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Matthew Chapter 2: "Enter the Wise Men"

Thursday, August 23, 2012

Chapter Summary

Wise Men from the east follow the star to Jerusalem.  In search of the promised Messiah, they enter King Herod's court demanding to know where the baby is so that they can worship him.  Herod doesn't know and sends them on their way.  "Find the baby and then let me know, so that I can come worship, too!" he lies.  Herod--who was lawfully made the "King of the Jews" by the Romans--is disturbed by the idea that the prophecies might in fact be fulfilled.  He summons religious scholars to tell him where the Messiah will supposedly be born.  "Bethlehem," he learns.  So he has all the children two years old and under in Bethlehem and the surrounding coasts slaughtered.

That's the kind of world the Baby Jesus was born into :(

The Baby Jesus is spared because Joseph is warned by an angel to flee with his family to Egypt.  An angel later reveals to Joseph that it is safe to return.  The family then settles in Nazareth.

Favorite Verse

Of the wise men:

"When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy."  (2:10)

The spirit of Christmas!  :)

The Power of The Wise Men

Matthew Chapter 2 is the only place in the New Testament where the Wise Men are mentioned.  If they're your favorite "characters" in the Christmas story, then this is your chapter.

"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." (2:1-2)

Growing up, my Dad always liked to point out that the Wise Men must have been insanely powerful to walk into Herod's court and make such demands.  After all, Herod was the lawful, reigning King of the Jews.  Yes, he swore allegiance to the Roman Empire, but in his own realm, he was King, and a bloody, despotic one at that.

In spite of that, the Wise Men presumed to ask Herod, in his own court: 

"Where's the real King of Jews?"

Herod was so convinced by their testimony that he murdered some of his own population in the attempt to kill off the baby Messiah.

The Bible itself is silent on the exact identities of the Wise Men, though scholars have taken plenty of guesses.  Matthew only tells us that they came "from the east."  It's a topic I'll research for fun in the future.

Who was Herod?

While this information is of little "spiritual" value, it's fun trivia all the same.

In short, he was a client Roman "King" of the Jewish state of Judea.

It turns out that Herod (73 BC - 4 BC) was born of a local ethnic population that converted to Judaism.  He was a practicing Jew (well, not really, but in name).  However, the Jews he ruled over resented him because they thought he was racially impure due to having an Arabic mother.  (It was thought that to be fully Jewish, one's mother had to be Jewish).

Herod's political success was jump started by his father, who gained favor with Julius Caesar.  (His father backed Caesar up during a civil war).  Herod's father was able to secure the "governorship" of Galilee for his son.

Then, Caesar was murdered.  His murderers, Brutus and Cassius, fled and started demanding tribute money from Roman provinces to help them defeat Marc Antony and Octavian (Caesar's grand-nephew and adopted son).  Herod's father made the mistake of donating money to their--ultimately fallen--cause.

Marc Antony and Octavian defeated Brutus and Cassius in battle and Herod's father was poisoned due to his involvement.  Herod, who wanted to remain in power, tried to convince Marc Antony and Octavian that his father donated money to Brutus and Cassius only because he was forced to.

Antony and Octavian believed Herod and awarded him with an even higher title in the Kingdom of Judea.

Next, there was civil war in Judea.  It was Rome v. an anti-Roman faction backed by the Parthians.  Herod fled to Rome and begged for help.  Marc Antony kicked the Parthians out and Herod was made King of Judea.

Herod is remembered for being 1) extremely brutal and 2) his construction projects, one of the most famous being the Second Temple in Jerusalem.

The First Temple had been destroyed by the Babylonians approximately five hundred years before Herod's time.  Herod built a new temple on the site.  It was destroyed by the Romans when the suppressed the revolting Judeans in 70AD.  

The famous Arch of Titus in Rome shows Roman troops carrying away a menorah and other Jewish treasures from the looted/destroyed Second Temple.



Oh and . . . 

For a while, the Roman Republic was split between Octavian in the West and Marc Antony and Cleopatra in the East.  Herod supported Antony and sent him and his queen gifts, which proved to be problematic when Antony was defeated by Octavian in battle.  (Ultimately, Antony and Cleopatra committed suicide).

Tricky Herod successfully shifted allegiance to Octavian.

A few years later (27 BC), Octavian was renamed "Augustus" by the Senate (translates to "the illustrious one").

Augustus--also known as Caesar Augustus--became the first Roman Emperor (reigned from 27 BC - 14 AD). His reign initiated the Pax Romana.

Wow!

Jesus as a Fulfillment of Jewish Prophecy

While reading, I was struck by how many times Matthew said, "for thus it is written by the prophet," etc.  Winning over Jewish readers does seem to have been Matthew's primary aim.  

In Matthew 2 alone, I counted four instances where Matthew claimed that something in Jesus's life fulfilled Old Testament prophecy:

  • Jesus was born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2)
  • Mary and Joseph flee to Egypt with the baby Jesus (Hosea 11:1)
  • the slaughtering of the babies in Bethlehem and the nearby coasts (Jeremiah 31:15)
  • Joseph and Mary return to Palestine and settle in Nazareth (see next section)
Jesus the Nazarene

The prophecy of Jesus being a Nazarene is less concrete per Old Testament writings.  The word "Nazarene" isn't actually used, and yet Matthew states of Joseph:

"And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, He shall be called Nazarene." (2:23)

The theory that made the most sense to me is that a number of prophecies exist which say that the Messiah would be poor and humble.  In Jesus's time, the Nazarenes were looked down upon; they were like the "ghetto" population of the time, the people on the wrong side of the tracks.  By being a Nazarene, Jesus fulfilled OT prophecies that predicted that the Messiah would come from humble, even despicable circumstances.  

"2 For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.
3 He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not." (Isaiah 53: 2-3)

The Importance of Obedience

Every "good" thing that happens in this chapter happens as the result of people following divine promptings.

The Wise Men, for example followed the star all the way to the baby Jesus. And then they were warned in a dream to not return to Herod and report the baby's  whereabouts.

Joseph was warned in a dream by an angel to escape to Egypt with Jesus and Mary.  And when the danger had passed, he was told again by an angel in a dream to gather his family and return.  In doing so, he saved the baby Jesus's life and also fulfilled Old Testament prophecies.

Goodness is Vulnerable, but God Finds a Way

It is awesome to comprehend the idea that Jesus entered the world just like any other human being: as a baby.  And that, as such, he was completely at the mercy of the world around him.  

The lesson I took from this is that sacred things are vulnerable.  Even the most precious things in life can be destroyed if we don't take care of them.

But no matter how the odds may be stacked agains us--even if it's Herod with all of his armies--a way is found.  The Lord protected Joseph and his family by providing them with divine guidance and an escape plan.

The Role of Parents

Matthew 2 shows the importance of family relationships.  The baby Jesus was powerless to protect Himself.  He never could have gotten Himself all the way to Egypt and back without his loving parents.  That's what parents do.  We all come into the world completely vulnerable as babies and flat out wouldn't survive without them caring for us.

Thanks Mom and Dad!

Sources

http://www.blueletterbible.org/study/harmony/index.cfm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herod_the_Great
http://www.livius.org/he-hg/herodians/herod_the_great01.html
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080611124424AAqN8Cb

Matthew Chapter 1: "Jechonias, nooooooo!!"

Wednesday, August 22, 2012
When I picked up my trusty King James this evening, I expected an enjoyable ten minutes with the Good Word.  Instead, I got all tangled up in genealogies and now I'm just throwing my hands up in the air: genealogy-shmology!!  



:)



And now with that outburst out of the way, here's why it's important to labor over the fine print of Jesus's genealogy.

The Messiah, Seed of David

Christians believe that Jesus is the promised Messiah of the Old Testament.  Various biblical prophecies exist about the identity of the Messiah, and some pertain to the Messiah's lineage.

In 2 Samuel 7:12-13, for example, the Lord promises King David that the Messiah will be his descendent:

"12 And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom.
13 He shall build an house for my name, and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever."

And this is why the book of Matthew, which is thought to have been targeted at the Jews, commences with Jesus's genealogy.  It traces him back to David, boom, right there in Chapter 1.  First order of business.

It was essential for Jesus to be a literal descendent of King David.

Was he?

Matthew v. Luke

There is much evidence to show that he in fact was.  Christians can have peace of mind per the matter, however it does require some research and perhaps even faith to fully resolve the issue.

So, alarm bells go off for those reading the Bible when they compare the genealogy presented in Matthew (1: 1-16) with that presented in Luke (3:23-38).

They're different.

The genealogy in Matthew says that Joseph--Jesus's foster-father--was the son of Jacob, and it traces Jesus back to King David through his son Solomon and ultimately through a descendent named Jechonias.

In contrast, the genealogy in Luke says that Joseph was the son of Helim and it traces Jesus back to King David through his son Nathan.

Is the Bible contradicting itself?

Before I answer that question, I should probably point out why Joseph's genealogy is even interesting.  After all, Jesus was not the physical offspring of Joseph.  In one of Christianity's great mysteries, Jesus was born of Mary, and "fathered" by God.

Jewish custom, however, maintained that if someone raised a child, it was literally their own.  In the Jewish world, an "adopted" or "fostered" child had full claim to the genealogy of their adopted parent.

So, Joseph's genealogy does matter and within the context of Judaism, most certainly applied to Jesus.

Now, as for the Bible contradicting itself.

I'm going to present the most elegant way of resolving the conflict.  Please know, however, that other approaches exist.  I found them to be less convincing and incredibly confusing.  They involve resorting to the concept of "Levirate marriage," a custom whereby a person could be the legal, but not physical offspring of a person.  It gets pretty darn confusing pretty quickly.

So, the simplest answer for now: Matthew's genealogy is that of Joseph, as it states. Joseph was indeed the son of Jacob, as Matthew maintains.

Luke's genealogy, on the other hand, is that of Mary.  Mary is the daughter of Helim and, by marriage, Joseph was the son of Helim.  In Jewish genealogies, women were not mentioned, and so it would've been customary for the evangelist to state in the genealogy "Joseph, the son of Helim" instead of "Mary, the daughter of Helim."

Simple enough.  And, from what I could tell, there is nothing in the Bible or historical record to challenge that Luke's genealogy is actually Mary's.  (I will do more research to confirm that.  Just not tonight, I'm too tired.)

The Curse of Jechonias

Why then, do two different genealogies exist?

There is something problematic about Joseph's genealogy from the standpoint of Biblical prophecy.

(Enter, "Jechonias, noooooooooo!!")

Notice that the genealogy in Matthew, which we take to be Joseph's, traces Joseph back to David through Jechonias (sometimes shortened to Coniah).

But there's a problem with Jechonias.  He was the black sheep of the family (Jeremiah 22:24):

"Thus saith the Lord, Write ye this man childless, a man that shall not prosper in his days: for no man of his seed shall prosper, sitting upon the throne of David, and ruling any more in Judah."

At first glance, this appears to invalidate Jesus's claim to the throne of David through Joseph due to Joseph being the descendant of Jechonias.

But!

Notice that biblical prophecy does not invalidate the legal right of Jechonias's seed to rule.  It just says that they won't.

Thankfully . . . 

Jesus was technically not Jechonias's seed because he wasn't the physical descendent of Joseph. 

So!

One could argue that Jesus inherited from Joseph the *legal* right to rule, but not what is sometimes referred to as "The Curse of Jechonias."

Mary's genealogy in Luke, if we trust it as such, clears things up.

Mary is shown to be the descendent of David through Nathan--a completely different line--and thus "The Curse of Jechonias" does not apply to her.

That's significant because Jesus actually was her physical offspring.

So, through Joseph, a legal right to the throne of David is established.  Through Mary, a physical right is established.

Sound good?

The Apostle Paul and Biblical Tradition

Further evidence to support these claims lies in the testimony of the Apostle Paul.  Before converting to Christianity, Paul was a Pharisee.  That meant that he was very learned in the Jewish scriptures and genealogies.  For him to accept Jesus's genealogy as being valid is significant.  In fact, his being vocal about the legitimacy of it was one of the things that almost got him killed time and time again, as documented in The Book of Acts.

The Bible makes no mention of Jewish leaders challenging Jesus's claim to being a valid descendent of David.  And my understanding is that Jesus's genealogy was one of the reasons why Jewish leadership perceived him as a "threat."

