How Wise These Three Be!
Tree of Life Ministries Association
http://www.treeoflifeinc.org
Pastor Eric Aschendorf 12-11-2003
pastor@treeoflifeinc.org
Mat 2:1 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,
Mat 2:2 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.
Mat 2:3 When Herod the king had heard [these things], he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.
Mat 2:4 And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born.
Mat 2:5 And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet,
Mat 2:6 And thou Bethlehem, [in] the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel.
Mat 2:7 Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, enquired of them diligently what time the star appeared.
Mat 2:8 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.
Mat 2:9 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.
Mat 2:10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.
Mat 2:11 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.
Have you ever stopped to ask when hearing this account of the birth of our LORD, "How did these Wise men know of the birth of the KING OF THE JEWS?" I mean, think about it? It wasn’t broadcast over TCN (The Camel Network). It wasn’t aired over short-wave radio. Neither of these yet existed. So how did they know? We assume that there were at least three that showed up this night because of the number of gifts but there may have been more. How though did they know? There is a fantastic song that has been out for a few years now that is called and asks the question, "Mary did you know?" It questions if Mary understood who JESUS really was and is. From the Biblical accounts at least Mary had been told but as for these three we have no record.
Luk 1:26 And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth,
Luk 1:27 To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name [was] Mary.
Luk 1:28 And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, [thou that art] highly favoured, the Lord [is] with thee: blessed [art] thou among women.
Luk 1:29 And when she saw [him], she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be.
Luk 1:30 And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.
Luk 1:31 And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS.
Luk 1:32 He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:
Luk 1:33 And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.
Luk 1:34 Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?
Luk 1:35 And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.
We also know that Joseph had been told but as for these three we have no record.
Mat 1:18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.
Mat 1:19 Then Joseph her husband, being a just [man], and not willing to make her a publick example, was minded to put her away privily.
Mat 1:20 But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.
Mat 1:21 And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.
Mat 1:22 Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying,
Mat 1:23 Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.
Mat 1:24 Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife:
Mat 1:25 And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS.
For the Shepherds that show up we at least see that an Angel appears to inform them. Yet still, for these three we have no record.
Luk 2:8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
Luk 2:9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.
Luk 2:10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
Luk 2:11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
Luk 2:12 And this [shall be] a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
Luk 2:13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
Luk 2:14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
Luk 2:15 And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.
Luk 2:16 And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.
Luk 2:17 And when they had seen [it], they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.
Luk 2:18 And all they that heard [it] wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.
Luk 2:19 But Mary kept all these things, and pondered [them] in her heart.
Luk 2:20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.
These three Wisemen on the other hand just seem to show up. How is that? We know they saw a star in the east but why did they follow it when apparently no one else did? We are told historically that they came from the area of Babylon. Many speculate that this trip took them roughly two years but Babylon is not that far away even if you would travel by camel and if you took many breaks for some reason. Why, how could it have taken them years to make this journey? No ladies, it is not because they wouldn’t stop and ask directions! Again we fall short in the way of information available about these "Wisemen"!
As I did the research upon this I continually fell short in the way of information about these men and their trip. I did however discover a few things of interest.
From writings we have since discovered that the Romans told of a great coming "King" at this time. They also tell us that this King would come from Judaea. The Jewish historian Josephus also speaks of this.
How would they know? These Wisemen or Magi coming from Babylon. Babylon is the area today known as southern Iraq and northern Iran. Daniel had been held captive in Babylon. He did his writings while he was there. In Daniel 9 he wrote of the coming MESSIAH. With his captivity he also brought with him the Torah, the first five books of the Bible that Moses had written. In the Torah we find the reference to the star.
Num 24:17 I shall see him, but not now: I shall behold him, but not nigh: there shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Sceptre shall rise out of Israel, and shall smite the corners of Moab, and destroy all the children of Sheth.
Num 24:18 And Edom shall be a possession, Seir also shall be a possession for his enemies; and Israel shall do valiantly.
Num 24:19 Out of Jacob shall come he that shall have dominion, and shall destroy him that remaineth of the city.
Let’s look at the scepter first. This is a possession of someone in authority, a king/queen, a prince/princess or the like. It represents rulership or authority. Astronomers, scientist that study the stars, will tell you that at about the time of the birth of JESUS there existed a strange alignment of the planets. At this time Jupiter and Saturn would have been aligned with each other. Jupiter is known as "The Star of David" or "The Star of the MESSIAH". Something of note about this alignment is that it would have also occurred when Israel’s first "deliverer", Moses was born. Another point is that it would have been seen in the constellation of Leo the Lion. The MESSIAH was to come as the "Lion of Judah".
Thus having copies of the Torah and the writings of Daniel as well as being scholars of maters concerning religious things, these Wisemen knew that something special was happening and they wanted to be a part of it. They wanted to see for themselves and to know the matter first hand. So they put the petal to the metal or the foot to the camel and ventured forth toward Judaea.
This is where Matthew 2:1-11 comes in to the scene.
Mat 2:1 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,
Mat 2:2 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.
Mat 2:3 When Herod the king had heard [these things], he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.
Mat 2:4 And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born.
Mat 2:5 And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet,
Mat 2:6 And thou Bethlehem, [in] the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel.
Mat 2:7 Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, enquired of them diligently what time the star appeared.
Mat 2:8 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.
Mat 2:9 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.
Mat 2:10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.
Mat 2:11 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.
Notice that these Wisemen go to the area and seek advice. Men take the time to look and learn. They are seeking advice. They are asking for help at the gas station. And all the women said … ?
