God Warns The Magi And Joseph Acts Fast

In today’s narrative, we see the birth of Jesus, the plot to kill him, His earthly father protecting Him, some gentiles worshiping Him and others pretending to worship Him.  That’s a lot of activity and concerns to juggle for a young family, especially given that they were far from their home.

This is of course a great time for us and we celebrate the birth of Jesus.  But we should never forget the burden that Joseph, Mary and of course Jesus had on their shoulders.  I believe that little baby Jesus was unaware of what lay before Him, as were Mary & Joseph not fully aware of their futures but even at the time of Jesus’ birth, forces were seeking to kill Jesus forcing Mary and Joseph to act to keep their precious child safe.

So what were these forces and who were these gentiles?  Well . . .

Let’s get right to it.

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Matthew 2:1-2 & 7-15  -  King James Version
1 Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem,

2 Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.

7 Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, enquired of them diligently what time the star appeared.

8 And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search diligently for the young child; and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also.

9 When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was.

10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.

11 And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense and myrrh.

12 And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way.

13 And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him.

14 When he arose, he took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt:

15 And was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called my son.
***
Hosea 11:1  -  King James Version
11 When Israel was a child, then I loved him, and called my son out of Egypt.

Transcript

Welcome And Where To Listen

SPEAKER_00 0:06

Welcome to the Christ Quarter Podcast. Thank you for taking a quarter of an hour out of this day to enjoy the presence of Christ and the words of Christ. Today, let's read a section of scripture, discuss what it means, and also how it applies to our lives. I hope that God will speak to you through my words and more importantly through his scriptures and will bring you closer to him. I am blessed and thankful to have this time to speak with you, and I thank you so much for being with me here today. The Christ Quarter is available on Amazon Music. Just ask your smart speaker or app to play the Christ Quarter Podcast. I'm also available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and wherever you get your podcast.

Matthew 2 Read In Two Versions

SPEAKER_00 0:51

Today's scripture selection is Matthew chapter two, verses one through two and verses seven through fifteen. The King James Version reads as follows Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, saying, Where is he that is born king of the Jews? For we have seen his star in the east and are come to worship him. Then Herod, when he had privately called the wise men, inquired of them diligently what time the star appeared, and he sent them to Bethlehem and said, Go and search diligently for the young child, and when ye have found him, bring me word again that I may come and worship him also. When they had heard the king, they departed, and lo, the star which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where their young child was. When they saw the star they rejoiced with exceeding great joy, and when they were coming to the house, they saw the young child with Mary, his mother, and fell down and worshipped him. When they had opened their treasures they presented unto him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way. And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word. For Herod will seek the young child to destroy him. When he arose, he took the young child and his mother by night and departed into Egypt, and was there until the death of Herod, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called my son. The NIV says it this way. 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 when it rose and have come to worship him. 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 search carefully 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 when it rose went ahead of them until they 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 worshipped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route. 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 has said through the prophet, out of Egypt I called my son.

Opening Prayer For Guidance

SPEAKER_00 4:12

Let us pray. Lord, we thank you for this day. We thank you for the freedom and the ability to discuss your word and enjoy your presence. Help us to understand your word and your will for our daily lives more fully. We ask that you bless this discussion of your word, that it will speak to someone who needs to hear from you. We ask that you use these words to bring someone closer to you, and that you will touch their hearts to love others through action in your name. That each of us will do something to show love to their neighbor in action as well as in word. That each of us will do our best to represent you to the world. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen.

The Hidden Weight Of Christmas

SPEAKER_00 4:51

The verses for today are exciting. In today's narrative, we see the birth of Jesus, the plot to kill him, his earthly father protecting him, some Gentiles worshiping him, and others pretending to worship him. That's a lot of activity and concerns to juggle for a young family, especially given that they are far from home. This is of course a great time for us, and we celebrate the birth of Jesus, but we should never forget the burden that Joseph, Mary, and of course Jesus had on their shoulders. I believe that little baby Jesus was unaware of what lay before him, as were Mary and Joseph not fully aware of their futures. But even at the time of Jesus' birth, forces were seeking to kill Jesus, forcing Mary and Joseph to act to keep their precious child safe. So what were these forces, and who were these Gentiles? Well, let's get right to it.