What the Jews Think

But of course, exclusively relying on Christian New Testament sources isn't fair.  So, I researched the Jewish perspective a little bit.

On one Jewish website, I skimmed through an article on why Jews reject Jesus as the Messiah.  I focused in particular on the section pertaining to lineage.  

While ultimately these matters of course hinge on personal faith and convictions, it was interesting to note that the Jewish objections to Jesus's lineage had nothing to do with Matthew verses Luke.  They instead focused on the fact that Jesus was not born of a physical father and that as a result, prophecies pertaining to lineage through a father could not apply to him.  I read the scriptures they cited however, and was personally not convinced.  None of those scriptures said anything about descent having to come biologically through a father.  Instead, those scriptures just said that the Messiah will be a descendent of David.  Luke's genealogy of Mary shows that Jesus satisfied that requirement.  Further, there's that custom of adopted children becoming entitled to the genealogy of their adoptive parents.  (I'd love to ask a Jewish person: is that custom true?)

Further, the Jews object to the idea of the Messiah being a "man-God."  They say that no biblical (to Christians, no "Old Testament"), grounds for this concept exist.  What they failed to supply, however, were scriptures to back that up.  They cited only "Jewish sources" and were not specific.  Further, they failed to supply scriptures stating that a divine Messiah would NOT be the case.  As far as I'm concerned, I personally will not be convinced by their argument unless I read a scripture that says: "The Messiah will be 100% human."  No such scripture exists.

Now, that's just one Jewish website.  I'm sure there's more information to be had elsewhere, and perhaps I will dig deeper in the future.  If any Jewish person reading this has additional ideas on this topic, I hope they will share them.

For me at least, it was significant that nothing very obvious or glaring challenging Jesus's genealogy materialized, at least as far as "facts" and "historical record" are concerned.  It's not like there's the Bible on the one hand saying Jesus's genealogy is valid, and then a whole body of Jewish literature and historical record saying that it's not.

Okay, Time to Go to Bed

Honestly, I've never given any genealogy so much thought, lol.  In years past, whenever I came across a genealogy in the scriptures I'd just skip over it.  Boring stuff.  But in the case of Jesus, genealogy is crucial.  So crucial in fact, that Matthew cut to the chase and listed Jesus's genealogy before discussing anything else.  Further, in the future whenever I hear Jesus referred to as "the son of David" as he so often is in scripture, it will mean so much more.

Apparently, being the descendent of David is the name of the game!!  

Sources

http://www.aish.com/jw/s/48892792.html
http://www.bprc.org/topics/fulfill.html#header_1
http://www.answersingenesis.org/articles/am/v1/n2/chronology-conundrums

Wisdom from the Book of Matthew: Scriptures to Enjoy

Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Jesus heals a paralytic at the Pool of Bethzatha (Bethesda).   Carl Bloch

 For any person, the challenge of finding Christ and knowing what's true can be daunting.  The one thing that's always felt "right" to me, thankfully, is the New Testament.  There's just something about it.  If it wasn't for the way the New Testament makes me feel, I'd probably give up on Christianity altogether.  So, the other night, I decided to skim through as much of the New Testament as I could, looking for scriptures that jumped out at me.  These are some that I found in the first book, the Book of Matthew, taken from my good 'ol KJV (King James Version).


Wisdom

"Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:  For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened." (7: 7-8)
"Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them." (7:20)
"Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:  But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:  For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." (6:19-21)

"Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind.  And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch." (15:14)
Tolerance
"Judge not, that ye be not judged.  For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again." (7: 1-2)
"Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.  But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and the unjust."  (5: 43-45)

Courage

"Ye are the light of the world.  A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.  Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.  Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven."  (5:14-16)

