Jesus is the Promised King

Crown Him with many crowns.

That's what the song we just sang together.

! And this morning as we open up our scriptures to Matthew chapter 2,

Matthew 2 · chapter mention

! That's going to be kind of the theme of our time together is Christ the King.

Worship the King.

Jesus as the Anointed One, the anticipated and promised King.

Here He comes.

I don't know if you've been following any of the news this past week,

but with the fall of Syria and the fall of Assad and his regime,

and now the Jews who are now coming into the Golan Heights

and now occupying this space that was kind of the demilitarized zone between Israel and Syria,

now there is this anticipation that is this growing anticipation of a coming King.

I was just watching some documentaries this past week,

and a rabbi who is speaking about some prophecies that were captured in the Mishnah.

The Mishnah, which was an oral tradition that was written down about 2000 years ago.

And in the Mishnah, as this rabbi was indicating, there was a promise, a prophecy,

in this Mishnah of the Messiah and his coming that would be aligned with the taking over of the northern part of Israel

and the pulling together of Israel in its unified way.

This growing sense of a coming Messiah harkens back to the same kind of enthusiasm and energy

that was present in the first century around the coming of the Messiah.

And of course, that Messiah did come.

His name was Jesus Christ, and we're going to learn about Him today.

And here we are as believers, looking at the world around us,

seeing some things unfold in the Scriptures that would make us wonder

if the second coming is right around the corner.

And here are Jews who, because of what's unfolding now in the Middle East,

and President Netanyahu, who is communicating not only to the people of Israel,

but to the people of the Middle East, this positive message of the fact that in his mind at least,

what is unfolding is the unifying of peace in that Middle Eastern region.

Which, by the way, is only possible when the Messiah comes.

We are on the cusp, really, of amazing days.

And the question that comes to us from this passage

perhaps brings that much more force to us,

and that is, how will we respond to the King?

Will you receive the King?

Matthew, who was an apostle of Jesus Christ,

inspired by the Holy Spirit,

is writing this gospel account.

The gospel of Matthew that we're studying

through the past several weeks and moving on to next week as well.

We refer to this as the gospel of Matthew

because it is preeminently about the life and ministry of Jesus.

This good news of what Jesus came to do

in terms of leading us to him

and making it possible through faith in Christ

to be forgiven of sin.

Matthew will demonstrate from the start

that his goal is to demonstrate

that Jesus is really the focal point of the message.

That Jesus as Savior,

but also, and more importantly,

Jesus as Christ, Messiah,

anointed one, and King.

The prominent feature of this genealogy

that begins this gospel record

captured for us in the first 17 verses

draws attention to that very fact.

It begins in verse 1 this way,

the book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ.

Then in verse 16,

we find Joseph,

the husband of Mary,

of whom Jesus was born,

who is called the Christ.

Then in verse 17,

speaking of the generations that existed,

the generations from Abram to David

were 14 generations.

From David to the deportation to Babylon,

14 generations.

From the deportation of Babylon to Christ,

14 generations.

Christ being preeminent,

the anointed one,

the King.

And what is interesting,

then, when we turn the page

to verse 18,

we see this interesting account

about how Jesus,

in his birth,

notice in verse 18,

now the birth of Jesus Christ

took place this way.

And yet,

as you read the account

from verses 18

to the end of the chapter,

there's almost nothing

about the birth itself.

The kind of human features

that we would want to know.

Those kinds of things

that we get from Luke,

the gospel of Luke,

the account that's there.

Of how Joseph and Mary

made their way to Bethlehem.

Of how Mary was great with child.

And she delivered.

And she wrapped this baby

in swaddling clothes.

She laid him in a manger.

Those are the kinds of details

we would expect

in a birthing account.

But none of that

is present in Matthew.

Why?

Because Matthew wants to draw attention

to Christ the King.

Jesus as the anointed one.

Jesus as the preeminent one.

Jesus as the promised king.

So the focus

of Matthew's narrative

is squarely

and supremely

on Jesus Christ.

Son of David.

Worthy of worship.

And all of this raises

the question for us this morning

that will come into view

is how will we respond

to the king?

Jesus is king.

How will we respond

to the king?

What will be the way

that you respond

and what will be the results

of this message

on your heart?

As we read through this passage,

we're going to find ourselves

in one of six groups.

These responses

that we'll see

as we work our way

through this passage today.

And I think

these six responses

kind of help

to encompass

the breadth

of potential responses

to Christ as king.

And we're going to just

walk through them

together this morning.

Beginning with

Joseph and Mary.

Joseph and Mary's response

that begins there

in chapter 1,

verse 18.

Moving through

chapter 2,

verse 1.

And we see

that Joseph and Mary

receive the king obediently.

Joseph and Mary

receive the king obediently.

obediently.

That really is

and must be

the first response

of every true follower

of Christ.

Every true subject

of Christ

is to receive

the king

humbly

and obediently.

we find in chapter 2,

verse 1,

it begins this way,

now after Jesus

was born in Bethlehem

of Judea

in the days of

Herod the king.

And our scene,

it changes drastically

from chapter 2,

from chapter 1

to chapter 2.

And if you are familiar

with this story,

you might be asking

yourself the question,

what in the world

just happened here?

We were in Nazareth.

Joseph received this word

from an angel

and now what has taken place?

How in the world

did we make our way

to Bethlehem?

And there's much

that happens

in transition,

but I just want to draw

your attention

to a few things,

both as a reminder

and as helping

to fill in

some of the white spaces

so that we can understand

the significance

of our response

to the king

that must align

with the hearts

of Joseph and Mary

and a desire to yield

and be obedient

to the king.

Last week,

we saw in verse 19

of chapter 1

that the character

of Joseph

that's described,

it says here

that Joseph,

being a just man

and unwilling

to put Mary to shame,

resolved to divorce

her quietly.

In his heart,

there was a desire

to align himself

with the patterns

that he saw

in the line,

the law,

to be consistent

with what he knew

about who God was

and at the same time

to echo God's heart.

That heart that we see

throughout the Old Testament,

this heart of mercy,

this heart of compassion,

this is the heart

that we see

and Joseph,

he wants to be obedient

to God's law,

but he wants to show

the compassion

of God's heart.

So what is he to do?

He's conflicted

and so an angel

shows up

to Joseph

and gives him

a word,

a word of confidence,

take Mary

to be your wife

and name

the child

Jesus

because he's going

to save his people

from their sins.

And then we find

Joseph's response there

in verses 24 and 25.

Notice,

when Joseph woke

from his sleep,

he did

as the angel

of the Lord

commanded him.

He took his wife.

He knew her not

until she had given birth

to a son

and he called

his name Jesus.

Joseph

obeyed

and yielded

without hesitation.

Joseph

obeyed

immediately.

He obeyed

completely.

He obeyed

uprightly

and justly.

There was this

consistent pattern

of his heart

to do what he was told.

He followed through.

Joseph was a man

who's obedient

and his obedience

to God

would mark

his life

as the adopted

father

of Jesus Christ.

But several months earlier,

Mary would also show

her compliant heart

as the angel Gabriel

will come to her

to explain the events

that will shortly

transpire for her.

We find that account

in Luke chapter 1.

Luke 1 · chapter mention

I just want to briefly

draw your attention

to it.

Luke chapter 1

Luke 1:30–33

verses 30 to 33.

It says,

the angel said to her,

this is Gabriel,

do not be afraid,

Mary,

for you have found

favor with God.

And behold,

you will conceive

in your womb

and bear a son.

You shall call

his name Jesus.

He will be great,

will be called

the Son of the Most High

and the Lord God

will give him

the throne

of his father David

and he will reign

over the house

of Jacob forever

and of his kingdom

there will be no end.

And I'm sure Mary

as she's wondering,

how in the world

is this going to happen?

She actually asks

that question

in the next verse.

Mary says to the angel,

how will this be

since I am a virgin?

And the angel answers her,

the Holy Spirit

will come upon you.

The power of the Most High

will overshadow you.

Therefore,

the child to be born

will be called

holy,

the Son of God.

And then in verse 38,

one of my favorites

in the Gospel of Luke

says,

And Mary said,

Behold,

I am the servant

of the Lord.

Let it be to me

according to your word

and the angel

departed from her.

I am a servant

of the Lord.

I am God's subject.

I belong to Him.

And I will do

what God has told me to do.

My heart will yield.

I will be submissive.

I recognize Him as King.

He is in charge.

In the heart

of every true subject

of the King

has a compliant heart

like Joseph

and Mary

desire not only

to know

what the Word of God says,

but to follow through

and to do it

without hesitation.

