The Visit of the Magi

The visit of the Magi

“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 in the east and have come to worship him.” 
When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him.  
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.  
“In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written: 
“ ‘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.’’” 
Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared.  
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.” 
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.  
When they saw the star, they were overjoyed.  
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.  
And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.”
Matthew 2:1-12
Who exactly the Magi were is unsure. Most experts say they were astrologers not kings.
While tradition says there were three. The exact number is unknown. We only know that they brought three gifts of gold incense and myrrh.
Gifts when you think of it in a practical sense may have helped Mary and Joseph when they had to run to Egypt.
The Magi came to visit Jesus and said to Herod, ““Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews?” Not “who is to become king of the Jews”.
The Magi were very clear, Jesus was born king of the Jews.
Herod the great to distinguish him from other Herod’s at the time, was a ruthless dictator appointed by the Roman senate.
He killed his wife, his three sons his mother in law his uncle and many others. He killed anyone whom he thought might depose him.
Hearing of the birth of Jesus as a king of the Jews would most definitely have twisted him the wrong way. He would have wanted to take the life of Jesus.
Thus he was nice to the Magi asking them that when they found Jesus to return and tell him.
But again God intervenes warning them in a dream not to go back to Herod. Thus they returned another way.
Herod immediately ordered the deaths of all children under two in the Bethlehem area.
Now while this was horrendous because of the small population of the area not all that many children would have been killed.
Still Herod I’m certain would stand before God like any despot and pay for what he did.
As for Mary, Joseph and Jesus they were warned about what was to happen Matthew recording,
“When they had gone, an angel of 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.” 
So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt,  
where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: “Out of Egypt I called my son.” 
When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi.  
Then what was said through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled: 
“A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more.” 
                                                                        Matthew 2:13-18 
Without knowing it Herod had helped fulfil on of the prophesies from the old Testament.
“This is what the LORD says: “A voice is heard in Ramah, mourning and great weeping, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because her children are no more.” 
                                           Jeremiah 31:15.
Matthew also quotes another Prophet, Hosea when he says,
“When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son.” 
      Hosea 11:1.
The quote originally about the calling of Israel out of Egypt is used here to show Jesus as an infant went into Egypt like the infant nation Israel only to be called out of Egypt to become great in the eyes of God.
How long exactly Jesus and his family were in Egypt is unknown all is known was that he was there until the death of Herod the great.
And here’s an interesting side note. Someone once pointed out to me that with being forced to flee to Egypt Jesus and his family became political refugees.
On earth Jesus experienced what it was like to be a man. Becoming a political refugee was one of them.