Why The Magi’s Journey Still Calls Us To Seek, Respond, And Give Our Best - [Matthew 2:1–11]

Setting The Scene In Matthew 2

0:00 SPEAKER_00: Wise Men Still Seeking.

0:04 SPEAKER_00: In today's podcast, we explore Matthew chapter 2 verses 1 through 11.

0:09 SPEAKER_00: This scripture tells the story of the Magi, wise men who follow the star in search of the newborn king.

0:18 SPEAKER_00: When they finally find the baby Jesus, these wise men present gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh, each with deep meaning.

0:30 SPEAKER_00: The Magi's journey reminds us of the importance of seeking Christ with faith, humility, and worship.

0:39 SPEAKER_00: In this podcast, we'll conduct a verse-by-verse analysis of the scripture passage.

0:47 SPEAKER_00: We will do so by carefully and thoroughly explaining and illustrating the main points of this passage, which are as follows.

0:57 SPEAKER_00: 1.

0:58 SPEAKER_00: Jesus is a king word seeking.

1:01 SPEAKER_00: 2.

1:02 SPEAKER_00: How we respond to Jesus reveals our heart.

1:06 SPEAKER_00: 3.

1:07 SPEAKER_00: True worship involves giving our best.

1:16 SPEAKER_00: And this is found in verses 1 to 2 of Matthew chapter 2.

1:21 SPEAKER_00: And this scripture reads thus.

Who Were The Magi?

1:39 SPEAKER_00: We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.

1:45 SPEAKER_00: Who were the Magi who came to Herod looking for the King of the Jews?

1:51 SPEAKER_00: The Magi were a priestly group who were initially located in Babylon.

1:56 SPEAKER_00: They studied astrology and astronomy.

2:00 SPEAKER_00: In about 586 BC, the Babylonians sacked Jerusalem and took the Jews into exile.

2:09 SPEAKER_00: Among these was Daniel.

2:11 SPEAKER_00: The Bible records that Daniel, who was one of these captives, became the leader of these wise men slash Magi.

2:21 SPEAKER_00: It is believed that due to Daniel's influence on these wise men, Jewish prophecies of a Savior King, the Messiah, were well known to the Magi.

2:32 SPEAKER_00: Persia conquered Babylon and so the Magi were to be found there as well.

Why The Star Drew Them

2:39 SPEAKER_00: Why did the Magi follow the star?

2:42 SPEAKER_00: It is believed that a combination of three astronomical events was involved.

2:49 SPEAKER_00: These three astronomical events were as follows.

2:54 SPEAKER_00: 1.

2:55 SPEAKER_00: The remarkable sequence of the triple conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn in 7 BC, two years before Jesus was born.

3:05 SPEAKER_00: 2.

3:06 SPEAKER_00: The massing of three planets in 6 BC, one year before Jesus was born.

3:12 SPEAKER_00: And 3.

3:13 SPEAKER_00: The star comet in 5 BC, the year Jesus was born.

3:19 SPEAKER_00: Let's look at these three events in detail.

3:22 SPEAKER_00: The first of these was the great conjunction.

3:26 SPEAKER_00: In astronomy, a conjunction occurs when two astronomical objects appear to be close to each other in the sky.

3:36 SPEAKER_00: A great conjunction is a conjunction of the planets of Jupiter and Saturn.

3:43 SPEAKER_00: This is when the two planets appear closest together in the sky.

3:48 SPEAKER_00: Normally, great conjunctions occur approximately once every 20 years when Jupiter overtakes Saturn in its orbit.

3:59 SPEAKER_00: Johannes Kepler, the great German astronomer, calculated that in 7 BC, two years before the birth of Jesus, a great conjunction took place three times in the same year: May, October, and December.

Triple Conjunction In Pisces

4:18 SPEAKER_00: Furthermore, these conjunctions took place in a part of the sky known as Pisces.

4:24 SPEAKER_00: Pisces is associated with Israel.

4:28 SPEAKER_00: When these three great conjunctions took place in 7 BC, it was determined by the Magi that the astrological message was this: a Messiah king will be born in Israel.

