Matthew 1:18-2:18: What is your choice?

Presented to the Swift Current Corps on 23 December, 2013 and 26 December 2010 by Captain Michael Ramsay

Click here to read a shorter 2014 and 2015 614 Toronto version: http://sheepspeaks.blogspot.ca/2014/12/matthew-118-218-what-is-your-choice.html 

Click here to read the 26 December 2021 Alberni Valley version: https://sheepspeaks.blogspot.com/2021/12/matthew-118-218-whats-your-choice.html

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In this passage that we have just read, Matthew’s version of the Christmas story, we are faced with three responses to the miracle of the birth of Christ, the coming of the Messiah, that of:

1)      Joseph (his legal father),

2)      Herod (the king of the Jews), and

3)      Some magi (astrologers, astronomers, magicians or wise men, traditionally ‘we three kings’).

I want to look a little bit today at their three responses to the news that Jesus was to be born and the news that he was actually born.

1) Joseph[1]

First we have Joseph:  Joseph is a carpenter/stone mason. He is from the tribe of Judah and – of course – a famous ancestor of his is King David. Matthew records a few things about Joseph: we are told in our text today that Joseph, Verse 19, is righteous. In our world today when we think of a righteous person… if someone were to tell you that a person is righteous… if someone were to say that a visitor that we have here today is a righteous woman or man, what would we think that they would be like? They would pray, read the Bible, love God and love their neighbour (cf. Luke 10:27). All of the above would probably be true of them and more. This was very much what it would have meant for Joseph too. Joseph served God and for the first century Jews, if one was righteous it meant that one was very good at keeping the religious law of the day.[2]

Matthew tells us also, Verse 1:18, that Joseph is pledged to be married to a girl named Mary.[3] Now, betrothal in the first century is not like it is today. When you are engaged then you are already bound. You are already considered as husband and wife and the union can only be dissolved through death or divorce.[4] But before Mary and Joseph ever ‘know each other’ in the Biblical sense, before they ever come together in THAT way, Mary becomes pregnant.

Imagine this scenario with me, if you will – men in particular: you are engaged, you have not had relations with your fiancée and all of a sudden you find out that she is pregnant. What would you do? What would you say? What would you feel? What would you think? What would you think and what would you do if your girlfriend to whom you are engaged becomes pregnant – and not by you? Would you still get married? Joseph, when he finds out that Mary is pregnant, is planning to call off the wedding altogether. Verse 19 says that he wants to do this quietly so as to not bring any disgrace upon Mary. Joseph is a righteous man.

Then something happens. Joseph has a dream. He dreams about an angel and in the dream this angel tells Joseph that he should ‘take Mary home as his wife’, Verse 20, ‘because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit’. He then dreams about what to name this child and how this son will save people from even their sins. It is now that Joseph has a number of decisions to make.

1)      Does he believe in visions in general and does he believe in this vision in particular?

2)      Does he believe that an angel actually has spoken to him and does he believe that what this angel has told him is true?

3)      And how will he respond to his belief? Will he ignore his conviction that this vision is from God and press on with the separation/divorce anyway or will he accept the commission given to him from God through a messenger in a dream? What would you do? Do you believe in your dreams?

Joseph does. Joseph is a righteous man. When Joseph awakes from his sleep, Verse 24, he does everything the angel from the Lord tells him to do including taking Mary home as his wife and not having any sexual relations with her until after this child is born. This is Joseph. Joseph is a righteous man. He follows his dream. He follows God.

