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Following The Star To Find The King Matthew 2:1-12
showing how Jesus was a descendant of David. But Matthew goes on to show that God did not send Jesus to be an earthly king, but a heavenly king. His Kingdom would be much greater than David’s, because it would never end.
It is said, behold a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Em-
manuel, which is being inter- preted is, God with us. Matthew 1:23
“The Magi asked, ‘Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews?
We saw his star when it rose and have come to wor- ship him’’ (Matthew 2:2).
Bethlehem is a small town 5 miles south of Jerusalem and is mentioned in more de- tail in the Gospel of Luke. Luke explains why Joseph and Mary were in Bethlehem when Jesus was born, rather than in their hometown of Nazareth.
Israel was divided in 4 po- litical districts, Bethlehem of Judea was one of them, all 4 districts were ruled by Herod the Great. Herod was written to be ruthless and evil, and who killed members of his own family. And the lesson begins with:
(Matthew 2:1) After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem.
(Matthew 2:2) 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 wor- ship him.”
Not much is known about the magi (wise men), however some scholars say they were each from a different land, representing the entire world bowing before Jesus. The men from faraway lands rec- ognized Jesus as the Messiah, when most of God’s chosen people in Israel did not.
(Matthew 2:3) When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him.
Herod the Great was upset when the Magi asked about a newborn King of the Jews, be- cause He (Herod) WAS not the rightful heir to the throne of David and many Jews hated him. Because he had so many enemies he was always suspicious that someone would try to overthrow him. Herod did not want the very religious Jews to unite around a religious figure, so....
(Matthew 2:4) 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.
Herod’s counselors on reli- gious matters were aware of Micah 5:2 and other prophecies about the Mes- siah. The wise men’s news troubled Herod because he knew the Jewish people ex- pected the Messiah to come soon. Luke 3:15
(Matthew 2:5) “In Beth- lehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:
(Matthew 2:6) “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.”
(Matthew 2:7) Then Herod called the Magi se- cretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared.
(Matthew 2:8) 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.”
According to the Bible, Herod did not want to wor- ship the newborn Messiah, instead wanted to use the Magi to return to him and re- veal the whereabouts of the newborn king so he could have him killed. So, ruthless Herod felt he could take no chances and ordered all the babies in Bethlehem be killed.
(Matthew 2:9) 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.
(Matthew 2:10) When they saw the star, they were overjoyed.
(Matthew 2:11) On com- ing 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.
Jesus was probably one or two-years-old when the wise men found him. By this time, Mary and Joseph were mar- ried, living in a house and in- tending to stay in Bethlehem for a while. The wise men gave the baby expensive gifts because they were worthy for a future king.
Gold was a gift for a king; frankincense, a gift for deity (divine character or nature, especially that of the Supreme Being; divinity); and myrrh, a spice for a man who was going to die.
The wise men brought gifts and worshipped Jesus for who he was.
This is the essence of true worship —- honoring Christ for who he is and being will- ing to give him what is valu- able to you.
(Matthew 2:12) And hav- ing been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.
After finding Jesus, the wise men were warned by God to NOT return through Jerusalem as they had in- tended. So they returned home using a different route.
When looking for (follow- ing the Star) and ultimately finding Jesus, your life’s jour- ney may take years and may ultimately lead you in a dif- ferent direction.
Are you willing to be re- sponsive and obedient to God’s Word, and be willing to be led a different way?
Matthew (Levi) was one of Jesus’ 12 disciples. Once he was a despised tax collector, but his life was changed by this man from Galilee. Matthew wrote this Gospel to his fellow Jews to prove that
Jesus is the Messiah and to explain God’s kingdom. He begins his account with Jesus’ birth and early years.
The People of Israel were waiting for the Messiah, their king. Matthew begins by
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