4:43 SPEAKER_00: History records that there was a similar triple conjunction of Saturn and Jupiter in Pisces three years before the assumed date of the birth of Moses.

4:55 SPEAKER_00: Thus it is suggested that the seven-basy triple conjunction alerted the Magi to the coming of another Moses who would deliver his people, the Messiah Jesus Christ.

Planetary Massing And Timing

5:10 SPEAKER_00: Next, let's look at the second event.

5:13 SPEAKER_00: And this was the massing of three planets, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn, which occurred in 6 BC.

5:22 SPEAKER_00: And this was the year after these three great conjunctions had taken place.

5:29 SPEAKER_00: Mars joined Jupiter and Saturn in the sky.

5:32 SPEAKER_00: So in February of 6 BC, the three planets, which were still in the area of sky known as Pisces and associated with Israel, were separated by only about eight degrees.

5:47 SPEAKER_00: Johannes Kepler, the great German astronomer, calculated that such a massing of Jupiter, Saturn, and Mars occurs only once every 805 years.

6:02 SPEAKER_00: Kepler further determined that the massing of these great planets all coincided with great events in history.

6:11 SPEAKER_00: These historically significant events were as follows: the birth of Moses in 1617 BC, the birth of Isaiah in 812 BC, the birth of Christ in 5 BC, and the birth of Shalom in AD 799, and the Reformation which took place in A.D.

The 5 BC Comet Evidence

6:35 SPEAKER_00: 1604.

6:37 SPEAKER_00: And the final event was the appearance of the star comet in 5 BC.

6:53 SPEAKER_00: We look at the fact that the Chinese invented both paper and ink, and they've been in existence for more than 5,000 years, and their history is a written history.

7:05 SPEAKER_00: The Han Dynasty was the second imperial dynasty of China and lasted from 206 BC to AD 220.

7:15 SPEAKER_00: In this dynasty, this Chinese dynasty that recorded everything by pen and paper, there's a description of the star comet that occurs in the official history of this Han Dynasty.

7:35 SPEAKER_00: The records of the Han Dynasty detail that a star with a tail, a comet, appeared in 5 BC about March or April.

7:46 SPEAKER_00: The 5 Bisi comet description that is documented in the official Han Dynasty's records fits the biblical description of the star of Bethlehem, since according to the Chinese records, it was first seen rising in the east in the morning sky.

8:10 SPEAKER_00: Matthew 2.2 states that the Magi first saw his star in the east.

Tracing The Magi’s Journey

8:16 SPEAKER_00: This final event, the appearance of the star, caused the Magi to begin their journey, as that meant the birth of the great Messiah King was imminent.

8:30 SPEAKER_00: Let's look at the journey that the Magi took.

8:42 SPEAKER_00: And it is also estimated that it would have taken them some time to gather the gifts and begin the journey.

8:49 SPEAKER_00: The Chinese records of the star that is found in the Han Dynasty state that this star was visible for over 70 days, which is approximately two and a half months, and that he moved from the east to the south.

9:06 SPEAKER_00: So this tooth supplements and supports the biblical description of what took place.

9:15 SPEAKER_00: This worship act of the Magi resonates all throughout history.

9:20 SPEAKER_00: To today, we speak of the wise men that came to worship the baby Jesus, the Christ child.

9:58 SPEAKER_00: The Guebre were descendants of these ancient Magi who came to seek the Christ child bearing griffs.

10:07 SPEAKER_00: The Goebre people were then located in eastern Persia.

10:11 SPEAKER_00: Unfortunately, the missionaries of Zinzindal funded were attacked and robbed by bandits.

10:18 SPEAKER_00: They were rescued by the British Council, who told them that most of the Goebrew people had been massacred, and those who had survived the massacre had been exiled from Persia.

Worship That Echoes Through History

10:32 SPEAKER_00: These descendants of the Magi were still known for the worship act of their ancestors.

10:39 SPEAKER_00: May our worship also resonate throughout the years.

10:44 SPEAKER_00: This brings us to a second point, how we respond to Jesus reveals our heart.

10:50 SPEAKER_00: And this is found in Matthew chapter 2, verses 3 to 8, which reads thus.

Herod’s Fear And Bethlehem’s Prophecy

11:30 SPEAKER_00: Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared.

11:38 SPEAKER_00: He sent them to Bethlehem and said, Go and search carefully for the child.

11:44 SPEAKER_00: As soon as you find him, report to me so that I too may go and worship him.

11:51 SPEAKER_00: Herod the Great was in power from 47 to 4 BC.

11:57 SPEAKER_00: Matthew records that Herod the Great was still in power when Jesus was born.

12:02 SPEAKER_00: 5 BC was the year before Herod the Great died.

12:06 SPEAKER_00: This lends credence to 5 BC being the year that Jesus was born.

12:13 SPEAKER_00: Matthew further records that Herod was disturbed and all of Jerusalem with him when the Magi came to the palace to seek Jesus.

12:23 SPEAKER_00: The Magi had shown up to see the greatest king that would ever be born, and they expected that such a king would be in the king's palace.

12:33 SPEAKER_00: Herod the Great was astonished, as he knew of no other king in the vicinity of Israel, especially one that was considered to be greater than him.

12:43 SPEAKER_00: Herod called together all the chief priests and teachers of the law because he was at a loss as to what the wise men were talking about.

12:53 SPEAKER_00: It was then that Herod learned that the Messiah, the great king of the Jews, was to be born in Bethlehem.

13:01 SPEAKER_00: Seven hundred years before Jesus was born, Micah prophesied that Jesus would be born in Bethlehem.

13:10 SPEAKER_00: It is from a city of no repute, Bethlehem, that Micah prophesied that the Messiah would come.

Dates, Passover, And Birth Window

13:17 SPEAKER_00: Bethlehem is located about six miles from Jerusalem.

13:23 SPEAKER_00: Tradition states that the shepherds of Bethlehem cared for the lambs that would be taken to the temple to be sacrificed.

13:32 SPEAKER_00: Fittingly, the lamb that was slain for the sin of the world from the foundation of the world was also born in Bethlehem.

13:43 SPEAKER_00: Based on when the Chinese recall the appearance of the comet, Jesus was born sometime in the period March 9th to May 4th of 5th BC.

13:55 SPEAKER_00: In 5 BC, the first day of the feast of Passover fell on April 20th, which is the midpoint of this date range of March 9th to May 4th, 5 BC, that the comet was seen in the skies.

14:11 SPEAKER_00: Birth at Passover time is consistent with the Jewish expectations for the birth of Messiah.

14:21 SPEAKER_00: The passage then records that Herod called the Magi secretly.

14:26 SPEAKER_00: Herod alleged that he wanted to know how long the Magi had been seeking this newborn king so that he too could go and worship.

14:37 SPEAKER_00: The Magi recounted not only the appearance of the comet, but also described the significance of the planetary massing in 6 BC and the triple conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn in 7 BC, two years before the birth of the child.

14:55 SPEAKER_00: Herod the Great was known for his cruelty and his paranoia regarding losing his position as king.

15:05 SPEAKER_00: He was known to murder rivals, whether they were real or just existed in his imagination.

15:12 SPEAKER_00: Herod murdered his wife Marian and three of his sons for suspected treason.

15:19 SPEAKER_00: Herod had no intention of worshiping the newborn king Jesus.

Herod’s Plot And The Massacre

15:24 SPEAKER_00: He wanted to identify him specifically so that he could kill him and take him out.

15:30 SPEAKER_00: Later in this chapter, we find that Herod gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem who were two years old and under.

15:39 SPEAKER_00: Herod wanted to ensure that he took out this rival king.

15:44 SPEAKER_00: That is why he killed all the boys who had been born since the triple conjunction in 7 BC two years earlier.

15:52 SPEAKER_00: He was leaving nothing to Charles.

15:54 SPEAKER_00: However, Jesus was not Herod's to kill.