Knowledge

"36  Master, which is the great commandment in the law?  37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.  38 This is the first and great commandment.  39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.  40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets." (22:36-40)
Peace
"Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.  For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." (11: 28-30)
Jesus Calms the Tempest
"23 Now when He got into a boat, His disciples followed Him. 24 And suddenly a great tempest arose on the sea, so that the boat was covered with the waves. But He was asleep. 25 Then His disciples came to Him and awoke Him, saying, “Lord, save us! We are perishing!”  26 But He said to them, “Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?” Then He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. 27 So the men marveled, saying, “Who can this be, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?”" (8: 23-27)
Peter Walks on Water
"25 And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea.  26 And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear.  27 But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.  28 And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water.  29 And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus.  30 But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me.  31 And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?" (14: 25-31)
Jesus Heals the Diseased
"34 And when they were gone over, they came into the land of Gennesaret.  35 And when the men of that place had knowledge of him, they sent out into all that country round about, and brought unto him all that were diseased;  36 And besought him that they might only touch the hem of his garment: and as many as touched were made perfectly whole." (14: 34-36)
Jesus Heals the Blind
"31 And the multitude rebuked them, because they should hold their peace: but they cried the more, saying, Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou son of David.  32 And Jesus stood still, and called them, and said, What will ye that I shall do unto you?  33 They say unto him, Lord, that our eyes may be opened.  34 So Jesus had compassion on them, and touched their eyes: and immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed him." (20: 31-34)




"Fear God:" Thoughts on Lil Wayne's Tattoo and the Power in Feeling Small

Sunday, August 5, 2012

"Fear God" . . .

In my opinion, it's the most intriguing of Lil Wayne's facial tattoos.

He has the word "Fear" tattooed on his right eyelid, and "God" tattooed on his left.

When his eyes are open, you can't see it.  But I have his April 2009 Rolling Stone magazine cover blown up and hanging over my bed; his pose is slightly bent over, he pensively looks down.  I see those tats every day.

"Fear God."


Nowadays, most of us aren't accustomed to spiritual ultimatums.  The expression sounds so "Old Testament," almost terrifying.  What does it mean?

First off, it is a concept that comes from the Old Testament.  It really is so "Biblical."  So "quaking and trembling" and get down on your knees.

Why did Lil Wayne put it on his face?!  lol 

Well, of course we can take him at "face value," that he really does "Fear God."  But then of course there's also what religion has meant to the African-American community.  For Lil Wayne, I think "Fear God" is a stamp of joy.

As we all know, the Old Testament, or Hebrew Bible, tells the story of the Jewish people.  In the first book of the Bible, Genesis, God promises Abraham that He will bless and protect his posterity in exchange for obedience.  

That promise came during what was a rather frightening, chaotic time for humanity.  It was an era of seemingly many Gods and many "truths," warring tribes, and lawlessness.  God stepped into that chaos and said: "I'll take care of you."

"Obedience to the One True God" sums it up.

Why be obedient?

Because God knows what's true and what "works."  If you choose to play for His team, guaranteed you'll win, because . . . 

He's God.

He's there to educate and to lead.  But most of all, he's there to redeem.  He's a God of miracles.

God famously liberated the Jews from slavery to the Egyptians.  With His help, they conquered the land of Canaan (modern day Israel).  Even the walls of mighty Jericho fell down.  

God was there during the tough times, too.  When the Jews fell into wickedness and enslavement by the Assyrians and Babylonians, prophecies of a liberating "Messiah" just kept coming.  

God never gives up on His people.  

But . . . 

He asks that they not give up on Him.  To play on His team, they have to play by His rules.  His ways--the ways that work--are true.  People have to get themselves in alignment with true principles or else God can't work through them. 

And if they do . . . 

Nothing can keep even the walls of mighty Jericho from falling down.

When Lil Wayne tattooed "Fear God" on his face, I think that's what he was getting at.

"Fearing God" isn't just some mindless, fearful act of prostration.  It means knowing who's in charge, who sets the rules, and having respect for that, so that God can work miracles in your life.

The miraculous, transformative power of God and the principle that "obedience is freedom" is something that African-Americans have historically celebrated.  Enslaved in America, they identified with the enslaved children of Israel.  Humbled by circumstance, the message resonated.  And it's probably why the church has played such a big role in African-American culture.

Even today, you can feel it.  My brother sang in a Gospel Choir that performed once at a Baptist Church in San Jose (predominantly African-American congregation).  The joy that community felt in religion was palpable.  Above all, you hear it in the music.  They literally raised the roofs praising Jesus.

"Obedience is freedom" and God is a God of miracles.  

"Fear God."

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