The Magi and Jesus

Messiah According to Matthew PART III
Dr. Timothy Keller
14 December 2014

Matthew 2: 1-12
1After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem2 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."

3When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him.  4When he had called together all the people's chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born.  5"In Bethlehem in Judea", they replied, "for this is what the prophet has written:

6"'But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for out of you will come a ruler
who will shepherd my people Israel.'"

7Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared.  8He 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."

9After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was.  10When they saw the star, they were overjoyed.  11On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him.  They they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.  12And having been warned in a dream not to back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.

Magi were astrologers and generally condemned in Old and New Testaments.
General rumor that a king was coming from Jerusalem.
Bright star was conjoining of Jupiter and Saturn.
Elites of the times acknowledged JC

WORLD'S WISDOM IS DATED
--Elite opinion becomes out of date after a generation or so.
--Psychoanalysis was big once in nyc.
--All that is not eternal is eternally out of date (CS Lewis)

WORLD'S WISDOM IS INSUFFICIENT
--World's wisdom can point out problems but not always solve them.
--Poverty--what about the heart of those who have the resources to help alleviate Christmas.

WORLD'S WISDOM IS SUPERFICIAL
--Bethlehem was a backwater town.
--JC wasn't born to the right family, money, or school.
--God has made foolish the wisdom of the world.

POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
--Bowed down and worshiped a baby, just because who he was, not what he has done.
--Jesus is nuanced as should we be.