Three Journeys of Faith

This passage opens up with a narrative of the birth of Jesus around the time of the reign of Herod the Great, between 7-5 BC. Here in Matthew chapter 2, we see three faith journeys and where they took people.

Matthew introduces us to: 

• The Wise Men

• Herod the Great

• Chief priests and scribes

He didn’t have to go into detail about the wise men, Herod, or the chief priests and scribes as those who were reading the account were quite familiar with their respective histories. But as we take a closer look at the story we can observe how each responded to the birth of Christ and where they placed their faith.

Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.”

When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.  And gathering together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born.

They said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for this is what has been written by the prophet:  ‘And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah, are by no means least among the leaders of Judah; For from you will come forth a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.

Then Herod secretly called for the magi and determined from them the exact time the star appeared.  And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the Child; and when you have found Him, report to me, so that I too may come and worship Him.”

After hearing the king, they went on their way; and behold, the star, which they had seen in the east, went on ahead of them until it came to a stop over the place where the Child was to be found.

When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.  And after they came into the house, they saw the Child with His mother Mary; and they fell down and worshiped Him.

Then they opened their treasures and presented to Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.  And after being warned by God in a dream not to return to Herod, the magi left for their own country by another way (Matthew 2:1-12, NLT).

The Wise Men: who were they?

There is actually very little information about them in the Scriptures and we have no idea about their real names or about how many were traveling in their entourage. But there is information available outside of the Scriptures in historical texts which give us an idea of who these people were.   

According to historians, these Magi were from the east (the word east literally means “from the rising” of the sun and refers to the Orient). Magi from the east were considered imperial priests from Persia who were very different from the despised Magi from the Roman empire.

They were wise, we are not talking about someone who was just clever or intelligent, but someone who was an expert in the knowledge of science, agriculture, mathematics, and ancient historical texts.

Hundreds of years before the time of Christ, the Magi’s religious and political influence continued to grow until they became the most prominent and powerful group of advisors in the Babylonian and the Medo-Persian Empire.

That’s why they were often referred to as “wise men.” It’s not certain how far east they came from - some speculate they came from Babylon, but it could have been further east. 

The Persian Magi combined science with their theology because they believed both were intricately linked together. It was through the ancient writings combined with the science of astronomy that would have led these men to conclude that the sudden appearance of this star was a sign that a king had been born. It’s very possible that the Magi were familiar with the Jewish writings from Daniel's time or Balaam’s prophecy over 1000 years BC that predicted:  

A star will come out of Jacob; a scepter will rise out of Israel (Numbers 24:17).

They were willing to do whatever it took, sacrificing time and money, traveling great distances, even at the risk of looking foolish, all to see if what they believed was true. It would have meant a significant amount of preparation, planning, and resources to bring a large number of personnel and supplies

But their faith in the prophecies and from what they studied in science, history, and theology was not a blind faith or wishful thinking - their faith was in the coming King.

I think of Lee Strobel and C.S. Lewis who were highly educated, intellectual men who started their journey in life as atheists but studied the Bible claims and history and found the truth.

Allister McGrath was also a staunch atheist - an intellectual historian and scientist who after studying the natural sciences in great detail had to rethink his beliefs and became a theologian and historian. Today he is an Anglican priest and science and religion professor at Oxford University. 

The world-famous geneticist, Francis Collins, one of the world’s foremost genetics researchers who with a team of scientists discovered the sequence of the DNA in the human genetic map was also an atheist.

He recounted:  

“I didn't want this conclusion. I was very happy with the idea that God didn't exist, and had no interest in me. And yet at the same time, I could not turn away. I had to keep turning those pages. I had to keep trying to understand this. I had to see where it led. But I still didn't want to make that decision to believe.”

Maybe this is your journey of faith right now. Like the Magi you are on a quest -  asking and actively seeking for the one true God.   

These wise men in their quest for the truth followed the star and (in vv. 1-2) when they arrived in Jerusalem, they began asking, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? ”We were following His star.

The Greek word asking is a present participle emphasizing continual action. This suggests that they went around the city questioning whomever they met “Where is the newborn king?” Naturally, if you're looking for a king you go to the capital city of a country and you would assume everyone would know who the King is.

