Matthew 2.1-23

1When Jesus was born in the village of Bethlehem in Judea, Herod was king. During this time some Magi ^[a] from the east came to Jerusalem 2and said, “Where is the child born to be king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east ^[b] and have come to worship him.” 3When King Herod heard about this, he was worried, and so was everyone else in Jerusalem. 4Herod brought together the chief priests and the teachers of the Law of Moses and asked them, “Where will the Messiah be born?”

5They told him,”He will be born in Bethlehem, just as the prophet wrote,

6‘Bethlehem in the land of Judea, you are very important        among the   towns of Judea. From your town will come a     leader, who will be like a          shepherd for my people Israel.’ ”

7Herod secretly called in the Magi and asked them when they had first seen the star. 8He told them, “Go to Bethlehem and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, let me know. I want to go and worship him too.”

9The Magi listened to what the king said and then left. And the star they had seen in the east went on ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10They were thrilled and excited to see the star.

11When the men went into the house and saw the child with Mary, his mother, they knelt down and worshiped him. They took out their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh ^[c] and gave them to him. 12Later they were warned in a dream not to return to Herod, and they went back home by another road.

13After the Magi had gone, an angel from the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Get up! Hurry and take the child and his mother to Egypt! Stay there until I tell you to return, because Herod is looking for the child and wants to kill him.”

14That night, Joseph got up and took his wife and the child to Egypt, 15where they stayed until Herod died.

Lesson One:

1.   There may be one Way to God, but there are many ways to the Way. Eg These Magi-icans found their way through astrology

Lesson Two:

2.   There is a wisdom in the East that the West does not know. Eg. These Magi (from Iraq?) knew how to find Jesus. Herod did not.

Lesson Three:

3.   The powers-that-be do not in reality serve the purposes of God. Eg. Herod (v.7) who ‘wanted to worship him’ wanted to kill Jesus

Lesson Four:

4.   To be true to Jesus we will need to practice civil disobedience. Eg. Magi refused to report the location of Jesus to Herod (v12)

Lesson Five:

5.   True religion always involves giving the best we have to Jesus. Eg. The Magi gave Jesus gold, frankincense and myrrh (v 11)

Footnotes:

1. Matthew 2:1 Magi: People famous for studying the stars.
2. Matthew 2:2 his star in the east: Or “his star rise.”
3. Matthew 2:11 frankincense, and myrrh: Frankincense was a valuable powder that was burned to make a sweet smell. Myrrh was a valuable sweet-smelling powder often used in perfume.
4. Matthew 2:23 He will be called a Nazarene: The prophet who said this is not known.