CHAPTER 2
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 when it rose and have come to worship him.” Matthew 2:1-2
It was entirely befitting that when the King of the Universe was born into the world there would be unusual stellar displays in the heavens.1 While the Jewish leaders did not notice these, Gentile Magi from the east did notice. They not only noticed the unusual star but studied it, and then made their journey westward that they might honor the newborn King. With the exception of verses 18-25 in the first chapter, we find it necessary to go to Luke, chapters 1 and 2, for the annunciation and birth narratives of the Lord. Of course, he was born in the small town of Bethlehem, the birthplace of King David (1 Sa. 16:1). Joseph was of the family line of David and thus needed to register for the tax in Bethlehem. The name “Bethlehem” in Hebrew means the house of bread. How fitting that the Bread of Life would be born in the house of bread!
Bible interpreters through the ages have wondered about the Magi (Gk. Magoi) mentioned here. Scholars have wondered just who they were and where they came from. The great Greek scholar A. T. Robertson notes how the historian Herodotus speaks of such a group among the Medians and that also there was a priestly caste of Magi among the Chaldeans in ancient Babylon. He notes how Daniel was head of such an order in his day (Dan. 2:48).2 Texas professor, Bob Utley adds: “This type of sage probably originated in Media, but they came to be a well-known group of wise men, counselors, and astrologers all over Mesopotamia…They could have been Jewish exiles like Daniel.” 3 The title was later applied to common sorcerers or charlatans.4
The Magi appeared in the latter days of Israel’s King Herod. Strangely, Herod was of Idumean background from the line of Esau. We will soon see how the ancient rivalries of brothers will continue to play out – the chosen versus the non-chosen.5 Herod was an Idumean and his mother was an Arab. Yet, by his political and military savvy he managed to be declared king of the Jews by the Romans in 37 BC.
We note that the Magi came to Jerusalem while the star apparently went on to Bethlehem. It was natural for notables to check in with the capital and the king when arriving at a country. It would be normal to think that the new king would be born in the capital city. Jerusalem of course was the eternal city chosen by God. It was and is no doubt the most important city on earth. The question they asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews?” was a dangerous question to ask in most kingdoms, but it was especially dangerous to ask this of King Herod. While Herod was a great builder and an able administrator, for the most part, he was a very dangerous person. Particularly in his old age Herod had become quite jealous of his throne. That jealousy will be especially manifested toward the Christ Child. Keener says, “Most kings reacted with hostility to potential usurpers and to astrological predictions of their demise.” 6
The Magi had followed a special star all the way from Mesopotamia. After centuries of writing and research, the true nature of this star is still unknown. The Bible scholars Pfeiffer and Harrison say, “…All attempts to explain the star as a natural phenomenon are inadequate…Rather it was a special manifestation used of God…” 7 The scripture says, “…he performs signs and wonders in the heavens and on the earth…” (Dan. 6:27). In those days many people believed that stars could predict the future,8 and that stars could herald the birth of important people.
There were certain scriptures that seemed to speak of supernatural heavenly displays regarding the coming of Messiah. In Numbers 24:17 it was said, “…A star will come out of Jacob; a scepter will rise out of Israel…” Also in Daniel 7:13-14 were these words: “…there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven…”
Barclay reports concerning this period:
…about the time when Jesus was born, there was in the world a strange feeling of expectation, a waiting for the coming of a king. Even the Roman historians knew about this. Not so very much later than this, on the days of Vespasian, Seutonius could write, “There had spread over all the Orient an old and established belief, that it was fated at that time for men coming from Judaea to rule the world” (Seutonius, Life of Vespasian, 5:5). Tacitus tells of the same belief that “there was a firm persuasion…that at this very time the East was to grow universal empire: (Tacitus, Histories, 5:13). The Jews had the belief that “about that time one from their country should become governor of the habitable earth” (Josephus, Wars of the Jews, 6:5, 4).9
Some have doubted the story of the Magi, thinking that it was but a made up account. France says, “…the fact of a comparable visit by eastern Magi to Nero in AD 66 (Dio Cassius 63.7; Seutonius, Nero 13) vouches for the probability of this story rather than otherwise.” 10 Some peculiarities about the Magi are these: We do not know their number and only assume that there were three. There could have been a larger group. It has been assumed that they were kings but there is no biblical evidence of this.11 We may have to rewrite a few of our Christmas songs and plays to eliminate the three kings of Orient.
