Title: The Magi
The Magi (Matthew 2:1-12) - Lecture 2
In the text, the wise men from the East appear. Often, when we talk about the Magi, we try to understand that they are people who came from far away to Bethlehem to worship Jesus, who was born on this earth. However, one question arises in the text. That is why they went to Jerusalem. If the wise men came to Jesus on their own, they could say that they took the wrong path, but the wise men were guided by the stars from the beginning. In other words, God is leading the wise men from their land to the place where Jesus is. Then, what is God trying to show through the wise men? If, as mentioned above, worship is the purpose, then it is only natural that the star should lead them straight to Bethlehem. But God sends wise men to Jerusalem. It is the place where the king is, and the place where the Jewish religious leaders, the Pharisees and the scribes, are located. So the wise men are there looking for a man born as the 'King of the Jews'. That is, they deny the king in Jerusalem. This caused great commotion in Jerusalem.
Our attention here should not be placed on the PhDs. God did not leave these words to introduce the faith of the wise men who now worship the baby Jesus by offering gifts. Last time we looked at why Jesus came to this earth. Jesus said that He came to save His people from their sins. In other words, the purpose of Jesus' coming to this earth is to distinguish between his people and those who are not his people. So who are your people? Like Joseph and Mary, he said that when Jesus intervened in their lives, they gave up their rights, bearing the shame and contempt that came upon them. Because of Jesus, we are walking the path of shame and contempt, that is, our own loss. This is following the cross and is the image of Jesus' people. Those who are not their own people who try to prove their own righteousness, base their actions on the basis of righteousness, and ignore those who are inferior to them in the idea that if God is with them, they will do well and succeed in the world. It is Jesus who came as Immanuel to distinguish.
After the Magi worshiped Jesus and returned, Jesus fled to Egypt to escape Herod's hand. Jesus says that Herod will remain in Egypt until the death of Herod in verse 15 to fulfill the prophecy of Hosea 11:1, "Out of Egypt I called my son." But this is contradictory. Because Jesus went to Egypt The prophecy that he was called out of Egypt cannot be true because he was in the state of being down. It is difficult to understand because it is said that Jesus was called from Egypt even though he went down to Egypt.
There is only one solution here. The solution is not to think of Egypt as a geographical factor, but as a person who exists. That is, in the Old Testament, Egypt was the place where Herod was, just as King Pharaoh was ruling.