Anything Considered

It is strange how simple passages can hold so much meaning when looked at in depth. Matthew 2:1-8 is one such passage. Here are my comments:

Matt 2:1-8 primarily describes the wise men's search for Christ. Perhaps some things to note about them are that they are magi (wizards of a kind held in high regard in their homelands) and are foreign (gentiles). These people are in a sense the outsiders, the ones who were not chosen as God's people, the ones who have made war on Israel time and again in their history, bringing them idols and false practices.

In the light of this, their enquiry is astounding:

Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We have seen his star as it arose, and we have come to worship him.

MATTHEW 2:2 (NLT; emphasis mine)

At this time Jesus was probably a 2 year old child (Matt 2:16). How strange, how ironical it is that the king of the Jews lives in obscurity amongst his own people, for two years no less, when the magi, unbelieving gentiles have come to worship him! Matthew Henry writes that this is symbolic of Christ's victory over the devil, that "those who had been so much his devotees became the early adorers even of the infant Jesus; so soon were trophies of his victory over the powers of darkness erected." If they were wise men before, then they truly became wise when they began to seek after Christ.

Notice also that they spoke with such certainty. Where is the newborn King of the Jews? as if there was no doubt in the least about his kingship and his existence. They spoke with no care for the person they spoke to. Asking about the location of a king from the apparent ruler! And more importantly, the magi might have referred to Jesus as the newborn King of the Jews, but in seeking to worship him, they acknowledged him as their Lord and King as well.

Isn't it strange, putting ourselves in the shoes of the magi, to come so far to this foreign land to find no-one worshipping the newborn king? God works in strange ways indeed. Sometimes the people you would most expect to be closest to Him are the furthest, and the truest believers from the most unexpected places (the shepherds).

The wise men, and those who would follow in their footsteps, are best described by Jesus later in the book:

And I tell you this, that many Gentiles will come from all over the world and sit down with Abraham, Issac, and Jacob at the feast in the Kingdom of Heaven. But many Israelites - those for whom the Kingdom was prepared - will be cast into outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

MATTHEW 8:11-12 (NLT)

Far from seeing these verses as a doomsday message, I think we can find in them great encouragement. Clearly, God doesn't care about your background, or how stooped you are in evil things (the magi were pagan magicians). If he reveals himself to you, and you come to know him, seek him with the best of yourself, and you will find him.

The wise men certainly did.