KING HEROD IS DISTURBED
When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. Matthew 2:3
King Herod was an insanely suspicious and jealous person. In his suspicious rages he had already murdered his favorite wife Mariamne and her mother as well. He had murdered two of his sons. The Roman Emperor was prompted to say of him that it was safer to be Herod’s pig than his son.12
We might wonder why all of Jerusalem was troubled. Probably the people of Jerusalem well knew just how paranoid Herod was. They likely feared another paranoid outburst from the king, once he had heard of a rival king being born. No doubt, they would all suffer in the outburst.13 Utley says, “Herod the Great was so cruel and unpredictable that when he was upset, everyone was afraid!” 14
Since many of the officials had been placed in their positions by Herod they would likely have the same sentiments as the king. It was time for Israel to receive her Messiah and she was woefully unprepared. As John would later say, “He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him” (Jn. 1:11).
“When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born” (2:4). There was only one chief priest at a time in Israel but the people considered the office as permanent and not just one appointed by the Romans. Thus they continued to reverence those priests who were retired from the job. When we meet the teachers of the law we are dealing with the scribes. They were not a religious sect like the Sadducees and Pharisees but rather a battery of legal experts to assist the priestly authorities. These were the experts in the Old Testament and in the copious oral traditions.15
Herod was quite insistent regarding the report of this new king. The Greek imperfect tense here indicates that he not only asked but that he kept asking.16 Herod was plainly terrified that this new king or Messiah would be able to take his throne. He was probably nervous about his throne anyway since he was from Edom and hailed from the house of Esau. Again, we can see how the line of Esau was deathly opposed to the hope of Israel – the Messiah.
Clearly, the Magi had gotten themselves into a difficult spot. The seventeenth-century commentator John Trapp says that the star of light was hidden from them while they asked the Pharisees about Christ’s birth. They were led out of their way and as well, they lost their guide. He suggests that they would have been much better off to have talked to the Shepherds in Bethlehem.17
“‘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 shepherd my people Israel”’” (2:5-6). This quotation is from Micah 5:2 and from 2 Samuel 5:2. It states plainly that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem and that he would rule over Israel. The fact of his being born in Bethlehem was well known to the leaders and to the common people as well (Jn. 7:41-42). Keener chides saying, “What is remarkable is that the scribes would know where the Messiah would be born yet not act on that knowledge either positively (Mt. 2:11) or negatively (2:16).” 18 Warren Wiersbe the Bible teacher, pastor and broadcaster says, “They were five miles from the very Son of God, yet they did not go to see him! The Gentiles sought and found him, but the Jews did not.” 19
HEROD’S SCHEME
Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. Matthew 2:7
King Herod had come up with a scheme to destroy the Christ Child. For his scheme to succeed he needed to know exactly when his birth was shown to the Magi. He called them back in for a secret consultation. We wonder why the sly Herod did not send some spies after the Magi when they left for Bethlehem. He was thoroughly capable of this sort of thing. Perhaps it would have attracted too much attention.
The time for the Messiah had come. He would be born in Bethlehem or Ephrath (Gen. 35:16, 19), according to the words of the prophet. The kingship was departing from Judah in the person of King Herod. That triggered another prophecy which says, “The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until he to whom it belongs shall come and the obedience of the nations shall be his” (Gen. 49:10).20
Although Bethlehem was a small town it still had a large and important history. It was the birthplace and home of David as well as the setting for the enchanting story of Ruth and Boaz. Bethlehem did have to be distinguished from another city of the same name in the Galilee. In early Christian centuries Helena, the mother of Christian Emperor Constantine, built the Church of the Nativity in the city. The church is still there and boasts of a cave on the lower level which is said to be the place of the manger.
“He sent them to Bethlehem and said, ‘Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him’” (2:8). Apparently King Herod got the information he desired and he commanded the Magi to find the child and report back to him. This whole episode must have happened several months or even a couple of years after Jesus’ birth. The child here is referred to as paidion, a small child rather than an infant (Gk. brephos). In verse 16, Herod did instruct that all male children under two years of age should be killed. Also in verse 11 below, we find that the child was staying in a house and not in a stable.21
Herod was very hypocritical in saying that he wished to worship the child. He wished to kill the child as quickly as possible. Barnes notes how “wicked people often cloak their evil designs under the appearance of religion.” 22
FINDING THE CHRIST CHILD
After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. Matthew 2:9-10
Craig Blomberg says, “This is the first time the star is actually said to move…its motion here seems to require a supernatural event.” 23 The strange movements of the star did not correspond with the known movements of planets or asteroids. Simply, the star moved in different directions and places to guide the Magi. The great English pastor, F. B. Meyer asks about this saying, “…does not all true science bend before the mystery of life?” 24 The star, quite unlike any known stellar action came to a stop over the place where the Christ Child lay. When they again saw the star they were obviously delighted.
