Mary and the shepherds certainly reacted to the arrival of the Incarnate Christ with joy and wonder. But not everyone had a positive reaction to the newborn King. Today we examine one more vignette in the Christmas story and discover two distinct reactions: Herod’s fear and hatred of the infant Savior and the wise men’s reverence.
Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, ”Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.”  When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.  Gathering together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born.  They said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for this is what has been written by the prophet: AND YOU, BETHLEHEM, LAND OF JUDAH, ARE BY NO MEANS LEAST AMONG THE LEADERS OF JUDAH; FOR OUT OF YOU SHALL COME FORTH A RULER WHO WILL SHEPHERD MY PEOPLE ISRAEL.”  Then Herod secretly called the magi and determined from them the exact time the star appeared.  And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the Child; and when you have found Him, report to me, so that I too may come and worship Him.”  After hearing the king, they went their way; and the star, which they had seen in the east, went on before them until it came and stood over the place where the Child was.  When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.  After coming into the house they saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell to the ground and worshiped Him. Then, opening their treasures, they presented to Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.  And having been warned by God in a dream not to return to Herod, the magi left for their own country by another way.  Now when they had gone, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Get up! Take the Child and His mother and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod is going to search for the Child to destroy Him.”  So Joseph got up and took the Child and His mother while it was still night, and left for Egypt.  He remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill that had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet: “OUT OF EGYPT I CALLED MY SON.”  Then when Herod saw that he had been tricked by the magi, he became very enraged, and sent and slew all the male children who were in Bethlehem and all its vicinity, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the magi.  Then what had been spoken through Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled: ”A VOICE WAS HEARD IN RAMAH, WEEPING AND GREAT MOURNING, RACHEL WEEPING FOR HER CHILDREN; AND SHE REFUSED TO BE COMFORTED, BECAUSE THEY WERE NO MORE.” (Matthew 2:1-18, NIV)
Herod
To understand Herod’s reaction to Jesus, we need only look at his background. Herod was the name of the family ruling Palestine immediately before and to some extent during the first half of the Christian century. The Herod referred to in Matthew 2 is historically known as “Herod the Great.” His reign was marked by cruelty and bloodshed. Herod was a convert to Judaism, but as an Idumean (descendants of the Edomites, longtime enemies of Israel), the Jews did not consider him to be a legitimate king.
When the wise men arrived in Jerusalem, they told King Herod they had been following the star and asked where they could find the King of the Jews to worship Him. Matthew 2:3 tells us that this “troubled” Herod and all of Jerusalem. (In some translations, we learn that Herod was “deeply disturbed.”)
Why would the birth of a baby boy “trouble” a tyrant known as “the Great?” Herod knew that the Jews expected the Messiah to come soon, in the form of a great military or political deliverer. There are several reasons, then, why Herod was so troubled by Jesus’ arrival.
First, Herod was not the rightful heir to the throne of David. As we saw previously, the Jews did not consider an Idumean as having a legitimate claim to the throne. Herod reigned by appointment from Rome and was hated by the Jews as a usurper. If this newborn male was the heir, Herod could expect trouble from the Jews.
Herod also was ruthless and had many enemies. He was always suspicious that someone would try to overthrow him. He also feared that the Jews, a religious people, would unite around a religious figure.  Such an outcome would diminish his political influence and power.
In addition, Herod may have feared the influence of the wise men themselves. The wise men presumably were from an ancient region known as Parthia, which at the time was second only to Rome in power and influence.  Biblical scholars have argued that Parthians would have welcomed a Jewish king who would swing the balance of power away from Rome.
It is also interesting that Matthew points out that all of Jersualem was troubled along with Herod. Many believe that the Jews, knowing of Herod’s temperament and tendency toward cruelty, may have been afraid of the king’s reaction to the news of a newborn King of the Jews. And as we can see from Herod’s reaction when he realizes he has been tricked by the wise men, their fears were not unfounded. Instead of seeking out Jesus to worship Him, Herod wanted Him dead, so much so that he slaughtered every male under two years of age living in the Bethlehem area.
Herod feared Jesus and reacted negatively to the news of His birth. And while he was among the first to reject the Savior, he certainly wasn’t the last. Throughout Jesus’ adult life, He was spurned and His message rejected time and time again, often by the ruling political and religious elite. And yes, even today Jesus is rejected by those He loves and longs to call His own.
Wise Men
Matthew’s gospel doesn’t dwell only on King Herod’s hateful reaction to the birth of the Messiah; he tells the story of the wise men (also known as Magi) who came from the east to worship Jesus. The Magi were not kings, but learned men of high position from Parthia, a region located near the site of ancient Babylon. In fact, the prophet Daniel refers to the “wise men of Babylon” several times (Dan. 2:12, 18: 4:6, 18). They may have been from a priestly caste in Persia.
The Bible doesn’t specify how many wise men came to Jerusalem seeking out the baby born King of the Jews, but we do know that they brought three gifts for Jesus: gold, frankincense (incense), and myrrh. These three costly gifts probably financed Joseph, Mary and Jesus’ journey to Egypt and were emblematic of God’s provision for His Son. These gifts were delivered in worship and joy: “When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.  After coming into the house they saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell to the ground and worshiped Him” (Matt. 2:10-11).
The gifts had special meaning in and of themselves as well. Gold is a gift fit for a king. Frankincense, a glittering, odorous gum from the bark of certain trees, was a gift for a deity. Some scholars also point to the use of incense in religious rites to symbolize this gift to Jesus as the High Priest. Myrrh was a spice/perfume used in embalming and a gift for a person who was going to die. The Magi’s gifts, then, honored Jesus as King, High Priest, and Savior.
Most of the debate surrounding the visit of the Magi is not with the gifts they brought Jesus, but how old Jesus was when they actually arrived. Most biblical historians agree that Jesus was probably 1-2 years old when the Magi arrived in Jerusalem from Parthia, pointing to Herod’s desire to know the exact moment when the star had first appeared in the sky (Matt. 2:7). By knowing that moment and how long it had taken the wise men to journey from Parthia to Jerusalem, Herod determined that it was best to kill all males under two years of age in Bethlehem and its surrounding environs. We also can be confident that the wise men did not come to the manger to worship Jesus, since Matt. 2:11 confirms that Mary and Jesus were in a house when they arrived.
Thoughts
Matthew’s recounting of the wise men’s journey and Herod’s reaction to their proclamation characterizes two distinct reactions to Jesus Christ: we can fear, hate and reject Him, or we can fall to the ground and worship Him as King. Philippians 2:10-11 promises that “at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” At some point, every single human is going to acknowledge that Jesus Christ is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Isn’t it better to start living in worship now, before it is too late?
Leave a Reply