15:58 SPEAKER_00: Matthew recalls that an angel told Joseph to take the mother and child to Egypt to keep them safe.

16:06 SPEAKER_00: While the Magi responded to the birth of the Messiah King with worship and joy, King Herod responded with fear and hostility.

16:16 SPEAKER_00: People react differently to Jesus depending on what is in their hearts.

16:21 SPEAKER_00: However, not every person who holds a position of authority will be a reluctant to pay homage to the King of Kings Jesus.

16:32 SPEAKER_00: We are told of Jonathan Gofort, who served as a missionary in China from 1859 to 1936.

16:42 SPEAKER_00: In 1902, Jonathan and his family journeyed to the city of Wuhan to conduct evangelistic meetings.

16:51 SPEAKER_00: When they arrived there, the chief official of Wuhan came to greet them.

16:56 SPEAKER_00: He was escorted by three armed guards.

17:00 SPEAKER_00: The official Mr.

17:01 SPEAKER_00: Yen then offered them a more comfortable way to make the journey to the city, his personal seat and chairs, and he also suggested a place that they could rent and use for their evangelistic outreach.

Different Hearts, Different Responses

17:16 SPEAKER_00: In return, Jonathan presented Mr.

17:20 SPEAKER_00: Yen with a Chinese Bible.

17:23 SPEAKER_00: Sometime afterwards, Mr.

17:25 SPEAKER_00: Yen came to visit Jonathan.

17:28 SPEAKER_00: Mr.

17:28 SPEAKER_00: Yen said that the Bible had tremendous power.

17:32 SPEAKER_00: Prior to reading the Bible, he often took bribes and didn't care.

17:38 SPEAKER_00: He just delivered on just judgments in courts as long as he was being paid.

17:43 SPEAKER_00: Now he found that having read the Bible, if he pursued this activity, he was unable to sleep at night.

17:52 SPEAKER_00: Jonathan gladly explained that the power in the Bible came from the fact and the truth that Jesus came to this earth in human form so that all men could be reconciled to God.

18:08 SPEAKER_00: The highest ranking chief official in the city of Wuhan wisely came to seek Jesus and found a new life in Jesus.

A Chinese Official Finds Faith

18:18 SPEAKER_00: May we also seek Jesus and live in the fullness of new life in Christ.

18:24 SPEAKER_00: This brings us to a third point.

18:27 SPEAKER_00: True worship involves giving our best, and it's based on verses 9 to 11.

18:33 SPEAKER_00: After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until they stopped over the place where the child was.

18:44 SPEAKER_00: When they saw the star, they were overjoyed.

18:47 SPEAKER_00: On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him.

18:54 SPEAKER_00: Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

19:02 SPEAKER_00: The wise men left Hera to continue their search for the baby Jesus, and God provided the star to lead them to the place where Jesus was.

The Star Leads To The Child

20:00 SPEAKER_00: Offering to God.

20:02 SPEAKER_00: These valuable items, gold, frankincense, myrrh that the Magi bought, were standard gifts to honor king or deity in the ancient world.

20:13 SPEAKER_00: It is believed that these three items were chosen for their special spiritual symbolism about Jesus Himself.

20:23 SPEAKER_00: Gaul is associated with kings.

20:27 SPEAKER_00: Jesus Christ, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, was being presented with gold as a sign of his kingship.

20:36 SPEAKER_00: Twice daily, the priests burned frankincense on the incense altar in the temple.

20:43 SPEAKER_00: Once before the morning sacrifice and again after the evening sacrifice.

Gifts And Their Deep Symbolism

20:49 SPEAKER_00: This burning of frankincense symbolized the prayers of the people ascending to God.

20:55 SPEAKER_00: Jesus as great high priest would hear the prayers of his people.

21:01 SPEAKER_00: Myrrh was used to anoint the priests and the articles of the tabernacle.

21:07 SPEAKER_00: Jesus' priestly status has been shown here by this gift of myrrh.