“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, frankincense and myrrh” (2:11). As we have mentioned, the Magi arrived not at the stable where Christ was born but at a house (Gk. oikia). So, obviously some time had passed since the birth. In light of what we have previously said about the undue worship of Mary, it is interesting that they only worshipped “him,” the Christ Child. They likely bowed in Oriental fashion as they fell down and touched their foreheads to the earth. It was a sign of complete surrender.25
Then the distinguished visitors opened their precious gifts just as was customary before kings and important people in those days (cf. Gen. 32:14-15; 43:11; 1 Sam.10:27; 1 Ki.10:2). It has been traditional that the gold was for a king, the frankincense was for a priest and the myrrh was for a person who was to die. The tradition that there were three persons involved has arisen from the threefold gift that was offered.26 We see such gifts brought to the Lord from distant lands in Psalm 72:10-11 and Isaiah 60:6. Meyer remarks how useful the gold would be for young Joseph as he later escaped with his family to Egypt and then returned back to Nazareth.27
“And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route” (2:12). The Lord was able to speak to these wise men in their dreams. They must have been especially sensitive to him. There were several wilderness roads by which they could have escaped back across the Jordan rift and arrived safely at their own country in the East.
ESCAPING TO EGYPT
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.” Matthew 2:13
Apparently there was no time to lose and the situation was urgent and dangerous. Herod would soon realize that he was tricked by the Magi and he would come with an insane fury to destroy Jesus. Once more, Joseph was commanded in a dream and he would quickly obey that divine command.
He was to get up, take the child and his mother and flee to Egypt. The border of Egypt was only some 75 miles away (120 km.). However, that would have seemed a long and dangerous journey at night. Osborne sighs, “Even before the tiny baby could speak, the worldly powers, led by Satan himself, were moving against him.” 28
Of course, the Jewish people had lived in Egypt as slaves long before. Even in this day there were many Jews living there. It has been estimated that the Jewish population of Egypt at this time was about a million persons.29 Traveling Jews tended to contact the Jewish communities wherever they journeyed and they were no doubt cared for as was customary. We do not know how long Joseph and his family stayed in the country, perhaps only a few months. Joseph, no doubt, was able to use his carpentry skills with Jewish people of his own trade.
“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 through the prophet: ‘Out of Egypt I called my son’” (2:14-15). We certainly have to give young Joseph an A+ for obedience. He wasted no time in getting his family out of Bethlehem. Clearly he fled with them at night.
Jesus would thus fulfill Hosea 11:1, “…out of Egypt I called my son.” There was something deeply spiritual about Jesus having to go to Egypt and then being called out of that land. Many of God’s chosen ones had to go through what we might call “the Egypt experience.” For centuries all of God’s people were there and were miraculously led out by Moses. Egypt spiritually signified the flesh, and God’s people had to overcome the flesh. In much the same way there was “the wilderness experience” that also had to be endured by the Lord’s own. Jesus would experience that in his later wilderness temptations. When Jesus came out of Egypt he was manifesting a type of Moses.30 In quite another sense, Jesus was manifesting himself as the true Israel who had come out of Egypt.31
“When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi” (2:16). Upon hearing of the trickery of the Magi, Herod flew into one of his awful rages. He ordered that all the boys two years and under be killed in the Bethlehem area. Scholars have moaned that this dreadful event was not recorded in history and they have cast aspersions upon it. We must remember that Bethlehem was a small town. Scholars have estimated the population of Bethlehem at around one thousand residents. Thus, Herod probably killed about twenty of the male children.32 Morris says, “Herod’s declining years were so full of bloodshed that an incident of this kind might well have gone unreported in our sources.” 33
“Then what was said through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled: ‘A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more’” (2:17-18). There is an immediate problem that is faced when we read the location of Rama here. Rama is north of Jerusalem and the traditional site of Rachel’s Tomb is located just outside Bethlehem, south of Jerusalem. The traditional site has been around a long time, being mentioned by Josephus, Origen and Jerome in the early centuries of Christianity. It is also mentioned in the Talmud. However, this traditional location is at odds with Genesis 35:16; 48:7 and 1 Samuel 10:2-3. Bethel and Ephrath are about 20 miles apart (32 km.). We note in Genesis 35 that Rachel was some distance from Ephrath when she gave birth and died. Genesis 48 says that it was still a little distance from Ephrath beside the road. 1 Samuel 10 places the tomb on the border of Benjamin.
