Yesterday we saw God the Father celebrate the birth of two of his children. They were two boys he had been telling the world about for a long time; there were hundreds of hints about them in the Old Testament. When they were finally born, he made their entrances really memorable.

First came John the Baptist. The Lord chose an older, childless couple, Zechariah and Elizabeth, to be John’s parents and added a couple of surprises to make their experience special. By the time John was born, everyone in the region was talking about this family and their little miracle. When Zechariah bragged about his boy, he probably got to include the angel’s prophecies about how great he was going to be.

Next came Jesus. His entrance into the world was a quiet affair except that God his Father made a cosmic announcement to mark the occasion, complete with a blast of heavenly glory and angel choirs singing praises in the night sky.

Apart from that, everything was pretty normal. Mary and Joseph took Jesus to the temple and met all the requirements of the Law of Moses on behalf of their son, then quietly went on with life.

But God kept his eye on John and Jesus.

The Visit of the Magi

Matthew is the only Gospel that records the visit of the Magi, or wise men, from the east. Matthew didn’t say how many wise men there were, where they came from, or what their names were. He also didn’t say they were kings, but he mentioned the valuable gifts they presented to Jesus.

So who were these men?

They were prophets or sages from somewhere east of the land of Judea, probably Persia or India. Their pursuit of knowledge led them to a prophecy about the Messiah in the Jewish Scriptures.

Perhaps it was this prophecy spoken by Balaam in the book of Numbers.

“Then he spoke his message: ‘The prophecy of Balaam son of Beor, the prophecy of one whose eye sees clearly, the prophecy of one who hears the words of God, who has knowledge from the Most High, who sees a vision from the Almighty, who falls prostrate, and whose eyes are opened: I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near. A star will come out of Jacob; a scepter will rise out of Israel.’” Numbers 24:15-17

The magi undertook a great journey to solve the mystery of the prophecy and their travels brought them to Jerusalem where they met with King Herod the Great. He consulted with Jewish teachers and learned that, indeed, a ruler of the Jews was due to be born in Bethlehem. If that prophecy came true, Herod feared there might be competition for his position as king in Judea.

King Herod

Herod the Great was an Edomite whose father had converted to Judaism. He was called “the Great” because of his building projects in Judea and his relationship with Rome. He built Caesarea Maritima on the Mediterranean coast as a harbor for Rome, and he upgraded the temple in Jerusalem to make it more glorious for the Jews. He built a whole mountain called Herodian near Jerusalem and put a palace there. Then he built the fortress at Masada in southern Judea with a stunning view of the Dead Sea.

In recognition of his many achievements Rome gave Herod the Great the title “King of the Jews.” After he died his son Herod Antipas inherited the royal title and ruled over Judea throughout Jesus’ lifetime.

Escape to Egypt

Matthew reports that Herod the Great was so worried about the appearance of a rival king of the Jews that he ordered the death of all the boys in Bethlehem under the age of two. It was a terrible time for Bethlehem.

“A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more.” Jeremiah 31:15

Rachel was the wife of Jacob, the founding father of Israel, and the people of Bethlehem were her descendants. If Rachel had known about the deaths of these children, she would have wept inconsolably.

An angel of the Lord warned Joseph in a dream that baby Jesus’ life was in danger if they stayed in Bethlehem so he packed up the family and fled to Egypt. They were probably only there a matter of months before Herod the Great died. But Herod’s son immediately came into power, so instead of returning to Bethlehem, Joseph took the family back to Nazareth.

Jesus and the Teachers

By age twelve Jesus was a well-educated boy. When his family took him to Jerusalem for the Passover that year, he found his way to the rabbis who taught in the temple courts. He had questions about the Scriptures for them and they in turn tested his knowledge. His comprehension astounded them.

How had Jesus learned so much at such a young age?

The first teacher for a Jewish boy was his mother who kept him close and taught him for the first five years of his life. His father reinforced her teaching whenever he was at home.

From age five to twelve all of the children in the village studied the Torah and memorized most of it. A rabbi at the synagogue taught them and they practiced reciting the Scriptures as they worked and played together.

At age twelve, the girls left their studies and prepared to marry. By then they had enough education to teach their own children someday. The boys either went into a trade or were offered the opportunity to continue their studies.

The boys who showed the most promise were invited to spend the next eighteen years following a rabbi and learning from him. If the student did well, at age thirty he could become a rabbi and teach others.

Jesus the Rabbi

It’s interesting that while Jesus amazed the teachers in Jerusalem at age twelve, he didn’t stay there and study with them. He went back to Nazareth and remained obedient to his parents at home.

Jesus mastered the Scriptures while growing up in Nazareth. When he emerged into public ministry at age thirty, he had so much skill and authority with the Scriptures the members of the Jewish Council in Jerusalem immediately called him “rabbi” (John 3:1-2). At that point they observed that he also had the power to do miracles.

Jesus had spent his childhood mastering the Word, and growing in wisdom and stature and in favor with his Heavenly Father.

John the Baptist

John the Baptist’s father Zechariah was a priest, and his mother was a descendant of Aaron. The only description we have of his childhood is that “the child grew and became strong in spirit; and he lived in the wilderness until he appeared publicly to Israel.” Luke 1:80

There were groups of ascetic believers living in the deserts of Judah and John went to share their austere life. There he honed his understanding of Scripture and his calling as a prophet.

“And so John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem went out to him. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River.” Mark 1:4-5

John had bold spiritual discernment. When some Pharisees and Sadducees came to see him he told them they weren’t ready for baptism. They needed to repent and show the fruit of repentance in their lives.

It wasn’t enough for them to claim Abraham as their father; God could make new descendants for Abraham out of rocks if he chose to. They needed to produce lives worthy of Abraham’s faith.

John had authority to baptize repentant people with water, but the one coming after him would baptize with fire and the Holy Spirit. John said that who didn’t repent of their sins when they met Jesus would burn like chaff in unquenchable fire.

Jesus Comes to Be Baptized

John was at the Jordan River baptizing people one day when Jesus appeared. He had left Nazareth to begin his public life and the first thing he did was ask John to baptize him.

Jesus had never sinned, so his baptism could not be one of repentance. John told him, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?’ Jesus replied, ‘Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.’” Matthew 3:13

Jesus chose to be baptized as an example to his disciples. Everyone who followed Jesus was a sinner and they would all need the baptism of repentance, so Jesus went first to show them the importance of this symbol of belonging to the Lord. And God in heaven responded to his Son with a fatherly blessing. As Jesus came up out of the water heaven opened and a dove alighted on him.

“And a voice from heaven said, ‘This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.’” Matthew 3:17

The Spirit that came to deliver that touch of approval from heaven immediately led Jesus in a new direction. Tomorrow we will read about the Messiah’s boot camp experience.