Herod’s Scheme And The Magi’s Worship

SPEAKER_00 5:46

Our narrative today starts out with Jesus' birth during the time of King Herod. King Herod was king of Judea by the power of Rome and held that position from about 38 BC until 4 BC. By the way, Herod died during the time of BC before Christ. How could Christ have been born during a calendar year of BC? This is due to a monk named Dionysus Exegus, who is credited with designing the modern calendar, having miscalculated the year of Jesus' birth by several years. Fun fact, right? King Herod's own experts had advised him that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem, and in my opinion, King Herod was likely planning on ensuring that this young Messiah would not survive. Into this come the wise men from the east, asking about this Messiah who was born king of the Jews, likely thinking that the child must be a child of King Herod's. King Herod must have seen this as good fortune for him. Here are wise men likely sent by another king, looking for the same child that he's looking for. While King Herod was deeply suspicious of the wise men, he did see an opportunity to use them for his own purposes. He pretended that he also wanted to find the child so that he could worship him. Herod had no newborn children who could be presented as the Messiah, and he did not want a child whom the Jews believed to be their new king to cause him trouble. He had spent about forty years establishing himself as king and was not about to allow a child to cause him trouble. Herod, a Gentile, looked at the situation in political terms, while the wise men who were also Gentiles may have looked at the situation in religious terms, but did not fully understand that the child Jesus was the true Messiah. Regardless, the wise men would have been happy to receive the information from Herod's advisors that the child was to be born in Bethlehem. The wise men had followed the star as far as Jerusalem when the star disappeared. After they left King Herod, the star reappeared and led them to the house where Jesus was. This is some weeks after Jesus' birth, and Jesus is no longer in the manger, but is in a house. We do not know how many wise men there were, nor how many people they had with them. They very likely had servants and guards of some sort with them. They worshiped Jesus, which is ironic and sad. John chapter one verse eleven says He came into his own, and his own received him not. Jesus was partially acknowledged and worshipped by Gentiles, but not by the Jews. The wise men gave Jesus gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Frankincense and myrrh were rare and expensive items. I'm sure these all helped Jesus' family greatly. Fortunately, none of King Herod's advisors had accompanied the wise men, because after the wise men had found Jesus and presented him with gifts, they were warned by God in a dream to not report Jesus' identity or location to King Herod and return to their land by another route.

Joseph Flees To Egypt

SPEAKER_00 8:48

Now Joseph's marriage and Jesus' rest and celebration has to be interrupted. Joseph is warned by an angel in a dream to get up, take his family, and immediately go into Egypt, and to stay there until the angel brings him more information. The angel further tells Joseph that King Herod seeks to kill Jesus. I'm sure this spurred Joseph into full speed and action. Joseph was a just and faithful man. He also had experience with angels in God to further strengthen his faith and action. This is what I refer to as the second stage of Jesus' journey to the cross. He has just been born, has already been referred to as the King of the Jews, which he will be referred to as again when he's being executed, and is already being pursued by those who wish to murder him. Joseph has to gather his young family and follow the instructions provided to him by God through the angel to keep them all safe. Joseph cannot keep his family in Bethlehem, where they had been happy for a short time, and he cannot go back home. The places that we would think would be safe places for them have become danger zones. They must go to Egypt. The good thing about Egypt, though, is that Egypt was a large place where Joseph could find work without bringing notice to his family. This flight to Egypt also fulfilled the prophecy of Hosea chapter 11, verse 1, which says, When Israel was a child, then I loved him, and called my son out of Egypt. Even during hard times, filled with danger and evil, God is with us. Before Jesus was born, before Mary was in Bethlehem, God has sent provisions to the family, and he has sent them in a way no one would have thought. We are to be faithful and obedient during good times and bad times. God knows what we need, and he has already prepared a way for us.

Final Thanks And The Lord’s Prayer

SPEAKER_00 10:39

That concludes our scripture discussion for today. Thank you for spending this time with me talking about, learning about, and enjoying Christ. It is my hope that God has used my words to touch you today and has brought you closer to Him. Let us pray. Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, in earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever.