Sunday
Morning Bible Study
December
20, 2015
Introduction
Do people see Jesus? Is the gospel
preached? Does it address the person who is: Empty, lonely, guilty, or afraid
to die? Does it speak to the broken
hearted? Does it build up the church? Milk – Meat – Manna Preach for a decision
Is the church loved? Regular: 2900
words Communion: 2500 words Video=75wpm
The magi
We sing about the “three kings” that visited the baby Jesus.
The Bible says,
(Matthew 2:1–2
NKJV) —1 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod
the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, 2 saying,
“Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in
the East and have come to worship Him.”
The Greek word Matthew uses is magos
(some will use the word “magi” (may-jie),
which was a name given by the Babylonians, Medes, Persians, and others to
describe wise men, teachers, priests, physicians, astrologers, seers,
interpreters of dreams, augers, soothsayers, sorcerers etc.
But the word doesn’t mean they are from Babylon.
Where were these wise men from?
Matthew says they were from the East.
For Jews living in the land of Israel in Jesus’ day, the Babylonians were
people from the “north” because you had to travel north through the Fertile
Crescent to get to the land of Babylon.
Yet Matthew said they came from the “East”, a word used by those who lived in
Israel to describe people on the eastern side of the Jordan River.[1]
To be more specific, we think these men actually came from Arabia, having travelled
through modern Jordan and places like Petra before crossing the Jordan into the
land of Israel.
They brought three gifts: Gold, frankincense,
and myrrh are Arabian gifts.
The three gifts are why some think there were three wise men.
What most theologians don’t know was that there was a fourth wise man, but
he was turned away because he brought fruit cake (Gary Larson)
In 160 AD, Justin Martyr wrote about the birth of Jesus and said the wise
men came from Arabia.
Justin Martyr, Selections from Justin Martyr’s Dialogue with Trypho, a Jew, trans.
and ed. R. P. C. Hanson (London: Lutterworth, 1963), p. 78.[2]
In the 1920s a British scholar, E. F. F. Bishop, visited a Bedouin tribe in
Jordan. This Muslim tribe bore the Arabic name al-Kokabani. The word kokab
means “planet” and al-Kaokabani means
“Those who study/follow the planets.” Bishop asked the elders of the tribe why
they called themselves by such a name. They replied that it was because their
ancestors followed the planets and traveled west to Palestine to show honor to
the great prophet Jesus when he was born.[3]
These wise men that visited Jesus were Gentiles. This was prophesied by the prophet Isaiah:
(Isaiah 60:3 NKJV) The Gentiles
shall come to your light, And kings to the brightness of your rising.
And,
(Isaiah 60:6 NKJV) The multitude
of camels shall cover your land, The dromedaries of Midian and Ephah; All those from Sheba shall come; They shall
bring gold and incense, And they shall proclaim the praises of the Lord.
These are all names of places in Arabia.
Isaiah prophesied 700 years before Jesus’ birth that these
wise men would come.
Herod
A brief word about Herod.
Herod was known as an Idumean, meaning that he came from the land of Edom, but
he was not an Edomite.
Herod was an Arab.
His father was from an Arab tribe living in Idumea.
His mother was from Petra, the capital of the Nabateans, an Arab race that
had taken over the land of the Edomites.
His brothers were named Faisal and Yusef.
His sister named Salama. He is
the only member of his family with a Greek name.
In terms of religion, Herod’s family had converted to Judaism about 100
years before Christ.
But Herod was an Arab who served Rome.
He is called Herod the Great because of his massive building projects, but
by the time of Jesus’ birth, Herod was quite the paranoid man.
He had wives and sons killed because he was afraid they might betray him.
At the end of his life, he ordered thousands of influential people to be
put to death when he died so the nation would mourn at his death, but when he
died, they didn’t carry out that order.
Herod had no intention of honoring or worshipping this newborn king, his
plan was to have the child killed.
Matthew 2:11
:11 And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with
Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened
their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
:11 when they had come into the house
We have a few wrong ideas about the birth of Jesus.
Our ideas about the wise men are a little off sometimes.
We usually place them in the “manger” scene, when Matthew records they came
into the “house”.
After the night of Jesus’ birth in the manger (probably a cave), Joseph and
Mary had settled down and were living in a house in Bethlehem.
:11 they saw the young Child
The shepherds showed up when Jesus was a newborn.
When the magi showed up, Jesus was probably an infant about two years old.
We know this because when Herod sends his storm troopers to kill any
possible child king, he orders that all male children be killed who are two years
old and younger (Mat. 2:16)
(Matthew 2:16 NKJV) —16 Then
Herod, when he saw that he was deceived by the wise men, was exceedingly angry;
and he sent forth and put to death all the male children who were in Bethlehem
and in all its districts, from two years old and under, according to the time
which he had determined from the wise men.
:11 fell down and worshiped Him
These wise men travelling from afar bearing gifts fell down on their faces
in front of a toddler.
Video: Christmas Hallelujah
:11 they presented gifts to Him
Though these gifts are particularly Arabian, they also have significance.
Gold
The Bible talks about gold being mined in Ophir, or Arabia. (Job 28:16;
1Ki. 9:28, 10:2).
(1 Kings 9:28 NKJV)
And
they went to Ophir, and acquired four hundred and twenty talents of gold from
there, and brought it to King Solomon.
(1 Kings 10:2 NKJV) —2 She came
to Jerusalem with a very great retinue, with camels that bore spices, very much
gold, and precious stones; and when she came to Solomon, she spoke with him
about all that was in her heart.
(Job 28:16 NKJV) —16 It cannot
be valued in the gold of Ophir, In
precious onyx or sapphire.
Gold is a gift you give a king.
These wise men already know they are before the “King” of Israel.
We have a hard time giving away our “gold”.
(Matthew 19:16–26 NKJV) —16 Now behold,
one came and said to Him, “Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may
have eternal life?” 17 So He said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good
but One, that is, God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the
commandments.” 18
He
said to Him, “Which ones?” Jesus said, “ ‘You shall not murder,’ ‘You shall not commit
adultery,’ ‘You shall not steal,’ ‘You shall not bear false witness,’ 19 ‘Honor your
father and your mother,’ and, ‘You shall love your neighbor as
yourself.’ ” 20 The young man said to Him, “All these things I have kept from my
youth. What do I still lack?” 21 Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you
have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come,
follow Me.” 22 But when the
young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great
possessions. 23 Then Jesus
said to His disciples, “Assuredly, I say to you that it is hard for a rich man
to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24 And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the
eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” 25 When His
disciples heard it, they were greatly astonished, saying, “Who then can
be saved?” 26 But Jesus
looked at them and said to them, “With men this is impossible, but with
God all things are possible.”
This young man was doing a lot of things right in his life, living in
obedience to God’s commandments.
The problem Jesus pinpointed was his relationship to his possessions.
The difficulty that a wealthy person has is when they let their possessions
“possess” them.
Their possessions become the thing that defines them.
Their possessions become more important than God.
When Jesus talked about a camel going through the eye of a needle, He
wasn’t talking about a sewing needle.
There’s an ancient city gate that’s been excavated in Jerusalem, dating
back to the time of Jesus. It’s located
in the basement of the Nefsky church.
The gate is called the “Judgment Gate”.
When the gates of the city were closed at night, it could be very difficult
for a single person to enter the city because of the difficulty and reluctance
to reopen up the gate.
So sometimes a city might carve a hole in the stone wall
that was just big enough for a person to get through.
It could be easily guarded against an enemy attacker since
only a single person could come through at a time.
It was too small for anything larger than a person to get
through (like a camel).
I decided it was easier for a camel to get into heaven
than for a man named “Rich” to get through the eye of the needle.
The point was still the obvious one – it’s hard for a wealthy person to get
into heaven when their wealth becomes more important to them than God.
We hold gold to be something of great value, yet in heaven it’s the thing
they pave the streets with.
It’s not like Jesus needs your gold.
God is more concerned about where your heart is at.
Jesus said,
(Matthew 6:19–21
NKJV) —19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and
rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; 20 but lay up
for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and
where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
It’s not wrong to have money.
The bigger issue is where you are investing your “treasure”.
Your check register or credit card statement tells a lot about where your
heart is at.
Is your priority in tricking out your car?
Fixing up your house?
Or can you tell by your check book that you care about people coming into
the kingdom of God?
Does God have access to the “stuff” you treasure in your life?
No, I’m not going to take another offering.
The issue here is not about giving to the church.
The challenge is about you learning to give your treasure to Jesus. It’s about learning to wisely invest your
treasure in the work of the kingdom.
Do you honor Him with your treasure?
Some people respond with a challenge like this by emptying out their wallet
and their bank account.
I think that’s a bit foolish and premature.
Learn to give as God directs you, where God directs you, not out of guilt
or arm twisting.
(2
Corinthians 9:7 NKJV) So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not
grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.
Frankincense
Frankincense is made from the Boswellia
sacra tree.
The branches are slashed to allow the sap or resin to come out.
The resin is collected and allowed to harden.
The hardened resin has no odor.
The resin is then ground up and burnt with charcoal to produce the fragrance.
Just last week we were in Petra.
The structure known as the “Treasury” is actually the tomb of King Aretas
IV, the father-in-law to King Herod Antipas.
When we were in Petra, we met a fellow named Mazen who had a spice
shop. The frankincense I purchased came
from the country of Yemen, which is on the southern edge of the Arabian
peninsula. This is most likely where
Jesus’ frankincense came from.
Frankincense was one of the ingredients in the special incense that the
Mosaic priests were to burn before God.
(Exodus 30:34 NKJV)
And
the Lord said to Moses: “Take
sweet spices, stacte and onycha and galbanum, and pure frankincense with these
sweet spices; there shall be equal amounts of each.
The burning of incense is tied to prayer, even in heaven.
(Revelation 8:3–4
NKJV) —3 Then another angel, having a golden censer, came and stood at the
altar. He was given much incense, that he should offer it with the
prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. 4 And the
smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, ascended before God from
the angel’s hand.
When incense is burned, the smoke and the fragrance rise upwards, as a
picture of your prayers ascending into heaven.
Frankincense reminds us of Jesus’ role as a priest.
Burning of incense is a priestly job.
Jesus was not from the tribe of
Levi or the family or Aaron, so He was not qualified to be a priest in the
Temple according to Mosaic law, but He was qualified in another way.
David wrote,
(Psalm 110:4 NKJV) The Lord has sworn And will not relent, “You are
a priest forever According to the order
of Melchizedek.”
Melchizedek was that mysterious
King of Salem that met Abraham and blessed Abraham. He was both a king and a priest.
Jesus would be a priest after the
order of Melchizedek.
The writer of Hebrews tells us something about Jesus’ role as our Great
High Priest.
(Hebrews 7:25 NKJV)
Therefore
He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him,
since He always lives to make intercession for them.
A priest prays for his people. Jesus
is always praying for us.
When you can’t get ahold of a friend to pray for you, isn’t it good to know
that Jesus is praying for you? Always?
Frankincense is a reminder of prayer, that Jesus is praying for us.
The wise men brought gifts that hinted that one day this child would be a
priest.
Myrrh
Myrrh is made from the resin of the small thorny tree commiphora.
The gummy resin hardens and is used in perfumes, medicines, and incense.
The commiphora myrrha plant is
native to Yemen (southern Arabian peninsula)
Myrrh doesn’t have to be burned to give off its fragrance.
Myrrh has many uses.
It is one of the ingredients in the holy anointing oil (Ex. 30:23)
(Exodus 30:23–24 NKJV) —23 “Also take
for yourself quality spices—five hundred shekels of liquid myrrh, half
as much sweet-smelling cinnamon (two hundred and fifty shekels), two
hundred and fifty shekels of sweet-smelling cane, 24 five hundred shekels of cassia, according to the shekel of
the sanctuary, and a hin of olive oil.
It had an anesthetic quality about it.
When Jesus was on the cross, they offered Him wine mixed with myrrh to
drink as a way of deadening the pain.
(Mark 15:23 NKJV) Then they
gave Him wine mingled with myrrh to drink, but He did not take it.
He wanted to experience the full weight of our sins as He died. (Mark
15:23)
As a fragrance, it was used in burial.
It was not a form of embalming, but of simply masking the smell of a dead
body that was rotting.
In Jewish burials, the goal was for the body to decay as quickly as
possible, then the family would take up the bones and store them in an
“ossuary” or “bone box”.
This is what happened when Jesus died:
(John 19:38–40
NKJV) —38 After this, Joseph of Arimathea, being a disciple of Jesus, but
secretly, for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body
of Jesus; and Pilate gave him permission. So he came and took the body
of Jesus. 39 And
Nicodemus, who at first came to Jesus by night, also came, bringing a mixture
of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds. 40 Then they took the body of Jesus,
and bound it in strips of linen with the spices, as the custom of the Jews is
to bury.
Even though myrrh had many uses, it’s this usage at burial that stands out.
It’s as if the three wise men were making a statement.
This child was a king, a priest, yet His greatest significance would be in
His death.
He was born to die.
The writer of Hebrews records,
(Hebrews 7:26–27
NKJV) —26 For such a High Priest was fitting for us, who is holy,
harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and has become higher than the
heavens; 27 who does not
need daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own
sins and then for the people’s, for this He did once for all when He offered up
Himself.
Jesus came to die in order to pay for our sins, so that we could come to
know God.
When you see what God has done for us in sending His Son, it’s natural to
do what these wise men did and want to respond by giving back.
Where am I going with all of this?
What am I asking you to do? Am I
asking you to give Jesus a present for His birthday?
Actually, not really.
The gifts of the magi were more about describing who Jesus would be rather
than giving Him something He needed.
Lesson
Receive
In reality, what I’d like for you to “do” this Christmas is simply to
receive God’s greatest gift.
(John 3:16 NKJV) For God so
loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in
Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
God’s the one that’s “giving” at Christmas.
The Bible says,
(John 1:12 NKJV) But as many
as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those
who believe in His name:
Our place is to simply receive all that God has for us.
Will you receive the gift of God’s grace today?
Let Him be king over your treasures (gold).
Let Him be your priest and rejoice in the fact that He’s
praying for you (frankincense).
Receive His gift of life that came from His death (myrrh).
[1]
Bailey, K. E. (2008). Jesus through
Middle Eastern Eyes: Cultural Studies in the Gospels (p. 52). Downers
Grove, IL: IVP Academic.
[2]
Bailey, K. E. (2008). Jesus through
Middle Eastern Eyes: Cultural Studies in the Gospels. Downers Grove, IL:
IVP Academic.
[3]
Bailey, K. E. (2008). Jesus through
Middle Eastern Eyes: Cultural Studies in the Gospels (p. 53). Downers
Grove, IL: IVP Academic.