I will do

what God has said.

I am a servant

of the Lord.

Let it be to me

according to your word.

And that is the testimony

of the obedient hearts,

the compliant hearts

of Mary and Joseph

that we find

in our account.

And that's how they

find their way

and make their way

to Bethlehem.

So when we come

to Matthew

Matthew 2:1

chapter 2

verse 1,

that's what we see.

Jesus was born

in Bethlehem

of Judea.

How?

How was he

born there?

Well, he was born there

because there was

a decree,

those of you who know,

in Luke chapter 2,

Luke 2 · chapter mention

a decree that went out

by Caesar Augustus

that all the world

would be registered.

And guess what?

Compliant hearts do.

Compliant hearts obey.

And when compliant hearts

obey,

compliant hearts

find themselves

exactly

where God

wants them to be.

And so they find

themselves

in Bethlehem,

exactly where

the scriptures

told them

to be.

But all of the events

that got them there

happened because

of obedience,

submission,

compliance,

recognizing God

as king.

He is king today.

He wasn't just king

2,000 years ago.

Jesus is king.

He's Christ,

the king.

Do we have hearts

that are willing

to submit,

comply,

and surrender

to God

as king,

subjects of him?

We make our way

then to this

second group

of individuals

who now

show up

in Bethlehem,

excuse me,

show up in Jerusalem.

These wise men

we're going to begin

to see in verses

1 and 2

and we're going to

find that these

wise men

seek the king

eagerly.

You might

use the word

earnestly.

You might use

the word

expectantly.

Whatever word

you want to put

there is up to you

but there is

this eager

anticipation,

expectancy

of the king

who is there.

Notice

it says

at the end

of verse 1,

behold wise men

from the east

came to Jerusalem

saying,

where is he

who has been

born king of the Jews?

For we saw

his star

when it rose

and have come

to worship him.

Now arriving

on the scene

is this group

of wise men

and by the way

that title

should sound

familiar to us

having just

finished a study

in Daniel.

There are only

two places

in the Old

Testament

where we find

reference to

wise men.

The first

is in the

Exodus

and wise men

that were present

in Egypt

there with Moses

and then

in Babylon

and Persia

wise men

were there

during the exile.

These wise men

are a title

that comes to us

and it serves

to describe

this group

of individuals

who had a

priestly function

and served

as representatives

within the

context of

authority

in an empire.

Babylon

and Persia

being one

of the prominent

places

that we find them.

This group

was known

for their attention

to astrological

kinds of things

and so

they already

have kind of

an awareness

of the stars

and of constellations

and those kinds

of things

so their hearts

are already

kind of fascinated

by that kind

of situation.

These are

those individuals

who in

media in Persia

already had

a sensitivity

to the fact

that built

in to

their understanding

was that when

new kind of

stars and

constellations

would happen

it would designate

in their minds

at least

the presence

of a new king.

But we also

get hints

from the Old

Testament

that there

was a

considerable

group

of exiles

that remained

back in Babylon

and back

in Persia

when those

exiles

the 50,000

exiles

that came

in the first

return

came to

Jerusalem.

In that

community

that remained

there was a

group of Jews

that had copies

of the law.

We find

an example

of this

in Ezra

Ezra 7:10

chapter 7

verse 10

where Ezra

will

80 years

later

bring another

group of

Jews

back from

Babylon

to Jerusalem

and we find

this about him

in Ezra

7.10

it says

Ezra was not

only

a scribe

familiar with

the scriptures

but it indicates

that he knew

the scriptures

well

and he knew

them in

totality.

Those scriptures

those copies

of the scriptures

that were present

there in Babylon

and accessible

to this

community

of exiles

who remained

behind.

We find

that Ezra

in his

return to

Jerusalem

will send

back word

to Babylon

and will ask

for several

individuals

who can trace

their lineage

back to Levi

so they can

actually serve

as priests

they can

serve as

Levites

and temple

servants

within the

temple setting

and they're able

to do this

because their

heritage was

still intact

even 150

years after

the original

conquest

of Jerusalem

so it's likely

that these men

that are represented

in our passage

today

are Gentiles

who have

in some

way

enjoyed

or experienced

some

experience

with this

community

and have

exposure

to the

scriptures

and have

been called

because of

the scriptures

to celebrate

this coming

king.