21:12 SPEAKER_00: The Magi bowed down and presented these valuable gifts, gold, frankincense, and myrrh to the Christ child Jesus.

21:23 SPEAKER_00: Wise men still give up their all and their very best to Jesus.

21:28 SPEAKER_00: When Jonathan Gofort was preparing to come to China to serve as a missionary, he asked a young lady Rosalind to accompany and marry him.

21:40 SPEAKER_00: He also asks her if she'd be willing to do without an engagement ring.

21:45 SPEAKER_00: Jonathan wanted to use the money for the ring to mail out Hudson Taylor's pamphlets so as to challenge his fellow Canadians about the spiritual needs of China.

21:58 SPEAKER_00: Jonathan went on to China and in his first six months as a missionary, Jonathan gave away a year's worth of tithes to fellow missions who were in need.

22:10 SPEAKER_00: Jonathan then told his wife that the goal would be to give away another 10% in the six months which followed, which they did.

22:20 SPEAKER_00: Jonathan Goffort was committed to giving God his very best.

22:26 SPEAKER_00: He went on to become the foremost missionary revivalist in early 20th century China.

22:33 SPEAKER_00: Wise men still seek the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, Jesus Christ.

22:40 SPEAKER_00: As we close, Matthew chapter 2, verses 1 to 11 reminds us that Jesus Christ is King, not just for one people, but for all nations.

22:51 SPEAKER_00: The Magi who are outsiders, they were Gentiles, yet they were willing to search, to listen, and to worship the Messiah King, Jesus Christ.

Giving Our Best: Modern Examples

23:03 SPEAKER_00: Their journey challenges us to ask, are we willing to seek Jesus with the same determination, humility, and faith?

23:13 SPEAKER_00: We are invited to respond to who Jesus truly is, not with fear and hostility like Herod did, but with joy, surrender, and worship as the Magi did.

23:27 SPEAKER_00: May we all for Christ our best, not just material objects, but our hearts, our obedience, and our lives.

23:36 SPEAKER_00: God is calling all of us to follow Him in Christian discipleship.

23:41 SPEAKER_00: Today, if you do not know Jesus as personal Lord and Savior, he is knocking at the door of your heart.

23:49 SPEAKER_00: Will you please let Jesus in?

23:52 SPEAKER_00: There's eternal life after this life here on earth, and we have to make a choice where we'll spend eternity, hell or heaven.

24:00 SPEAKER_00: Hell is real.

24:01 SPEAKER_00: Jesus spoke more about hell than he did about heaven.

24:05 SPEAKER_00: There's only one way to heaven, and that is by confessing Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and believing in our hearts.

24:14 SPEAKER_00: If anyone listening wishes to come to know the joy, peace, and love that can be found in Jesus, please feel free to repeat after me.

24:26 SPEAKER_00: Jesus, please come into my heart and be Lord of my life.

24:36 SPEAKER_00: Wash me and make me clean.

The Call To Seek And Surrender

24:40 SPEAKER_00: Teach me to live for you.

24:43 SPEAKER_00: Amen.

24:45 SPEAKER_00: If you have prayed this prayer, congratulations.

24:49 SPEAKER_00: You're now officially one of Jesus' believers.

24:52 SPEAKER_00: Please let others know that you're now a follower of Jesus.

24:56 SPEAKER_00: Set time aside to read the Bible daily.

24:59 SPEAKER_00: You can do so online.

25:01 SPEAKER_00: If you have not habitually read the Bible previously, I recommend that you start with the Gospel of John.

25:08 SPEAKER_00: Talk to God constantly about everything.

25:11 SPEAKER_00: He loves to hear from us as we are his children.

25:14 SPEAKER_00: Please find a Christian church to go to fellowship with other believers so that you can learn how to be a disciple of Jesus.

25:23 SPEAKER_00: In conclusion, we pray that this podcast has positively impacted all of our lives and has enabled us all to become more like Jesus.

25:34 SPEAKER_00: Please like, follow, and subscribe to Catch and Fire Podcasts on the varying platforms that we are featured on.

