to die, he ordered that a list of the most distinguished Jewish citizens of Jeruselem be made, that they be arrested and sentenced to death on trumped up charges so there would be morning when he died.
He had 10 wives – favorite was Mariamme.  Herod decided her brother (Aristobulus high priest) was a threat, so he had him drowned.
Later he said her being alive might bring about some political problem, so he had her executed.   Then her mother Aexandria

Slaughtered 2 sons
then 5 days before he died his 3rd son.

So when the Bible says he was agitated, he was agitated.

In 40 BC Herod was ousted from Palestine by the Parthians (and Hasmoneans).  He went to Rome, convinced them to officially crown him, and then spent the next 3 yr. fighting the Parthians (and H).  He finally drove them out, but not without great difficulty.

For over 30 yr now Herod hadn’t had any trouble from the Parthians.  They had just been staying over there in the east – building their power.  In the mean time Rome was faltering a bit.  Caesar Augustus was old and feeble, and since the retirement of Tiberius the Roman army had no commander in chief.     

The Magi were unhappy w/ Phraates IV and were about to depose him.  – a loser – capitulated to everyone.   

NIV doesn’t translate it, but Greek, “Behold, there came Magi!”

 [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.”

That was Herod’s title.  He had fought for it, won it from Rome, and spent his life seeing to it that no one else got it.

MT 2:3 When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 

Jerusalem would have been agitated too.  
1.	Less than 50 years earlier the Temple was plundered so the king could raise $ to fight the Parthians.
2.	Herod was crazy, and he wasn’t very precise when it came to eliminating his enemies.  
They knew Herod, and one thing they knew was the when Herod was upset it meant one thing – bloodshed.

They saw these Magi coming, heard what they were asking all over town, and thought, “This is going to be a bloodbath.”
THE APATHETIC JEWS: 
[4] When he had called together all 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 Judah,  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.' "

These guys put together a great little sermon right off the top of their heads.  Religious leaders love to show off their knowledge.  “We know the answer to that – Bethlehem!”  That’s all they would have had to say, but they want to really show off.  They quote Micah 5:2 with a twist.  That verse says Although you are the least… and they turn it around.
It’s a clever rhetorical device.  “B is a wonderful place”   Then, without missing a beat, they add a line from 2 Sam.5:2 (identical in the LXX)  who will be the shepherd of my people Israel.' "  (speaking of David)

Brilliant.  It’s amazing the clever things some guys can come up with extemporaneously.  But as beautiful and as interesting as correct as their little speech was, THEY DIDN’T LISTEN!  Such indifference – apathy

It must have amazed these Magi, who had traveled so far, when they got there and asked around and everyone said, “Huh?”  Probably expected to get there and see this baby in the center of the Temple with all of Jerusalem gathered.

He came to His own, and His own received Him not.  (last week)

skip down to v.9
MT 2:9 After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. [10] When they saw the star, they were overjoyed.
lit: They rejoiced joy, great, very much
They were ecstatic.  Isn’t it great when you see someone who is undaunted by the apathy around him?

May be the best lesson for us this time of year. 

7 Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. 
Herod was very clever.  He was covering his bases in case they did not return.

secretly
Ro.1:20 – The wrath of God is being revealed against the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth with unrighteousness.
 
So Herod is going to try the greatest cover-up in the history of politics.  He is going to cover up the birth of Christ.  How hard can it be?  A peasant baby born to a young nobody girl from the sticks, born in a stable in a village where people walked around with T-shirts that said, “I love Itty Bitty Bethlehem.”
He didn’t do too well, did he?  That baby surpassed him – king of the Jews, the calender.

[8] He sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and make a careful search for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him."
    MT 2:9 After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them 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 worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh. 
They found their king.  This is easy to understand when we realize what Mt. is doing.  Ch.1 – Mt. proves that Jesus was a descendent of David.  Jesus had the qualifications to be the Davidic King.
Mt.1 – Jesus deserves to be recognized as King
Mt.2 – Jesus gets the recognition He deserves. 
They worshipped.  How?  Organ?  Stained glass?  By giving.  (offering is not an interruption)
  In ancient times you would never approach a great king w/o a gift (Joseph’s bros)
  GOLD- Gift for a king – you don’t read about kings w/o reading about gold
  MYRRH -  Gift for burial.  He was born to die (shadow of cross)
  INSENSE – Gift for God, not men
What about the star?  East?  Need directions, then to the house?

Hymn # 28  O Worship The King

HEB 10:32 Remember those earlier days after you had received the light, when you stood your ground…35 So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. 36 You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. 37 For in just a very little while,
"He who is coming will come and will not delay.38 But my righteous one will live by faith. And if he shrinks back,    I will not be pleased with him."
39 But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved.