Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod. About that time some wise men from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem, asking, “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star as it rose, and we have come to worship him.”
King Herod was deeply disturbed when he heard this, as was everyone in Jerusalem. He called a meeting of the leading priests and teachers of religious law and asked, “Where is the Messiah supposed to be born?”
“In Bethlehem in Judea,” they said, “for this is what the prophet wrote:
‘And you, O Bethlehem in the land of Judah,
are not least among the ruling cities of Judah,
for a ruler will come from you
who will be the shepherd for my people Israel.’”Then Herod called for a private meeting with the wise men, and he learned from them the time when the star first appeared. Then he told them, “Go to Bethlehem and search carefully for the child. And when you find him, come back and tell me so that I can go and worship him, too!”
After this interview the wise men went their way. And the star they had seen in the east guided them to Bethlehem. It went ahead of them and stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were filled with joy! They entered the house and saw the child with his mother, Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasure chests and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
When it was time to leave, they returned to their own country by another route, for God had warned them in a dream not to return to Herod. (Matthew 2:1–12 NLT)
Matthew 2 points to the intrigue and suspicion that often was a part of life among the inhabitants of the King’s retinue. Kings were always looking for rivals and those wanting to usurp their rule. Matthew 2 tells us about King Herod, also known as Herod the Great. Some might have bridled at the kingship of Herod. He was on the throne of Israel by Roman appointment, not by the acclaim of the people or by being of the line of David. Many suggest Herod was not even Jewish by birth.
Herod the Great was known as a master builder. There was much construction accomplished during his reign. But his “Great” moniker could also stand for his extreme jealousy and suspicious nature toward anyone who might be a threat to his rule. Because of this jealousy and suspicion, Herod had his wife killed, as well as his three sons. Herod stopped at nothing to eliminate potential threats. He was known for great cruelty.
The Magi are well-known parts of the Christmas story. They were thought to be men of high position who came from the east. The song “We Three Kings of Orient Are” describes them as kings, and they very well could have been. The word Magi means “light.” They would have been thought of as enlightened, and therefore we also refer to them as wise men. They would have been well versed in ancient writings and have studied the stars as astronomers. These two last facts were very important because verse 2 tells us they had seen a new star. These Magi knew from studying ancient writings of Jewish prophecy that a King would be born. They believed this star was a sign of this King’s birth.
If the Magi started out at the appearance of the star, they would probably not have come to the manger but arrived when Jesus was as much as two years old. They made this journey to worship the King. How extraordinary, especially since they were not Jews. As scholars, they had read about a Messiah coming. When they saw the star, they moved from studying to believing – they believed King Jesus was born. This belief moved them to action, to find this child. Naturally, they would have come to Jerusalem, to the seat of government. This good news was bad news for Herod, who reacted in jealousy and suspicion. He moved to deceive the Magi. Not just that, but the Scriptures tell us his evil heart eventually caused him to bring the destruction of many innocents.
Jesus as King, Ruler, and Lord tends to be threatening to those who want to be rulers themselves. The actions of Herod are not all that unusual. The message of Jesus is for all to come and to believe, to come and to surrender, to come and to worship. Is that our reaction to Jesus?
Dr. Harry Kelm is the executive director of the North American Baptist Conference.