2) Herod[5]

The second character’s response to the news of the birth of Christ that we are looking at in our story today is Herod. Herod is not a carpenter like Joseph. Herod is a regional king. He works for the Romans and he is known throughout history as ‘Herod the Great’. Herod the Great is the political leader at this time and in this place. He is a politician of his era and as such is involved in all the political intrigue of his era in all the ways that political intrigue is carried out in his era (cf. Josephus, Bellum ii.10–13; cf. also Josephus, Antiquities xvii. 224, 229, 250, 304, 307, 340).[6] He is a king but his job is no more secure than that of a contemporary politician in a minority government and Herod defends his title and his job no less vigorously than our present day leaders: in order to secure his position Herod needs to back the right horse and defeat all his rivals (cf. Josephus, Antiquities i.358). He – like many contemporary politicians – switches his allegiances more than once as to whom he backs for Emperor – first he backs Mark Anthony’s (and Cleopatra’s) coalition government and later crosses the floor to support Octavian, a.k.a. Caesar Augustus.[7] Herod the Great is a king who left behind a good legacy of building and growth but he is also an adept politician, cruel and insecure. His title awarded to him by Caesar Augustus is Herod, King of the Jews.[8]

Imagine with me what it must have been like for him. Imagine, you have the job that you have fought hard for all your life and your job title is that of ‘King of the Jews’ and these privileged academics – these magi - come up to you and, Matthew 2:2, they ask “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.” Imagine, you have the job that you have fought hard for all your life and your job is ‘King of the Jews’ – and you are not even a full Jew by birth - and these strangers come up to you and ask to meet your replacement, the new King of the Jews. How would you react?

I was a dishwasher once, for about a week as a teenager; the job didn’t go well and I didn’t get along with my co-worker and one day I meet a friend for coffee; he is excited as he tells me that ha has just been hired for a job at this same restaurant. When we talk for a while it becomes apparent that they have hired him for my job. That is how I found out that I was going to be fired. This could be what it is like for Herod when he hears this news that a there is going to be a new king of the Jews - except that Herod actually likes his (and he also probably never dunked his co-worker in a sink full of dirty water). This news that there is a new king of the Jews is a shock to him. This news is a threat to him. Current kings can be killed when new kings take over. Herod is the current king of the Jews. He hasn’t just had a son; so who is this new King of the Jews that has just been born? If you were Herod, what would you do? What would you say? What would you feel? What would you think?

Matthew records, 2:3, that when Herod hears this news he is disturbed and all of Jerusalem is disturbed with him. They and he immediately do their research. Herod, Verse 4, immediately calls for the “people’s chief priests and teachers of the Law, he asked them where the Christ was to be born.” He knows that the people are waiting for a leader to deliver thFem. Many people are expecting a Messiah, a political leader who will deliver them from the Romans. The Romans, remember, are the Superpower of their day and they are the ones who, with their military might, are keeping King Herod in power. If the Romans go, so probably does Herod. When he finds out where this Messiah, this Christ, this new king is to be born from the people’s chief priests and teachers of the Law (Matthew 2:6), he calls a secret meeting with these Magi to find out when it was that this star appeared (Matthew 2:7); Herod has a plan. Verse 8, he says to the Magi, “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.” The Magi do not do this – they outwit Herod (V. 15). Herod is likely scared. Herod is probably insecure. Herod is definitely, Verse 16, furious.  Herod is determined to eliminate his would-be-rival so Herod sends in the troops. The military massacres male babies two years old and younger – in order to wipe out all the male children who were born in the possible timeframe that this new king of the Jews was supposed to have been born. This is Herod’s reaction.

3) Magi

The third response to the news of the coming of the King of the Jews that we are looking at this morning is that of the Magi. Like we said earlier: magi are astrologers, astronomers, or wise men (cf. Daniel 2:2,10; Acts 8:9; 13:6,8). Our word ‘magic’, interestingly enough comes from the same root as ‘magi’. In Acts 13:6,8, this same word, ‘magoi’, is actually translated ‘magicians’[9]. In the Christmas story traditionally these magi are commonly known as ‘we three kings’ (ca. 225 CE Tertullian called them kings[10]). Now – of course – there is no mention as to how many of these magi there are in this story. The Bible mentions that they bring three different kinds of gifts – gold, frankincense, and myrrh – but does not mention how many magi there were (Matthew 2:11). The word ‘magi’ is plural so presumably there are at least two of them but there could be 2 or 102 of them; we don’t know but we do know that they are learned people.

