City Life Starter

I. The Word: Matthew 2:1-12

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.”

³ When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. ⁴ And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.

⁵ So they said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet:

⁷ Then Herod, when he had secretly called the wise men, determined from them what time the star appeared. ⁸ And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the young Child, and when you have found Him, bring back word to me, that I may come and worship Him also.”

⁹ When they heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was. ¹⁰ When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. ¹¹ And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

¹² Then, being divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed for their own country another way.

“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,” (Matthew 2:1, NKJV)

Bethlehem

Bethlehem, was located 6 miles south of Jerusalem, the capital of Judah.  The name Bethlehem means, “House of Bread” Bet (House) and Lechem (Bread).  There are many references to Bethlehem in the Old Testament: location of Rachel’s death (Gen. 48) and where Ruth lived after marrying to Boaz (Ruth 1).  The most important reference has to be Bethlehem’s reference to King David, and how foretelling of future Messiah will also come from the House of David from Bethlehem (Micah 5:2).  It is within this premise we can read today’s text.  

Herod the Great

Who was Herod the Great?  In the New Testament, we only recognize him as the one who tried to kill Jesus in His infancy and committed mass murder in the town of Bethlehem and surrounding region to assure the death of the Messiah.  You might ask yourself, what makes Herod great?  What kind of title is given to a man who exercised such cruelty to the innocent?  The title was given for his earthly accomplishment alone and nothing more.  For example, if you visit Israel today, you will find the ruins of Herod’s physical accomplishments everywhere, whether it is the walls surrounding Jerusalem, his desert palace and fortress in Masada, or th artificially made port of Caesaria Maritima, these all speak of Herod’s ingenuity and brilliance in building.  As far as his personal life,  he was known for  brutality killing innocent people as you have read in today’s text. He killed his own wife Mariamne of Hasmonean (Jewish loyalty), killed his own sons because he thought they are conspiring against him, and many more.  So yes, he was great in building structures that lasted 2,000 years, but his personal life, a disaster.  

Wise Men

There are plenty of assumptions about who these men were and where they came from.  There are those who believe they are Zoroastrians from Persia and there is some merit to this but no certainty.  What we can be assured is that they were astrologers from the East, the reason for their coming to Jerusalem is soely for the expectation of the Jewish Messiah.  In many movies there is always a portrayal of 3 magis, though there is no internal evidence of the exact number of 3 magis or three wise men.  Tradition later adapted the number since there were 3 gifts given to Jesus by these wise men.  They would of have traveled quite a distance, whether they were from Persia (Modern day Iran) or Babylon (Modern day Iraq).  They would of have came with a sizable caravan, with many resources and protection for their long journey, as was common in the time period.

As you know, understanding background of the text gives readers better depth and understanding of the story of the Bible.  Today, I wanted to provide some background information of Matthew 2:1-12.  Though we only covered verse 1 of Matthew chapter 2, each verse can be treated carefully giving detail information. In addition to those who are involved, there is fulfillment of prophecy, and the birth of the Savior.  I pray that you would take time to read additional resources, such as commentaries, to discover all the detail found in this short text.  Please take your time and feel free to comment and ask questions.  JY