One prophecy

that's captured

in the Torah

it's in

Numbers

Numbers 24:17

chapter 24

verse 17

speaks about

this star

and speaks

about this

future king

it says

I see him

but not now

I behold him

but not near

a star shall

come out of

Jacob

a scepter

shall rise

out of Israel

it shall crush

the forehead

of Moab

and break

down all

the sons

of Sheth

perhaps they

were reviewing

this passage

this is actually

a prophecy

of Balaam

he is

prophesying

over the people

of Israel

before they

make their way

into the promised

land

and yet

speaking for

God

and speaking

of this future

king

perhaps

this is

the star

that they

were thinking

about

familiar with

the Old Testament

these Gentile

strangers

these foreigners

making their way

into

Jerusalem

their expectant

hearts

this trip

that would have

covered

anywhere between

700 and 900

miles

something that

would have been

anywhere between

four to six months

this massive

investment

of time

as long as

a year's

investment

both there

and the return

trip

this was a

costly

endeavor

this was a

decision

marked by

faith

and anticipation

when they get

to Jerusalem

they encounter

some individuals

that's where we

get our next

response here

in verses

two and three

the people

who hear about

the king

hear about

the king

anxiously

you might also

say

nervously

that's our

third point

this morning

the people

who hear about

the king

anxiously

verse two

says

where is he

who has been

born king of

the Jews

for we saw

his star

when it rose

and have come

to worship

him

when Herod

the king

heard this

he was

troubled

in all

Jerusalem

with him

where is he

who has

been born

king of

the Jews

the wise

men

they make

their way

to Jerusalem

they begin

asking questions

here

and the result

of their

questioning

around Jerusalem

is a

trouble

trouble

which is

the word

terrified

it's the word

for turmoil

it's the word

for great

distress

that here

in first

century

while there

was still

this anticipation

and enthusiasm

and expectation

of a coming

Messiah

the questions

of this group

raise the

minds

fear

and anxiety

and turmoil

the Greek

construction

of this word

that they were

saying

or asking

these wise

men who come

saying

or asking

it's in the

it emphasizes

the continual

nature

of the

asking

that's

taking

place

you get

the impression

they make

their way

to Jerusalem

and whoever

they meet

they are

engaging

with this

question

where is

he who

is born

king of

the Jews

that's on

their minds

and all

of Jerusalem

is hearing

this question

being asked

over and

over again

by this

group of

wise men

we saw

his star

in the east

a great deal

of speculation

has happened

around

what was

that star

was it

some

angelic

body

was it

planets

aligning

was it

a

Halley's

comet

and a lot

of speculation

can happen

but what seems

clear about the text

especially in verse 9

is whatever they saw

was a supernatural

event

notice verse 9

the star that they had

seen

when it rose

before them

came until it rested

over the place

where the child

was

that light

and in the Hebrew

and in Greek

star is often used

synonymously

with light

whatever that light

was

seems to have

appeared once

when they were

in the east

and now after

they have

received word

we're going to see

in just a moment

from Herod

as to where

Jesus was born

now all of a sudden

this light shows again

and it settles

over one place

which makes it

very clear

where Jesus was

during this time

there was widespread

expectation

of a coming

king

and yet

the people

rather than

having their hearts

enlarged

are troubled

why?

