Of Roman peace and wise men

Hi. 

While it is a little early to take my Nativity scene down from the garage shelf, and carefully position each figure on a table in my living room, I can picture each piece in my mind’s eye. Imagine with me a similar configuration:  there is a rough-hewn open roofline, under which is the manger.  The figures of Mary and Joseph are nearby, adoringly looking down at the babe Jesus; there are three ‘wise’ men with gifts in their arms placed at an appropriate distance, plus a few shepherds and some farm animals on the periphery.  Yes, got it. 

Okay well, that’s nice, but it is not really how it would have been!  When Jesus was born, the shepherds did indeed make their way to him—but it would have been some time—months at least--before the ‘wise’ men got there.  The shepherds and wise men were not there at the same time; and by the time the wise men came from the east, Jesus would not have been in a manger in some inn; in fact, Matthew tells us he was living in a house.  

Step a little closer please. The players in this (mostly) familiar scene:         Jesus as a baby, Herod the king, Mary and Joseph, ‘wise men’ or magi from the East, and three unique gifts.  Take a look:  “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, saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen 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 when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.

So they said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet:

‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
Are not the least among the rulers of Judah;
For out of you shall come a Ruler
Who will shepherd My people Israel.’”

Then Herod, when he had secretly called the wise men, determined from them what time the star appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the young Child, and when you have found Him, bring back word to me, that I may come and worship Him also.”

When they heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

Then, being divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed for their own country another way.” Matthew 2.1-12, NKJV

When Jesus was born, Emperor Caesar Augustus ruled the vast Roman Empire, of which Palestine was a part.  The Pax Romana (or peace of Rome) was in place, so the entire region was united under a single rule and no wars were taking place anywhere in the Empire.  There was a common language, an intricate system of roads, a good system of justice, and a strong military force.¹ This is part of the foundation God put down before the birth of Jesus.  In addition, the Jewish people were expectant of a Savior King to free them from the tyranny of Rome’s heavy hand.  God had planned Jesus to be born at just the right time.²  On a local level, Herod Agrippa or Herod the Great was the ruler, which was a kind of a good news/bad news thing for the Jewish people.    

The Greek word for ‘wise men’ was magi, describing the men as astrologers, who studied the skies to predict the future.  Having seen some kind of star, they travelled a great distance—likely from modern-day Iran or Iraq—to pay homage to the king they believed to be born in Palestine.  Arriving in Jerusalem, they go directly to Herod to inquire of his knowledge about such a birth, which touches off instant paranoia.  ‘A king of the Jews born?  What will this mean to my position?’ He gathers the Jewish chief priests and scribes together to inquire of their knowledge, and of course, they recall the prophecy of Micah,³ ~ the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem, about five and a half miles south of Jerusalem.⁴

The magi mount their camels once more to make the journey, carefully guarding their precious gifts—gold, because that was the gift given to a king, frankincense because it was highly valued and often used in worship and myrrh because it was used to anoint the dead . . . hmmm, a forth-telling?  Serious gifts.  Significant gifts to be sure. 

But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
Are not the least among the rulers of Judah;
For out of you shall come a Ruler
Who will shepherd My people Israel.  I love this verse as it is the fulfillment of Micah’s prophecy and also prophetic of what would soon be.  As Jesus says of himself, I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd gives his life for the sheep.⁵  And reminds me of the shepherd boy who knew who took care of him;⁶ God is yet our shepherd today, when we are wise enough to seek him.

Christine

1 - http://tere.org/assets/downloads/secondary/pdf_downloads/GCSE/Pales...

2 – Consult Galatians 4.4-5, as Paul comments on ‘the fullness of time.’  What was meant by that?

3 - Micah 5.2

4 - http://www.distancefromto.net/between/Jerusalem/Bethlehem

5 – John 10.11

6 – Read Psalm 23 ~ the psalm of the shepherd.  What does this psalm mean to you personally?