Make Up: January 8, 2012

The Magi

For your make up, we simply ask you to read through the lesson out line and then in the comment section (choose anonymous), write a sentence or two regarding the lesson or scripture and answer the big question.

Bible Text:

Matthew 2:1–23

Lesson Focus:

Jesus is revealed as king of all—whether the people recognize him or not.

Big Question:

Jesus was a poor baby. Why am I supposed to worship him like a king?

Key Words:

EPIPHANY, GENTILES, HEROD THE GREAT, MAGI, HOMAGE

Definition of Key Words

EPIPHANY: the church's celebration on January 6 of the visit of the magi to the infant Jesus. Epiphany means "revelation" and recognizes that Jesus is "revealed" as king for all people by this visit of the magi.

GENTILES: people who weren't Jewish.

HEROD THE GREAT: a corrupt Jewish king who served as governor of Galilee and was backed by Roman power. Threatened by the birth of Jesus, the true king, he sent the magi to Bethlehem to find Jesus so that he could have the child killed.

MAGI: stargazers or astrologers from Persia. They recognized Jesus as a great king, chosen by God, even though they were Gentiles.

HOMAGE: a ceremony by which people acknowledge themselves as servants of a master or lord

Quick Overview

The Christmas story in Matthew bears no resemblance to the one in Luke.

Matthew 1 shows that Jesus is the fulfillment of promises made to Israel. Matthew 2 introduces the idea that Jesus fulfills Gentile hopes for salvation as well.

The primary message of Matthew's Christmas story is that Jesus is revealed by God as Lord and king for the entire world.

The magi were probably astrologers or magicians of a priestly clan of Persians. They were exotic pagans—Gentiles in the extreme.

It was a widely held belief that a new star rose in the sky at the birth of a great leader.

The story of the magi shows us that Jesus is God's gift to the entire world.

Baptismal Connection

In the Rite of Affirmation of Baptism, a five-part question addresses each confirmand's intent to continue in the covenant God made with them in Holy Baptism. Here We Stand resources help students—with support from parents, leaders, and the entire congregation—prepare to answer this question as they continue in their lifelong faith journey.

Today's lesson focused on the clause "to proclaim the good news of God in Christ through word and deed."

The visit of the magi revealed to all the world that Jesus is God's chosen king—the Messiah. The magi offered physical gifts and also offered themselves as they worshiped him. Likewise, our words and deeds reveal who Jesus is in our lives. The magi put forth a great deal of effort to pay homage to the new king. Do we show the same determination to honor Jesus as our king? Help the youth use this lesson to grow in their understanding of how their words and deeds reveal what they think and feel about Jesus. Herod was afraid that he would lose his position as king of the Jews. The magi were determined to honor Jesus, regardless of the cost to themselves. Do our words and deeds show that we want to preserve our own status in our community? Or do they show that Jesus is our king and that we are willing to pay homage to our king regardless of the cost?