well the reason why

is because you don't

come into Jerusalem

an occupied place

with Roman authority

and begin asking

questions about

a Jewish king

that is a recipe

for disaster

especially when

the nation

is under this

outside authority

and

the one who is

over you

Herod the Great

we'll see in just a moment

was rash

and violent

and was like a

hair trigger

ready to go off

they knew the temperament

of King Herod

they knew their life

was in danger

they knew the violent

nature and temperament

of this king

but the desire

of the wise men

was to worship

their desire

was to come

we're going to see this

throughout

our passage today

the attention

to worship

the king

and while the people

of Jerusalem

should have heard

this news

and wondered

and the anticipation

in their own hearts

should have grown

instead

they think about

the consequences

of these outsiders

and their hearts

are troubled

rather than being

overjoyed

we move our way

to Herod

in his response

in verses 3 to 8

and if you're

depending upon

the version

of the notes

that you have

the numerical values

may be a little off

on 4, 5, and 6

so just bear with me

and use the notes

that we have

on the board here

Herod

he plots against

the king secretly

we're going to see that

in verses 3 to 8

it says

when Herod the king

heard this

he was troubled

and all of Jerusalem

with him

and assembling

all the chief priests

and the scribes

of the people

he inquired of them

where the Christ

was to be born

they told him

in Bethlehem of Judea

for so it is written

by the prophet

and you

O Bethlehem

in the land of Judah

are by no means

least among

the rulers of Judah

for from you

shall come a ruler

who will shepherd

my people Israel

then Herod

summoned

the wise men

secretly

and ascertained

from them

what time

the star

had appeared

and he sent

them to Bethlehem

saying

go and search

diligently

for the child

and when you

have found him

bring me word

that I too

may come

and worship him

Herod hears

the word

from the street

as it were

he hears

the cacophony

or the chorus

of individuals

who are now

coming to him

and bringing him

word about

these outsiders

who are curious

about a king

so Herod calls

these two private meetings

the first meeting

with the religious leaders

and the second secret meeting

that will take place

with the wise men

themselves

his goal

is ultimately

to eliminate

the threat

his goal

is to plot

against

Jesus

his goal

is to exterminate

this future king

so there's no threat

to his power

Herod the Crate

was a half Jew

and half Edomite

there were

seasons

in his reign

where he showed

great kindness

to the people

he was wealthy

he was politically

gifted

he seemed to be loyal

he was

a good

administrator

he

even during

a famine

he was

superb

at building

projects

and he

demonstrated

benevolence

to the people

but he loved

power

and he loved

power

especially

towards the

end of his life

and the

and the further

he got

or the closer

he got

to the end

of his life

the more paranoid

he would become

so that

the woman

that he would marry

who was

a Jew

he married her

in order to

be in the good

graces

of the Israelites

he felt threatened

by her

and he killed her

he killed two

of his sons

and then

towards the very

close proximity

of his death

he would kill

another

a third

son

Herod

was a man

who was known

for his

bloodthirstiness

his cruelty

distinguished

itself

among the

citizens

of Jerusalem

so that

towards the

end of his

life

he arrested

several of the

citizens

of Israel

and he

commanded

that they be

put to death

on the day

of his death

he didn't want

people in Jerusalem

to celebrate

he wanted people

in Jerusalem

to mourn

and so by

killing those

who were citizens

of Jerusalem

related to family

members in Jerusalem

he could ensure

that in fact

people would

sorrow and grieve

on that day

rather than

desire for that

day to come

so there's no wonder

why all of Jerusalem

was troubled

they knew the

rashness

they knew the

violence

of King

Herod

this was a

recipe

for disaster

and Herod

was intent

on exterminating

his threat

and he would

do it

privately

he would do

it secretly

he would do

it deceptively

so he calls

in these

religious leaders

we find their

response in

verses 4 to 6

kind of captured

within the

greater context

of Herod

the religious

leaders who

speak about

the king

carelessly

what I mean

by carelessly

is without

concern

they couldn't

care less

about the

information that

they were giving

Herod calls

for them in

verse 6

excuse me

verse 4

it says he

assembles all

the chief priests

and the scribes

he is interested

in making sure

that he wasn't

leaving anything

to chance

Herod

assembles the

best and the

brightest

he makes sure

that they're all

present

this job description

these guardians

of the law

these who knew

the law

inside and out

they were the

experts as it

were

the Cambridge

the Harvard

the Yale

of the day

they were those

kinds of

mental scholars

of the law

Herod questions

them

and they

provide a response

and the response

is telling

they quote from

Micah chapter 5

Micah 5:2

verse 2

the response

is clear

it's direct

it's confident

it's immediate

they speak

of that

which is

according

to the law

they have

certainty

in the scriptures

they have

knowledge

of the word

of God

they follow

through

they come

through

with the

