Matthew 2:1-6, Luke 2:8-14 (The adoration of the infant Jesus)

Rachel Workman:

Matthew	Mark	Luke	John
1 Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod. About that time some wise men[a] from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem, asking, 2 “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star as it rose,[b] and we have come to worship him.” 3 King Herod was deeply disturbed when he heard this, as was everyone in Jerusalem. 4 He called a meeting of the leading priests and teachers of religious law and asked, “Where is the Messiah supposed to be born?” 5 “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they said, “for this is what the prophet wrote: 6 ‘And you, O Bethlehem in the land of Judah,     are not least among the ruling cities[c] of Judah, for a ruler will come from you     who will be the shepherd for my people Israel.’[d]” The wise-men were seeking the King, but Herod was afraid of the King and wanted to destroy Him. This was Herod the Great. He was a very cruel man who loved to murder. He had his own wife and her two brothers killed because he suspected them of treason. Herod alone wanted to have the title “King of the Jews.” But there was also another reason. Herod was not a full-blooded Jew; he was actually an Idumaean, a descendant of Esau. This is a picture of the old struggle between Esau and Jacob that began even before the boys were born (Gen. 25:19–34).		8 That night there were shepherds staying in the fields nearby, guarding their flocks of sheep. 9 Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terrified, 10 but the angel reassured them. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. 11 The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! 12 And you will recognize him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.” 13 Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God and saying, 14 “Glory to God in highest heaven,     and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.” Of course I love Luke's account better. I love all the verses here. And there isn't much I can say but 14 stood out to me. Glory to God in highest heaven. Amen to that but then is says and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased. I don't think it takes a rocket scientist to figure out that there is no peace for those that God is not pleased with. There can't be peace when there is a constant internal struggle.

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John Burnett:  Matthew 2:1-6

The Magi Visit the Messiah

2 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi^[a] from the east came to Jerusalem ² and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”

³ When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. ⁴ When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. ⁵ “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:

⁶ “‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
    are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for out of you will come a ruler
    who will shepherd my people Israel.’^[b]”

This is just one of the many prophesies that have come true.  I am ready for some more to happen soon.  Matthew is the only book where the Magi are mentioned.  I am curious as to how far east did they come.

Luke 2:8-14

⁸ And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. ⁹ An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. ¹⁰ But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. ¹¹ Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. ¹² This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

¹³ Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

¹⁴ “Glory to God in the highest heaven,
    and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

Shepherds where the lowest of the low in the Jewish class system, yet God wanted them to be some of the first to know of Jesus’s birth.  I’m sure there is a connection to humility there somewhere.  Would love to listen to these shepherds tell their story about that night.

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Krista Cook:   - still today, Jesus is deserving of our awe and worship.  Do you search Him out like the wise men did?  Do you stand in awe at the good news of His word?   Maybe even tremble a bit, like the shepherds?  Do you take time daily to praise His name? 

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Mike Grimm:  I found the following on workingpreacher.org and wanted to share it as there is a dark side to Matthew whereas Luke had shepherds and angels saying “don’t be afraid.” There is such a contrast between the two readings.

Matthew 2:1-6

The arrival of these wondering astrologers signals that the reach of God’s embrace is broadening considerably, that there is no longer “Jew” and “Gentile,” but that all are included in God’s plan for salvation. This isn’t a new theme in Judaism, as from the very beginning of the story God promises to bless Abraham that he may, in turn, be a blessing from the world. But now it is happening – all distinctions between people of different ethnicities and religions are dissolving. All are becoming one in Christ, and who knows what may change next.

Whatever its various and sundry causes, fear is a powerful thing. In response to their fear, Herod, along with the chief priests and scribes, conspire to find the Messiah and kill him. They will not succeed this time, but much later in the story there will again be an unholy alliance between the political and religious leaders of the day who will not only conspire against Jesus but this time capture and crucify him.

The adult version of Matthew’s nativity moves quickly from the glad moment of the adoration and gifts of the magi to a darker, more ambivalent world of political intrigue, deception, and fear-induced violence. (There’s a reason we read Luke on Christmas Eve!) But if Matthew’s account is more sober, it is also realistic. We live in a world riddled by fear, a world of devastating super-storms and elementary school massacres, a world where innocents die every day to preventable illness and hunger. In Matthew’s story of the visit of the magi – and the subsequent slaughter of the innocents in the verses to come – Matthew renders an accurate if also difficult picture of the world.

And that is what is at the heart of Matthew’s darker, more adult-oriented story of Jesus’ birth: the promise that is precisely this world that God came to, this people so mastered by fear that we often do the unthinkable to each other and ourselves that God loves, this gaping need that we have and bear that God remedies. Jesus is Emmanuel, God with us, the living, breathing, and vulnerable promise that God chose to come live and die for us, as we are, so that in Christ’s resurrection we too might experience newness of life.

I found the following on The Expository Files website. It made me see more into the reading than I was seeing.

Luke 2:8-14

Angels were heralds of the new-born Saviour, but they were only sent to some poor, humble, pious, industrious shepherds, who were in the business of their calling, keeping watch over their flock. We are not out of the way of Divine visits, when we are employed in an honest calling, and abide with God in it. Let God have the honor of this work; Glory to God in the highest.

God chose this class of men to be the first recipients of the greatest tidings ever revealed unto mankind. Was this a mistake? Could the angel have mistakenly delivered the message to the wrong people? There was no mistake. Unlike most monarchs, Jesus was a King for the people. “to all people.” The angle from the Lord delivered the message with pinpoint accuracy to those for whom it was intended, the people. The angel revealed "unto you a child is born." The Sovereign of the universe would come and be born to the people. The king would not be born within the walls of a royal palace, but rather in a barnyard stall where He could experience from the first day, the life of the people for which He came to save; the humble, the poor in spirit, the meek. (Kenneth R. Peden)