Herod, The Wise Men, and the Scribes: Matthew 2.1-15
After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.” When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Christ was to be born. “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written: “‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will be the shepherd of my people Israel.’†Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and make a careful search for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.†After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route. When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up,†he said, “take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.†So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said.
Where God Guides, He Provides
Herod
The Herod who is mentioned in this passage was one of five Herods mentioned in Scripture. He was jealous for his throne. He had killed his wife, mother-in-law and three sons who were thought by him to have ideas of taking over his throne. It was commonly said about Herod that it was better to be one of his pigs than one of his sons. There is a play on words between pigs and sons in Greek. They sound alike.
He was the leader of Israel, but had no conception of the possibility of the great event of the birth of Jesus that would occur. He had to call together the chief priests and teachers of the law for their interpretation (1.4). All Jerusalem was worried with him about the birth of this child because of his jealous bend. They were afraid for good reason as the story goes on to tell. He was a conniver and liar (1.7-8).
The Wise Men (Magi)
They were originally members of the Persian priestly caste who were astrologers. They were serious about finding Jesus and worshipping him (1.1-2). God had communicated to them two years prior by what they knew—the star—to get them to Jesus. God uses natural and supernatural communication to draw people to himself. They worshipped Jesus by prostrating themselves before him (the meaning of the Greek pipto,[PIP tow] bowed down, NIV). God communicated to them in a supernatural way once they had found and worshipped Jesus (1.12). They brought gifts just in time for the move to Egypt.
The Religious Scholars (Chief Priests, Scribes & Teachers Of The Law)
They were the priestly aristocracy which was the upper class of Jewish society. This group was mostly Pharisaic. They knew where Jesus was to be born, but did not act on that knowledge (1.4). There is a contrast between the secular and religious. The secular scholars searched and found. The religious knew, but did not find.
Some Basic Affirmations
Jealousy leads to destruction. Jesus is to be worshipped by people outside the Jewish faith. He will be worshipped by some and rejected by others. God loves to communicate with mankind. Information without action is totally inadequate.
