MATTHEW 2
Rem The movement of the star in the heavens seems very striking.
CAC It was not meant that it should move in such a remarkable way without imparting some knowledge to men. It is a comfort to see that God moves so that men can understand what is going on. God moves in sovereignty so that what He has done and is doing should be understood by men.
Ques Is the star in keeping with this gospel?
CAC I thought so. God loves to take us into confidence, those He chooses, so these men from the east come with great intelligence expressed in their offerings.
Rem They wanted to know who He was and what kind of course He was going to traverse.
CAC It is so striking that they moved with divinely given intelligence and that is what is pleasing to God. He would have us enter intelligently into the precious things of Christ. Gold, frankincense and myrrh seem to cover the whole thing with regard to His divine Person and then what belongs to His perfect humanity and then His sufferings. These features are part of all true worship of the Lord. Their offerings represent what was made true in themselves. No offering is of true value if it has not been known in the heart of the offerer. So these men come on the scene with remarkable spiritual knowledge. God will see to it that His beloved Son is known and appreciated. These precious things must be appreciated; it is a divine necessity. If I do not appreciate them God will find somebody who will and He will go thousands of miles to find it.
[p. 11] There was not much appreciation in Jerusalem — it was troubled — so He goes thousands of miles. All God’s thoughts would come to nothing if He did not work that they should be appreciated. They were able to interpret what the star meant; they were really wise men. It is well to be looking heavenward. If these men had been minding earthly things they would have missed it all! “We have seen his star” — they were evidently on the look-out.
Rem “Having opened their treasures”, it says. All the treasures of wisdom and knowledge would be with them in principle.
CAC And in coming together we should come with treasure; every one furnished with treasure and spiritual intelligence would direct as to the particular kind of offering to be brought on each occasion.
Rem The woman with the alabaster box of ointment had the treasure to offer with her.
CAC It is good to think of the sovereign side of things. God in His sovereignty puts some light as to Christ into myriads of hearts and gives some treasures. It is going on today, the secret working of God.
Rem We get some thought of intrinsic preciousness in gold — what is abiding. In frankincense there is that which is fragrant and precious and myrrh is connected with suffering. The glory side — the gold — seems to be put first.
Rem We get the wonderful manhood and the suffering in Hebrews 1 and 2.
CAC Yes, it links with Emmanuel. Nothing is more precious in the sight of God than that we should have a true thought of Christ. What we can give or do is small but each of us can have a true thought of Christ.
Ques Would the thought of sacrifice come in in what they brought?
CAC I think that principle enters into anything that is of value to God. Appreciation of Christ must cost [p. 12] something for it can only come in through a displacement of self. It can only come in through our taking to pieces what we are as in the flesh so that Christ may take its place, but it involves a sacrificial process. You do not get the knowledge of Christ merely by reading the Scriptures or ministry. We get it as we are prepared to drop ourselves and take in His preciousness. I have often said the most interesting part of the gospels is the unwritten part.
Rem You must explain that!
CAC Would you not like to get alongside these men and learn how they came to such an appreciation of Christ when there was nothing to be seen but a little Child two years old? There are many such cases in the gospels, so we should like to be told how they reached such an appreciation of Christ, but it is not written.
Rem “From the north cometh gold”, Elihu says (Job 37: 22).
CAC What do you gather from that?
Rem It costs something. It is from the north, not from the east, west or south. Whence cometh promotion but from the north?
CAC It is interesting that these men had a course of instruction in a disciplinary way.
Rem Job knew that when he was tried, “I shall come forth as gold”, (Job 23: 10).
CAC Job had to learn the value of what he began with. He began with the burnt offering. Like ourselves, we begin with what is precious but do not know its value. It needed a long course of suffering and discipline to teach him its value. We all begin with Christ in a certain sense but we need to learn, through discipline it maybe, to appreciate Him. These men seem to be furnished in a mature way with their knowledge and these things were not to be passed on and blazoned about to those who did not know.
[p. 13] Ques Is there any suggestion for us in their departing another way?
CAC They did not move in a natural way but as divinely instructed, which is important for us all.
Rem Fresh knowledge of Christ received involves going back a different way.
CAC The young Child is presented here as cared for and protected by providential means (not miraculous means). So the men do not tell Herod, and Joseph takes the young Child and His mother into Egypt.
Ques What corresponds to dreams nowadays?
CAC God says “your young men shall see visions” and “your old men shall dream dreams”, Joel 2: 28. These dreams are divine instruction. That is, there was no scripture to guide Joseph; he was led to adopt the means for the preservation of the young Child. He might have said, ‘If this is Emmanuel there is no need’. But He was to be exposed to murderous hatred and to be preserved by providential means in being taken down to Egypt. There was a reason to fulfil Scripture. Like Israel He was to be called out of Egypt too. And His being taken to Egypt exposed all the boys in Bethlehem to the hatred of Herod. They were really martyrs, really dying for Christ, God ordering it in His sovereignty that they should have that honour.
Rem Jeremiah 31: 17 says, “Thy children shall come again to their own border”. The Son was coming out. It is comforting as showing that God is going to bring His people through.
CAC Yes. Well, it would be a sorrowing and suffering testimony that was written large on these proceedings. These little children, though unintelligent, were suffering for Christ. “For thy sake we are put to death all the day long”, Paul quotes in Romans 8: 36, applying to the saints, “For thy sake”. Satan’s enmity is directed against what [p. 14] stands identified with Christ. These children were born in the same town and identified with Him. They were the first martyrs for Jesus.