This passage is clearly influenced by Jeremiah 31:15, and it likely refers to the deportation of Judah and Benjamin under the Babylonians in 587-586 BC. It was in that area around Rama that the exiles were gathered for deportation.34 Thus Rachel, the mother of Benjamin, is seen weeping for her children. Once again, Israel’s youths are slaughtered and once again Rachel mourns.
RETURN TO NAZARETH
After Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said, “Get up, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who were trying to take the child’s life are dead.” Matthew 2:19-20
Once again the angel appeared to Joseph in a dream; once again Joseph received specific instructions and once again he obeyed immediately. Joseph was quite a man of faith. We note that he was instructed to take the child back to Israel (Gk. Israēl). It seems that Bible commentators almost without exception insist upon calling it the land of Palestine. Although this is uniformly popular today, it is in error. In Jesus’ day no one had ever heard of the land of Palestine. It did not come into existence until after the Bar Kokhba revolt of AD 135. At that point Emperor Hadrian renamed the land Syria Palestina, christening it after the Philistines, and attempting to separate the land from Israel from its original owners, the Jewish people.
Joseph was informed by the angel that King Herod was dead. He suffered a horrible death as described by Josephus (Antiqities, 17.6.5):
His entrails were also ex-ulcerated, and the chief violence of his pain lay on his colon…further, his privy-member was putrefied, and produced worms; and when he sat upright he had a difficulty of breathing, which was very loathsome, on account of the stench of his breath and the quickness of its return; he had also convulsions in all parts of his body…God inflicted this punishment on the king on account of his great impiety…
Scholars feel that King Herod died around 4 BC. Obviously, Jesus had to overlap some months with Herod. This has created a very difficult problem of dating. Jesus could not have been born at the outset of the Christian era as we suppose. Osborn explains all this for us saying: “The confusion was caused by a switch from the Roman to the Christian calendar in the sixth century AD, based on the faulty calculations of Dionysius Exiguus, who must not have had accurate information about the date of Herod’s death.” 35 So clearly, Jesus had to be born before Herod died. We do not know exactly when his birth took place.
“So he got up, took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel” (2:21). Like his Father Abraham of old, there was absolutely no hesitation in carrying out the commands of the Lord. It is likely that Mary and Joseph intended to resettle in their traditional family hometown of Bethlehem.36 However, that did not work out as we shall see.
“But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning in Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. Having been warned in a dream, he withdrew to the district of Galilee, and he went and lived in a town called Nazareth. So was fulfilled what was said through the prophets, that he would be called a Nazarene” (2:22-23). Upon the death of Herod the Great his kingdom was primarily divided among three of his sons. Herod Antipas took over in Galilee and Perea; Herod Philip took the territories east of the Jordan in the Galilee, the areas of Batanea, Trachonitis and Auranitis. Archelaus obtained Judea, Idumea and Samaria.37
Joseph immediately sensed that Archelaus would be a dangerous ruler for the Christ Child. He sensed accurately. Also he was guided once more, being warned in a dream about Archelaus. This man turned out to be almost as evil as his father. On one occasion at Passover he slaughtered some 3,000 people, putting them to death in the temple.38
So, Joseph, Mary and the young Christ Child made their way back to the Galilee and Nazareth. As we remember, this was the hometown of both Joseph and Mary prior to the birth of Jesus (Lk. 1:26-27; 2:4). No doubt, Joseph again settled into his trade of carpenter or craftsman. To the religious establishment Nazareth and the Galilee in general were looked down upon. It was an unimportant little city that was never mentioned in the Old Testament, the Talmud or even by Josephus.39 We hear nothing much from young Jesus until he began his ministry. No doubt he assisted his father in the carpentry business. Scholars feel that Joseph died young and left a growing family. It was probably the lot of Jesus to be their breadwinner until he began his ministry.
In one sense Jesus was placed in an ideal location. Nazareth was situated on a bluff that overlooked the Jezreel Valley and the famous highway, The Way of the Sea. Barclay says, “…in a very real sense Nazareth was the gateway to the world.” 40 There was something else very important about Nazareth. Through the centuries scholars have wondered if Nazareth was spelled with a “tz” or a “z.” That question was solved by a 1962 archaeological discovery in favor of “tz.” The root of the city’s name would be netzer, meaning shoot or branch, and aligning the city with the prophecy of Isaiah 11:1: “A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch [Heb. Netzer] will bear fruit.” 41 Until this discovery scholars had wondered about verse 2:23 above which read, “and he went and lived in a town called Nazareth. So was fulfilled what was said through the prophets, that he would be called a Nazarene.” It was never possible for scholars to find the prophecy mentioned in this verse. Now they can easily connect it with Isaiah 11:1. Today the name of the city in modern Hebrew is Nat-zer-et.