Wise men came to Jerusalem seeking Jesus, which was very troubling to King Herod, and all Jerusalem with him. Was that exaggeration? It probably wasn’t. There’s an old saying in the South that “When momma ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy.” In Herod’s day: “When the king ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy.”
Herod ruled with an iron fist, setting records for the number of crucifixions ordered every year. To protect his kingship, he would kill anybody, even his own children.
In 40 B.C., the Roman Senate conferred on Herod the title “King of the Jews.” And to say he was a bit insecure would be a gross understatement.
Herod wasn’t a full Jew, so his claim to the throne was shaky. Because of his insecurity, he killed all potential rivals—a brother of his wife, the husband of his sister, a trusted friend, one of his 10 wives, his mother-in-law, another husband of his sister, and three of his own sons.
So he called the chief priests and scribes together and asked where Christ was to be born. They told him Bethlehem, so he asked the wise men when the star had first appeared. They told him, enabling him to calculate the age of Jesus. That’s very important later in the story.
Herod must have thought these wise men had fallen off a turnip truck, so told them, “Go and search diligently for the young child, and when you have found him, bring word to me that I may come and worship him also” (Matthew 2:8).
It wouldn’t have taken any wise man long to figure out Herod. They knew he was dangerous, so they agreed to his request.
Christmas plays have the wise men showing up at the manger on the night Jesus was born, but he probably was about 2 years old at the time of their visit. The importance of the wise men is far greater than how many there were or when and where they saw Jesus.
The idea of a star leading the wise men to Jesus wouldn’t be strange to Matthew. In the ancient world, it was believed births and deaths of great men were marked by heavenly signs.
In Numbers 24:7, Balaam prophesied, “A star will come out of Jacob; a scepter will rise out of Israel.”
The Jews knew this prophecy, so they wouldn’t have viewed the star as an accident but as a sign from God. The star’s reappearance that led the magi to Bethlehem, where it stopped over the place Jesus lived, was further confirmation.
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Many Jews thought the coming messiah wouldn’t be all that different from King Herod. The shock of the gospel is that the messiah lived as a slave and died as a criminal. He had to hang on a cross before he sat on a throne. He was the slave to all before he became Lord of all.
The magi probably had hurried their camels to Jerusalem, eager to participate in the celebration and excitement of the newborn king. If so, they were disappointed when they arrived and found everything was as usual—no dancing in the streets, no ticker tape parades, no national holiday. People didn’t even know their king had been born.
They also must have been shocked when they made their announcement about the birth of the King of the Jews and got a disturbed response from Herod and the people. Herod because there was a rival to his throne; the ordinary people because they knew what happened when Herod felt threatened; the priests and leaders because the birth would threaten their political alliances and public positions.
Religionists often don’t see or recognize Jesus because they’re caught up in a belief and doctrinal system that ignores a personal God who forgives instead of condemns. It’s actually easy to become so busy with religion we can’t see Jesus.
In searching for Jesus, the magi followed protocol and first went to the local government and religious authorities, assuming they would know about Jesus and would share in their joy at his birth. But, Herod immediately wanted to kill him, and the religious leaders hoped he would.
These guys weren’t first-century autograph seekers wanting the thrill of being one of the first to greet the new king. They weren’t gloryhounds or publicity seekers. Their intention was “… to worship him.” So when “they saw the child with his mother, Mary, they bowed down and worshipped him.”
Among the first people to bow down before Christ and acknowledge him as Lord, Master and Ruler of their lives were these Gentile wise men. And, that's not all: “Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh.” Because they believed, they gave Jesus their best.
The Jews had God’s word and should have understood properly what the Scriptures said about the Messiah’s birth, yet, they refused to believe.
Those with the treasure of salvation often become indifferent to what is theirs. There always is a two-fold reaction to Jesus. Some believe and worship, while others reject or neglect the message and curse the name of the Lord. It happened at Jesus’ birth, it happened at his death, it happened at his resurrection, and it happens today. Some believe and others don’t.
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