25:42 SPEAKER_00: Please join me as I speak transformational words of life over all of our lives.

25:53 SPEAKER_00: We declare and decree in the name of Jesus that we are still holding on to God's unchanging hand.

26:01 SPEAKER_00: We are still in God's holy plan.

26:04 SPEAKER_00: We declare and decree in the name of Jesus that we are living holy lives as God requires.

Invitation To Faith And Next Steps

26:11 SPEAKER_00: We declare and decree in the name of Jesus that we are feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, welcoming the stranger, giving clothes to those in need, ministering to the sick and visiting those who are in prison, and we are doing so to the least of those among us, as when we do so we are ministering to Jesus.

26:34 SPEAKER_00: We declare in the Queen the name of Jesus that we have received healing, as by his stripes we are healed.

26:41 SPEAKER_00: From the crown of our head to the soles of our feet, all of our bodily organs are working correctly.

26:47 SPEAKER_00: We declare in the Queen the name of Jesus that God is ordering our steps, that all weapons that are formed against us have been utterly and completely destroyed, and every tongue that is rising against us in judgment is condemned.

27:02 SPEAKER_00: We declare in the Queen in the name of Jesus that all generational curses are cancelled.

27:08 SPEAKER_00: Anything that runs in our ancestral bloodline that is not of God has no power over us, our children and our grandchildren, and is eliminated forever right now.

27:20 SPEAKER_00: We declare and decree in the name of Jesus that angels are watching over and keeping our family, our children, our grandchildren, our loved ones safe.

27:29 SPEAKER_00: We declare and decree in the name of Jesus that every negative word that has been and has is being spoken over our lives and that of our family, children, grandchildren, and loved ones is cancelled and sent back to the pit from whence it came.

27:46 SPEAKER_00: We declare and decree in the name of Jesus that we are the head and not the tail.

27:52 SPEAKER_00: We declare and decree in the name of Jesus that we are not and will never be ashamed.

27:57 SPEAKER_00: Our enemies have not and never will triumph over us.

28:02 SPEAKER_00: We declare and decree in the name of Jesus that anything that is not of God that has been dispatched to hinder our blessings, our progress and our well-being is immediately destroyed.

Declarations Of Blessing And Strength

28:14 SPEAKER_00: We declare in the name of Jesus that we are financially in line with God's word, and as such, we are lenders and not borrowers.

28:22 SPEAKER_00: As a result, all of our debts have been paid and are forgiven.

28:27 SPEAKER_00: We declare, in the Queen, in the name of Jesus, that the enemy of our souls has no authority over our finances and our funds, and that we are good stewards of the money that God has placed in our keeping.

28:39 SPEAKER_00: We declare, indeed, in the name of Jesus, that in the area of business and our carriers, that just as Isaac reap a hundredfold, the blessings of Abraham are falling on us, and we are reaping a hundredfold from whatever we put our hands to.

28:55 SPEAKER_00: We declare, in the Queen, in the name of Jesus, that we are living under an open heaven.

29:00 SPEAKER_00: In every area of our lives, blessings are falling on us, our family and our loved ones.

29:06 SPEAKER_00: These blessings are being manifested in our lives, in the spiritual and in the physical.

29:12 SPEAKER_00: Let's say the 23rd Psalm.

29:19 SPEAKER_00: He maketh me to lie down in green pastures.

29:22 SPEAKER_00: He leaded me beside the still waters.

29:25 SPEAKER_00: He restored my soul.

29:27 SPEAKER_00: He leaded me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

29:31 SPEAKER_00: Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for thou art with me.

29:38 SPEAKER_00: Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me.

29:41 SPEAKER_00: Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies.

29:46 SPEAKER_00: Thou anointest my head with oil, my cup runeth over.

29:51 SPEAKER_00: Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

30:01 SPEAKER_00: The Lord bless you and keep you.

30:04 SPEAKER_00: The Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you.

30:10 SPEAKER_00: The Lord turn his face towards you and give you peace.

Psalm 23 And Closing Benediction

30:14 SPEAKER_00: Amen.