These learned people see this thing in the sky. They see this ‘star’. These magi, they probably aren’t Jews.[11] They come from the east (cf. Philippians 2:10-11). Remember that travel isn’t easy in that day and age: they can’t just hop a flight or drive the Trans-Palestine superhighway to Jerusalem. These wise men realize somehow from their studies of the world around them that the King of the Jews has been born (cf. Numbers 24:17, Daniel 9:25, John 4:25,Romans 1).[12] What do they do when they discover this? Remember that they probably aren’t Jews and they don’t live in the area. They probably are men of privilege; who else has time to devote to study and travel in this way in this time in this place? What do these privileged foreign academics do when they find out that a king of the Jews has been born? They come to worship him (Matthew 2:2; cf. TSA d. 2,4).

This is interesting. These men. They see the star (cf. Numbers 24:17). They realize somehow that the King of the Jews has been born, so where do they go to see him? They head to Jerusalem, the capital city of the province of Judea; they go to the palace where the king lives. This is where one would go to find a new king, isn’t it? This makes sense: a king would naturally be born to the family that lives in the royal palace in the royal city – That makes sense but in this instance by simply doing what makes sense, they are wrong (cf. Judges 21:25). The new king of the Jews is not born in the palace of the old king of the Jews. He is born about five miles out-of-town, just south of Jerusalem in a community known as Bethlehem in Judea (Matthew 2:5). Lest we give our academic friends too much of a tough time here, they quickly realize their error and make the necessary corrections (Matthew 2:9). Instead of relying on their own devices and falling prey to the plans of Herod, they pay attention to their dreams and they decide to follow God’s star to the place where He is taking them (Matthew 2:10-12).

After an interview or two with Herod (Matthew 2:1-9), the current King of the Jews, these learned Magi realize that not only is the new king of the Jews not with the old and current king of the Jews in the palace but they realize that the old and current king of Judea has no immediate idea of what they are talking about and King Herod even asks them in a subsequent interview to tell him what they find out when they find him (Matthew 2:8). Herod is up to something (Matthew 2:16). But the Magi are warned by God in a dream, they avoid Herod’s trap and they follow God’s star to where God is taking them and God is taking them to a house in Bethlehem where these gentiles meet the King of the Jews and present him with the gifts they brought with them (Matthew 2:11). These foreigners see the signs; they leave their homes and their lives to track down the young king and worship Him. These are the Magi.

What is your response?

These are the three different responses to the birth of Jesus that Matthew intertwines for us in our text today. And these are three different choices for us as we are faced with the reality of the Advent of Christ in our world today. What is our response to the news of Christ? Are we like Herod? Herod is a man of power, prestige and privilege in society. He doesn’t believe in the power of the Almighty God. Herod thinks he can take matters into his own hands and disregard the truth of what God has preordained. He is wrong. Instead of worshipping the Lord, he tries to rule his world himself. His plans are frustrated though and he is furious. Likewise today if we deny the reality of the Kingdom of God and the return of Christ and instead try to control our own world, in the end we may be furious and we will be frustrated because in the end every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord – whether we want to our not (Isaiah 45:23, Romans 14:11, Philippians 2:10). Jesus has already defeated sin and death. We do not want to make the same choice as Herod

Better are the choices of the Gentile Magi and the Judean Joseph in their responses to the news of the birth of the Christ. Joseph, a righteous man, has grown up in the faith. He knows that God can be trusted so when the almost inconceivable conception occurs, he draws on the teaching of his youth, he follows his dreams, he listens to God and he spends his life living with the Christ. This is a faith that each of us who grew up in the church should have. We have the Biblical record (cf. TSA d.1), we have the historical record, we have our personal experience, and we have a brain; so rather than chuck all that we have known and experienced out the window like the Herod, let us lean not on simply our own understanding (Proverbs 3:5) but let us trust instead in the power and majesty of our Lord.[13] And let us today and forever more, when we realize the power and majesty of the reality of Christ’s reign; let us, like the Magi, come and worship Him. This is my prayer for us today on this December 23^rd some 2000 years after the birth of our Saviour, that indeed that we will realize from all the evidence around us the reality of Christ, cast all else aside and come to worship Him forevermore (cf. TSA d. 2,4).

