READ: Matthew 1-2
Verses
chosen for meditation: Matthew 2:1-3
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 saw his star
when it rose and have come to worship him.” 3 When
Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him;
REFLECT
With
great excitement, we kick off the New Testament with the book of Matthew! One
of 4 gospels, Matthew was written for the main audience of Jews. This can be
seen in how the book starts: with genealogy, as the Jews place high importance
in ancestry. But even in the genealogy, with some of its inclusion, barriers between
men and women, Jews and Gentiles, good and bad people are broken down. The book
wonderfully links Jesus with his Jewish origins and OT background, pointing the
Jews forward to the mission of growing the Gentile Christian community.
This
book written for Jews, showed a sharp contrast in Chapter 2, between how the
Jews and a group of Gentiles reacted to the good news of Jesus’ birth. King
Herod, the people of Jerusalem and the chief priests (Jews: God’s own people!)
were troubled by this news. The Magi, outsiders (Gentiles) from the east were
excited to see Jesus. We see 2 camps: one of hatred and opposition, and the
other of praise and worship. The irony’s not lost on the author. By the time he
wrote this gospel, Gentiles were flooding into the church eager to learn about
Christ, while most of his Jewish compatriots did not want to know.
Herod
was troubled as he feared Jesus would usurp his throne. This was a king who
ordered the massacre of all babies in Bethlehem in the age range of Jesus. In
Matthew 2:4-7, he summoned his chief priests to find Jesus’ whereabouts. Using
their knowledge of the word, they fed Herod information to serve his sinister
plans. They knew well what their king was up to, but did nothing. The apathy of
these clergy later hardened into outright opposition to Jesus’ ministry, and
ended with lust for his blood.
The
Magi were the only ones excited about the news, who journeyed far to worship, who protected by withholding information to Herod. These reactions show a jarring
contrast, one that causes us to review how we regard our own God.
RELATE
4
groups are represented here. Herod represents leaders. The people of Jerusalem
represent followers of leaders. The chief priests represent those well-versed
in the Bible. The Magi represent outsiders. Which group do we belong to?
Leaders
King
Herod was the leader of God’s people, with authority given by God to govern. But
Herod used this authority for his own selfish purposes. Do we sometimes misuse
God’s authority given to us? Whether as employers, heads of households,
captains of teams, or project leaders, do we use those under us to further our wealth
and honour, or abuse them to have our way. Or are we servant leaders who build
them up so they can prosper?
Followers
of Leaders
Cruel
leaders are no surprise to us. What’s more surprising is the 2nd group.
It’s appalling that in v3, not only Herod, but “all Jerusalem” was troubled with
him. All, not some. Why would they support an evil ruler? We see then that it
is common to blindly follow whoever’s in power instead of thinking critically what
it means to do right in God’s eyes. It can happen to any of us. Perhaps it’s
even harder to discern if the leader’s ways serve our own personal desires as
well. Many may stand to gain from the oppression of a few, and are fine with
it.
Those Knowledgeable in the Word
The
chief priests surprised us as well. They quoted Micah 5:2, which is great news,
as it promises a ruler who will shepherd the people. What did the priests do with
this news? Did they celebrate and seek out this promised shepherd to worship him,
like the Magi? To them, it’s just another piece of information. Information they could easily give to Herod, so that he
could kill off the promised shepherd.
This
shows knowledge in the word does not necessarily translate to obedience. Identifying
ourselves as Christian leaders, pastors or Bible experts does not impress God,
if the word does not transform us. Perhaps we know the word quite well, but the
word no longer moves us. Are we excited by what the word promises, or are they just
a load of information to us? Is the gospel still good news to us?
Outsiders
Then
we have the Magi, so eager to meet the promised shepherd that they risked much to
journey far. They are reminiscent of the lost today who desire to see a better
world, yearning for a just, loving saviour in their broken world. In their search, the word is treasure to them. Seekers in a Congo church, who
could ill afford a Bible, literally tore up pages of the Bible, so they could
share this treasure amongst their family members. How is our fire compared to these
outsiders?
Which
group do we identify more with? Regardless of which group, we can use this
season to understand God’s heart for us through the gospels, and may that move
us to give him true worship.
REST
Matthew is a book for the Jews, but also a hard one
for them to read, as it reveals their hardened hearts towards their own God. If
they (and we) can critically reflect and react well, they should not be
troubled by this book, but celebrate the good news that it is. Good news
because of Jesus. Herod held on jealously to his kingship by oppressive use of
power. Jesus instead showed his kingship by sacrificing for us some 30+ years
later. Like the Magi, we can only bow in awe before a God who could love us
that much.
Chris Chong
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