You can imagine the Magis’ shock when no one knew what they were talking about, so they went straight to the top and asked King Herod, “Where is the one who has been born King of the Jews?” Their journey of faith was leading them to the Savior, and they would not stop until they found Him.

Herod the Great 

History records Herod’s skills as a diplomat, fundraiser, and military leader in the campaign that made him king (by Rome’s appointment). He was an impressive builder of cities and was known for the massive expansion of the Jewish temple. He had no choice but to do major renovations and expansions of the temple because people resented the fact that his own palace dominated the previous temple both in size and location. Everything he did was to bring glory to himself. Ancient Historian Josephus said, 

Herod loved honors, and being powerfully dominated by this passion, he was led to display generosity whenever there was reason to hope for future remembrance or present reputation. 

Herod's fatal flaw was his obsessive paranoia and insecurity about his place on the throne. He killed anyone he believed threatened his authority including his own wife and sons. In 6 B.C., he executed several Pharisees who had announced that the birth of the Messiah would mean the end of Herod's rule.

When he was dying in 4 BC he knew people would be happy about this and so he ordered that on the day of his own death that all the illustrious men of the Jewish nation be gathered and killed, so he would at least know that people were weeping on that day. His ruthlessness earned him a place in history as a ruler of extreme cruelty and everything he did, his accomplishments, all his acts of kindness or cruelty were to secure his own power, legacy and to bring glory to himself.

So what was Herod's response when the magi asked him to tell them where the King of the Jews was so they could worship Him?” His response was one of fear.

Herod's response to this King was one of hatred and hostility because this Messiah threatened all that he placed his faith in.

The Chief Priests & Scribes  

The priests were the experts in OT theology and the scribes were the experts in the Jewish civil and religious laws. When Herod asked them, “Where is the Messiah going to be born?” They answered him without any hesitation -  “Bethlehem, Judea.” They cited the prophetic verse in Micah:

But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times (Micah 5:2 NIV). 

It was common knowledge that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem, that He would come from the tribe of Judah and the line of David (John 7:42). They knew the prophecy in Micah 5: 2 which was written over 400 hundred years before Christ.

There was great anticipation for this Messiah but what is so striking about the chief priests and scribes, the top scholars of the day, is how they responded to Herod’s question with such indifference, in such a mechanical way.

These people were so caught up in the knowledge about God’s Word, their religion, their rituals, sacrifices and works that they completely missed it. The Messiah had come but they were occupied with their own journey of faith.

You would think that they might make that 5-mile journey to worship the King of the Jews, but their journey of faith was not leading them to Jesus, the Savior of the world, the One they had been teaching about and waiting for.

a system that was designed to lead them to the Savior and then fade out. History records that these religious people were the ones responsible for the crucifixion of Jesus.

Even we as believers can begin to move our faith in God to faith in a religious system or denomination so that the system or name becomes more important than our relationship to Jesus Himself.

You should know this, Timothy, that in the last days there will be very difficult times. For people will love only themselves and their money. They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and ungrateful. They will consider nothing sacred.

They will be unloving and unforgiving; they will slander others and have no self-control. They will be cruel and hate what is good. They will betray their friends, be reckless, be puffed up with pride, and love pleasure rather than God. They will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly. Stay away from people like that! (2 Timothy 3:1-5)

You can always tell where someone has placed their faith by what they worship. Herod worshipped himself, the religious people worshipped a system, but the wise men worshipped the Savior, the only True God, the only one worthy of worship and honor and praise.

...and behold, the star, which they had seen in the east, went on ahead of them until it came to a stop over the place where the Child was to be found.  When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.  And after they came into the house, they saw the Child with His mother Mary; and they fell down and worshiped Him (Matthew 2:9-11).

When we look at the journeys of faith of Herod, the chief priests and scribes, and the Magi, and where they led, what was the outcome? The one who put his faith in himself resented the Savior.

With all their knowledge, wealth and wisdom, their journey brought them to Jesus, who’s glory never fades and they had exceeding joy.

Honestly, the wise men had the prestige, wealth, and all the worldly wisdom anyone could want but the difference is that they did not put their faith in these things. They did not worship it.

They did not put their faith in self or in a system but they put their faith in a person, the Person of Jesus, the Savior of the world.