My Tuesday Reflection Introduction to Part 1. <\/strong>Pastor John MacARTHUR recently commented in one of his Christmas sermons: \u201dFamiliar scene of Christmas is depicted so commonly by artists who design Christmas cards,\u00a0and most people get their understanding of Christmas\u00a0from Christmas cards and not from Scripture.\u201d The basic Christmas Story is so familiar to the world: Joseph and Mary and the Baby, and the shepherds who were abiding in the field by night and the angelic host announcing the joyful birth of the Savior of the world, so that\u2019s why \u201cThe Greatest Story Ever Told\u201d is so easy for graphic artists to depict same on paper, canvass and paint! But what about us, modern Christians today? Do we also know the Christmas Story from Christmas Cards instead of from the Bible? Perhaps such one story famously depicted in picture and song: \u201cWe 3 Kings of Orient Were,\u201d\u00a0 involve several mistaken beliefs we have regarding the three(3) wise men from the east, also known as The MAGI, <\/strong>\u00a0who visited the Babe in the Manger to pay homage to Him and to worship Him as King. My Tuesday Reflection04 January 2022Texts: Matthew 2, Daniel 1-5, Micah 5, John 1, Isaiah 53 Introduction to Part 1. Pastor John MacARTHUR recently commented in one of his Christmas sermons: \u201dFamiliar scene of Christmas is depicted so commonly by artists who design Christmas cards,\u00a0and most people get their understanding of Christmas\u00a0from Christmas cards and not…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[6,7,18,8,5],"class_list":["post-142","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-ptr-nene-rubrico","tag-church-of-the-risen-lord","tag-crl","tag-jesus","tag-upcemi","tag-upcrl"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/upcrl.org\/refreshment\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/142","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/upcrl.org\/refreshment\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/upcrl.org\/refreshment\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/upcrl.org\/refreshment\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/upcrl.org\/refreshment\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=142"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/upcrl.org\/refreshment\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/142\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":143,"href":"https:\/\/upcrl.org\/refreshment\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/142\/revisions\/143"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/upcrl.org\/refreshment\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=142"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/upcrl.org\/refreshment\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=142"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/upcrl.org\/refreshment\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=142"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
04 January 2022
<\/strong>Texts: Matthew 2, Daniel 1-5, Micah 5, John 1, Isaiah 53<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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\u00a0 But who were the Magi?\u00a0 <\/strong>The word Magi comes from the Greek word ‘magos’ (where the English word ‘magic’ comes from). Magos itself comes from the old Persian word ‘Magupati’. This was the title given to priests in a sect of the ancient Persian religions such as Zoroastrianism. Today we’d called them astrologers. From the Matthew account of Chapter 2, vv 1-12, we learn many things that are biblical and not the stuff of legend that later on grew from this account, such as: they were not kings but men of science\/astronomy, mixed with knowledge of astrology (study of the star system attributed with supernatural significance); there may have been more than three of them, notwithstanding the three gifts they offered to Baby Jesus; despite that they had names \u2013 Gasphar, Melchor and Baltazar \u2013 given \u00a0 by religious zealots late in the 4th<\/sup> century A.D. Nor were their preserved skulls found\u00a0 (by relic hunters, led and inspired by Helena, the mother of Byzantine Emperor Constantine) in a cathedral in Cologne, Germany, as a church in Milan, Italy claims the same\u00a0 honor \u2013 after a minor battle with their opposite claimant in the 12th<\/sup> century!
\u00a0 What was Their Purpose in Coming from the Orient\/East? <\/strong>Their purpose in coming is biblically answered in Matt 2:2 with their own question to King Herod the Great:\u00a0 \u201cWhere is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.\u201d <\/strong>A simple declaration by them to a puppet, Roman-installed, king, Herod, who was not even Jewish but belonged to the tribe of Edom, that astounded him! Who were these mysterious people who came from the Orient? You see,\u00a0 in those days, there were two great empires \u2013 the western Roman empire centered in Rome, and the eastern Persian-Parthian empire whose capital was variously Babylon, Baghdad, Susa, or Persepolis during the Achaemenid Era (see Wikipedia.com). These two empires clashed for world dominance, with the tiny province of Judea as their battleground, and Herod in Jerusalem at its epicenter.
\u00a0 But why did the Magi know about the Star of Bethlehem?<\/strong> Flashback several centuries earlier in 605 BC. King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, in his first conquest of Jerusalem, exiled the defeated house of Judah to Babylon \u2013 led by Daniel, Meshach, Shadrach, and Abednego \u2013 the \u201ccream\u201d of the royalty class. The 4 proved to be the smartest, brightest and healthiest in the Nebuchadnezzar court and eventually promoted to power by the various Medo-Persian kings, especially Daniel with his gift of prophecy, personal integrity and leadership, being appointed prime minister of the vast eastern empire for more than 60 years. Later, Daniel became the chief of the court \u201cmagicians,\u201d or Magi, whose priestly class had enormous religious and political influence in the Persian court during Daniel\u2019s lifetime of 80 yrs (Dan 1:21) and serving under the confidence of at least 4 kings.\u00a0 It was likely in the teachings of the prophet Daniel, chief of magicians, that referred to a \u201cKingly Star.\u201d You see, under the religious practice of the Persians, the Magi class were the \u201cKingmakers\u201d of the empire with their skill in PROPHECY. When Daniel was appointed chief of the Magi (Dan 5:11, he no doubt taught\u00a0 to them the Old Testament prophecies about the coming of the Messiah, the Great World King. , a great Jewish monarch who would bring in a divinely inspired monarchy of righteousness and rule the world. And this revelation no doubt excited the learners of the class, and they obviously wanted to be a part of it by studying the skies for \u201cThe Star\u00a0 of Bethlehem.\u201d The Magi who came from Persia were adept students of that prophecy taught by Daniel long ago.\u00a0
\u00a0 The Magi were Led by the Star to the Baby Jesus. <\/strong>Herod, after consulting with his own astrologers, told them where to find Jesus through a prophecy of Micah 5:2 \u2013 \u201cBut as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Too little to be among the clans of Judah, From you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. His goings forth are from long ago, From the days of eternity.\u201d And as they went, the Star reappeared and led them to exactly to the place \u2013 a house this time, not a cave for animals \u2013 where Jesus lay, for it had been several months since they\u00a0 saw the Star that heralded Jesus\u2019 birth (Matt 2:9), and Jesus had grown between 1 and 2 years old.\u00a0 The story of the Magi appropriately ends like this, Matt 2: 10- 12: \u201cWhen they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.\u00a0 After coming into the house they saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell to the ground and worshiped Him. Then, opening their treasures, they presented to Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.<\/strong>\u00a0 And having been warned by God in a dream not to return to Herod, the magi left for their own.\u00a0 country by another way.\u201d
\u00a0 Conclusion. <\/strong>The Magi were the FIRST GENTILES TO WORSHIP GOD THE SON. That was their only intent and it WAS FULLFILLED!! The murderous king Herod did not have the satisfaction of destroying the long-awaited Messiah, so he vented his anger on the Innocent children of Bethlehem by slaughtering them, thus fulfilling what John 1:10-12 said, citing Isaiah 53:3: \u201c\u00a0 He was in the world, and though the world was made through Him, the world did not recognize Him. He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. But to all who did receive Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God.\u201d The Magi crowned Him with their gifts, and worshipped him. Thus the Magi, together with the lowly shepherds and all those who believed (and continue to believe) obtained \u201cthe right to become children of God\u201d\u00a0 by their WORSHIPFUL ACTIONS. AMEN! – pn.\u00a0
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