1 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, 2 saying, "Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him." ~ Matthew 2:1-2
Today, we return to our study of Matthew. The second chapter of Matthew's gospel begins with, "Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea." With these words, Matthew points us to the prophecy found in Micah 5:2 which reads, "But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you shall come forth to Me the One to be Ruler in Israel, whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting."
Micah was a contemporary of the prophet, Isaiah, and his book is of a similar style. The book of Micah is often called "Isaiah in miniature" because it is a much briefer presentation of essentially the same message as the prophecy of Isaiah. Micah means "Who is like YHWH?" When the wise men came out of the East looking for the one born king of the Jews, they asked, "Where is he that is born king of the Jews?" The chief priests of Israel said to the wise men, "You will find him in Bethlehem." The chief priests knew this because 700 years before, Micah had informed them.
In v.1 of today's passage we read, "Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem."
It was "in days of Herod the king" that this happened. Judea was a province of the Roman Empire which the Romans had seized about 63 years before the birth of the Lord Jesus. Herod received his appointment to rule Judea, and had reigned at the time of the birth of the Lord Jesus for 34 years. Herod was commonly called "Herod the Great" because he had distinguished himself by displaying great talents in governing and defending his country. Many of the Jews liked Herod because he helped to repair their Jewish temple.
The words, "Behold, wise men" in v.1 have been widely misunderstood. Although in most manger scenes the wise men were at the birth of the Lord Jesus. This is inaccurate information as we will see that they arrived up to two years after the baby Jesus was born. In fact, there were more than three wise men, perhaps as many as 12. These wise men came from the east of Israel where the great empire that replaced the Babylonians was located. Daniel and his friends had been exiled to Babylon in 605 BC. However, Babylon was overrun by the Medes & Persians. When Babylon was destroyed, the new empire received all of the ancient Jewish writings which would have been incorporated into their empire. The Bible does not say how many wise men there were. The Bible does not mention their names, because their names do not matter. What matters is what they did when they arrived in Bethlehem. What matters is that they sought out the Lord Jesus Christ and they honored and worshiped Him.
A careful reading of Isaiah 44 reveals they possessed the book of Isaiah. Therefore, the ancient prophecy of a coming Messiah would have been known to these wise men. Of them, Matthew notes that they were "from the East." This prepositional phrase is most accurately translated "from sun risings." And note that the verse goes on with, "they came to Jerusalem." This means they saw the star from the east as they looked to the west and they followed it. Then, the Magi asked about "the King of the Jews." It is significant that they didn’t inquire specifically about the Messiah. Then, they asked where the King would be born. They were biblically informed about the Messiah. Many today reject the Lord Jesus because they are biblically ill-informed about Him.
In v.2 of today's passage we read, "saying, 'Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.'"
The words of the wise men came in the form of a question, but their words are also just as much were an assertion. By stating it as they did, they proclaimed that they were certain that the person they were looking for existed. Their question wasn’t, "Has He come?" Rather it was, "Where is He?" Understanding this, they continue with, "has been born?" Again, their question was an assertion. They did not ask, "Where is the King who has been coronated?" Instead, their question was about His birth. Amazingly, God arranged the sky to announce the coming of His Son. He used the stars to shout the supremacy of the Lord Jesus. He directed nature and the nations toward His purpose of solving mankind's problem with sin and death.
The Magi had studied Daniel 9 and their study prompted them to accept that a divinely appointed birth had taken place for the One who was the Messiah and who would be the "King of the Jews." The reason for their worship of Him is next explained in their statement, "For we have seen His star" which was referred to in Numbers 24:17-19. God spoke to the Magi in a language they understood. From studying this star they were able to decipher the general whereabouts of the coming King by His star.
The Jewish religious leaders attempted to hide the fact that the Lord Jesus fit the biblical narrative. Had they really been students of the Old Testament and had they believed its message, they would have been there in Bethlehem to greet the Messiah. By doing as they did, they established the assertion that the Lord Jesus was not the promised Messiah although He fit every description given by God in His word. These supposed men of God missed the fact that their Creator had woven Himself in the robe of virgin flesh.
The Bible records the facts, and they are sufficient for us to know that Christ has come according to the plan and purposes of God. The spiritual journey made by the Magi is a journey that is required of anyone who is to enter the kingdom of God. God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble. Regardless of who you are, where you grew up, whether you are wealthy or poor, to know the Lord Jesus is to bow down and to become low, to recognize your sinfulness and your helplessness, and to receive God’s free gift of forgiveness of sin through His grace. God’s Word says that one day everyone will be a worshiper. Every knee will bow, but for those who have resisted the Lord Jesus as King, it will be too late. For the truly wise we do well to bow and worship while there is still time.