answer

they know

the answer

they know

the chapter

they know

the verse

they can

quote it

by heart

and yet

while they

know the

scriptures

there seems

to be

no follow

through

in their

heart

they have

all the

knowledge

of the word

of God

in their

head

but it

hasn't

changed

the way

they live

no follow

up

no inquiry

no trip

to Bethlehem

no wondering

or inquisition

and asking

questions

about these

outsiders

these strangers

who have

come

for all

the knowledge

of the

scriptures

they have

there is

zero

action

there is

zero

interest

in this

king

Matthew

plainly

says

that Jesus

was

the Messiah

and these

wise men

that come

will express

it

he who is

born

king of the

Jews

not just

to become

king of the

Jews

but he was

in fact

king of the

Jews

the moment

he was

born

so Herod

now summons

the wise

men

those wise

men he says

in verse 7

come secretly

and he

ascertains

from them

what time

this star

had appeared

why would

he do

that

well because

Herod

has begun

to narrow

in on

the answer

he's seeking

to focus

in on

his target

he knows

that the

dawning

of this

star

it will

coincide

with the

birth

of Jesus

Christ

so he

calls

for these

wise men

quietly

not known

publicly

his desire

is not

to create

a scene

not to

spark

a movement

among the

people

verse 8

he sent

them to

Bethlehem

saying

go and

search

diligently

for the

child

and when

you have

found him

bring me

word

that I

may come

and worship

him

of course

this is

just a

ploy

to discover

the location

of Jesus

this

deceptive

coercing

of these

wise men

to gain

knowledge

to send

the wise

men to

do his

bidding

and then

once the

target is

identified

then he

can enact

his plan

which we'll

see next

week

the next

phrase is

amazing

it says

they went

on their

way

and behold

the star

that they

had seen

went before

them

until it

came to

rest

over the

place

where the

child was

and that

leads us

to the

final response

from the

wise men

the wise

men who

worship

the king

joyfully

they worship

the king

joyfully

verse 9

after listening

to the king

they went

on their

way and

behold the

star

they had

seen

when it

rose

went before

them

it came

to rest

over the

place

where the

child was

when they

saw the

star

they rejoiced

exceedingly

with great

joy

and going

into the

house

they saw

the child

with Mary

his mother

they fell

down and

worshipped

him

then opening

their treasures

they offered

him gifts

of gold

and frankincense

and myrrh

do you find

it fascinating

that once

they receive

this news

from king

herod

that now

finally

the star

reappears

that now

finally

that star

will shine

and will

direct them

straight to

Bethlehem

and to

the precise

house where

Jesus and

his family

are staying

which means

that this trip

that would go

through Jerusalem

was by design

it was by design

because of the

things that we're

going to see

next week

will set in

motion the

prophecies

that will help

to confirm

that Jesus

in fact

is the

Messiah

this flight

into Egypt

from Joseph

and Mary

and Jesus

this

extermination

of the children

two years

and under

that's taking

place in

Bethlehem

according to

the prophecies

that have been

written

and then finally

the movement

of the family

back to

Nazareth

all of those

things that

were set in

motion because

God had sent

them to

Jerusalem to

start

to Herod

in particular

and that would

set in motion

all of the

other prophecies

related to

Jesus in the

beginnings of

his life

but when

these magi

when these

wise men

see the

star

they're

overwhelmed

one commentator

says

puts it

this way

he says

quote

the magi

were overwhelmed

that the

special star

appeared to

them

it seems

almost as if

Matthew

were at a

loss for

words to

describe

their ecstasy

and when

they saw

the star

they rejoiced

exceedingly

with great

joy

the original

text piles

up

superlatives

to emphasize

the extent

of their

exhilaration

they felt

thus

indicating

to us

their

uniquely

strong

interest

in this

great

event

end quote

Matthew

helps to

capture

for us

through the

inspiration

of the

spirit

the

electricity

that ignited

their hearts

that the joy

that they

experienced

was almost

too much

for words

they see

this star

this

confirmation

that they

had seen

in the

east

the confirmation

of both

general

and special

revelation

the star

that they

saw in the

sky

and the

word that

they had

read from

the scriptures

and now

coupled with

this new

revelation

this word

of God

this prophecy

from Micah

and now

here again

this general

revelation

of this star

standing over

the very house

where Jesus

was

God was in

this

and when

they come

to the

house

it says

they fell

down

and worshipped

this expression

of devotion

to this

king

this

expression

of worship

that notice

it's not to

Mary

but they bowed

down

and worshipped

him

they worshipped

Christ

they worshipped

the king

and their

worship

that has been

sacrificial

up to this

point

in terms

of their

time

and the

potential

risk

of this

trip

now

demonstrates

itself

in this

outflow

of gifts

of gold

and frankincense

and myrrh

valuable

and costly

gifts

that were

true gifts

for a king

we find

in verse 12

they were warned

in a dream

not to return

to Herod

so they

departed

to their own

country

by another way

God's