Let us pray

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[1] cf. Captain Michael Ramsay, 'Luke 1:26-37: Do You Believe?' Presented to the Nipawin Corps 14 December 2008. Available on-line: http://sheepspeaks.blogspot.com/2008/12/luke-126-37-do-you-believe.html and Captain Michael Ramsay, 'Matthew 1:18-25: Do you believe?' Presented to each Nipawin and Tisdale Corps, 24 December 2007 and the CFOT chapel in Winnipeg, December 2006. Available on-line: http://sheepspeaks.blogspot.com/2008/12/matthew-118-25-do-you-believe.html

[2] Walter W. Wessel and Ralph Earle, ‘Matthew’ in NIV Study Bible (Grand Rapids, Mi : Zondervan, 2002), note on Matthew 1:19, p. 1467.

[3] cf. R. Alan Culpepper, Luke (NIB 8: Nashville, Tenn.: Abingdon, 1995), 51 and E. Earle Ellis, 71. Betrothal is not quite like engagements of today. In those days a man and his wife were committed to each other at the engagement ceremony. They did have a public ceremony with witnesses and the more. They did each gain a marital status, complete with rights and responsibilities and if Joseph had died after their engagement ceremony but prior to their marriage ceremony, Mary would still be considered a widow with all the responsibilities and rights (or lack thereof) of a widow. The betrothal was very different then anything we have today and even though Mary would be Joseph’s legal wife, after this engagement ceremony rather than going off to live with one’s husband, the wife usually returned to her father’s household for a period of up to a year.

[4] M. Eugene Boring, ‘Matthew’ (NIB VIII: Nashville, Tennessee: Abingdon Press, 1995), 134.

[5] cf. Captain Michael, 'Luke 19:11-27: Time, Talent and Treasure Series, Part 2: Employee Evaluation: What About the Slaves?'  Presented to the Swift Current Corps, 19 September 2010 Available on-line: http://sheepspeaks.blogspot.com/2010/09/luke-1911-27-time-talent-and-treasure.html

[6] Cf. R. Alan Culpepper, Luke (NIB 8: Nashville, Tenn.: Abingdon, 1995), 363.

[7] Jona Lendering, 'King Herod the Great', cited 23 December 2010. Available on-line: http://www.livius.org/he-hg/herodians/herod_the_great02.html

[8] cf. Leon Morris: ‘Luke: An Introduction and Commentary’, Downers Grove, IL : InterVarsity Press, 1988 (Tyndale New Testament Commentaries 3), S. 290 and Expositor's Bible Commentary, The, Pradis CD-ROM:Luke/Exposition of Luke/V. Teaching and Travels Toward Jerusalem (9:51-19:44)/F. Final Approach to Jerusalem (18:31-19:44)/4. Parable of the ten minas (19:11-27), Book Version: 4.0.2

[9] Douglas R.A. Hare, Matthew (Interpretation: Louisville, Kentucky: John Knox Press, 1993), 13.

[10] Ralph L. Smith ‘Magi’ in Holman Bible Dictionary, Editor, Trent C. Butler, (Holman Bible Publishers: Nashville, Tenn., 1991), 910.

[11] Walter W. Wessel and Ralph Earle, note on 2:2, 1467, and Douglas R.A. Hare, Interpretation:  ‘Matthew’, 13.

[12] Cf. Exposition of the Gospel According to Luke (NTC: Baker Academic: Grand Rapids Michigan, 2007), 155.

[13] Cf. France, R. T.: Matthew: An Introduction and Commentary. Downers Grove, IL : InterVarsity Press, 1985 (Tyndale New Testament Commentaries 1), S. 76: In fact the aim of the formula-quotations in chapter 2 seems to be primarily apologetic, explaining some of the unexpected features in Jesus’ background, particularly his geographical origins. It would be a strange apologetic which invented ‘facts’ in order to defend them!