When they ask Herod he is clueless but he knows of whom to ask. He turns to the "religious" wisemen of his area and asks the chief priests and scribes. They in turn being wise turn to the writings of Micah and in Mic 5:2 they find:
Mic 5:2 But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, [though] thou be little among the thousands of Judah, [yet] out of thee shall he come forth unto me [that is] to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth [have been] from of old, from everlasting.
Ok, so the camels are refilled and off they proceed but wait! Why are they going alone? Why did the chief priests and scribes not go also? Look at what Herod asked of them in verse 4; he demanded of them where Christ should be born. He is asking them where the MESSIAH is to be born! Why are they not excited? Why are they not moved? Why do they not get up from the ballgame they are watching and run to Bethlehem? What if you were one of them today? What would your reaction be if someone told you GOD was present in that church down the street whose doctrine you disagree with?
These chief priest and scribes are enjoying the life that being confidants to Herod provides them. They are enjoying the prestige of being someone that Herod seeks advise from in matters of religion. With these positions come other creature comforts as well such as financial and lodging benefits. They enjoy the best of almost everything. Still, this is the MESSIAH? What about the church down the street from you? If they are experiencing a move of GOD, do you believe it? If so why aren’t you there? A religious spirit can keep any of us from experiencing the fullness of GOD! Nathanael almost missed being called by JESUS thirty years later for the same reason.
Jn 1:4-6 And Nathanael said unto him, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto him, Come and see.
Now let’s look at what these aptly described "wisemen" brought with them and why.
Since these men are described in the plural usage of the word as men and not man we know that there is at the very least two of them. We assume that there are three, each bringing a separate gift but we really don’t have proof of that. We will for the sake of ease however from this point on assume that there are three and refer to them as if there are.
With them they brought;
1) Gold
2) Frankincense
3) Myrrh
Why did they bring these gifts? What did they know of the coming MESSIAH that those chief priests and scribes that were blinded by a religious spirit did not?
Gold:
Gold was the most precious known metal of that day. When you greeted a King you brought with you the very best gift you had available. When the Queen of Sheba greeted Solomon the first thing she gave him was gold.
Myrrh:
Myrrh is cut from a tree and is brown in color. When Moses led the nation of Israel into the dessert and came to the waters at Marah he had led them to a place of bitterness. That is the meaning of the word Marah. It has the same root word, as does Myrrh. If you taste Myrrh you will receive a bitter taste in your mouth. It was used as part of the anointing oils used to prepare someone for burial. Myrrh was the gift for a Prophet. It was given to a prophet to represent the word that they would bring forth. Often the word of the Prophet was considered to be bitter to hear or receive.
Frankincense:
Frankincense is a white resin cut from a tree. When you burn it in its raw form it gives off a sweet odor or aroma. Frankincense was the gift for a priest. For the priest was to offer to the LORD the sweet aroma of the prayers and sacrifices or offerings of his people.
David was anointed three times. Samuel first anointed him as a teen. Then he was anointed as the king of the tribe of Judah (praise). Finally he was anointed as the king of Israel.
JESUS too was anointed three times! John first anointed HIM at the Jordan River. This started HIS time of ministry on the earth as The GREAT PROPHET of ISRAEL. Later HE was anointed by Mary when she broke open her Alabaster box in the Upper Room and prepared HIM for the time of HIS death. Lastly HE was anointed by Joseph of Arimathaea to prepare HIM for burial.
While on the earth JESUS filled the office of the Prophet! Sometimes HIS word was hard for the people to understand. HE once drove away a rich man with HIS word. HE once cleared the temple with HIS word.
Frankincense is for HIS time in Heaven. Today HE serves as our HIGH PRIEST sitting at the right hand of The FATHER ever interceding on our behalf.
Sometime in the coming future, maybe today, in the twinkling of an eye HE will be returning as described in Rev 19.
Rev 19:11 And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him [was] called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.
Rev 19:12 His eyes [were] as a flame of fire, and on his head [were] many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself.
Rev 19:13 And he [was] clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.
Rev 19:14 And the armies [which were] in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.
Rev 19:15 And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.
Rev 19:16 And he hath on [his] vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.
Ok, Ok maybe you can see the use of the Myrrh in the burial ointment. Maybe you can see the use of the Frankincense in order to create a sweet smelling ointment for use in the Alabaster box but why the Gold?
How would you suppose that a carpenter’s family that has come from Nazareth, a very small town several days away, is now going to move in a hurry to Egypt and survive for two years until Herod dies? They did so by using the gold.
God had provided the prophecy of the coming MESSIAH. Who came in the fullness of time! HE had provided the place in Bethlehem for the Wisemen to discover HIM safe from the reach of Herod, satan’s workman. HE then supplied the provision, the gold. The means by which to keep the hope of all mankind alive!
How wise these three be?
Gold for the King
Myrrh for the Prophet
Frankincense for the Priest
All for the MESSIAH, JESUS
Truly these were Wisemen!
How wise these three be? Oh, yeah, wise they truly be! They prophesied of all that HE came to be and was and is yet to come! These men sought after truth despite their religious beliefs. They sought GOD, the CREATOR of everything with all that was within their ability to do.
Lk 10:27 And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself.
They didn’t care that HE was not from Babylon. They didn’t care that HE was not of their church or denomination. They didn’t care that HE came as child to lead them. They didn’t care that HE was born in a manger and of a humble family. They sought only the TRUTH! What are you seeking?
2Ch 7:14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
How wise are you?
Copyright © by Tree of Life Ministries Association All Right Reserved.
Published on: 2004-01-23
