When the Magi showed up at Herod’s door asking about the new King who had been born he had no idea what they were talking about. Matthew 2:3 says that “he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.” He called together the chief priests and scribes of the people to gain some insight into what was going on. They knew the biblical answers, but their response is fascinating. Think about this with me.
They had to know what prompted Herod’s inquiry into where Messiah was to be born. All the city was troubled. Everybody was talking about these foreign visitors. It was no coincidence that just after they show up Herod wants to know about the Christ. Not only was everybody talking about these strange visitors, but we need to remember that the shepherds had already given testimony to what they had seen on the hills near Bethlehem and what they witnessed when they went to find the new born baby. Luke 2:18 says that “all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them.” The rumor mill was running full bore. Not only were the crowds buzzing about the magi and the testimony of the shepherds, but Simeon and Anna had testified in the temple of Jerusalem. These things were not done in secret. For up to two years the rumors have been circulating about this King. Now someone from a distant land has shown up looking for him. This inquiry didn’t take the Jewish scholars by surprise.
But, what is more significant is that they knew the scriptures. When Herod asks them about where the Christ was to be born they knew the answer. They quoted the scriptures from Micah 5:2
But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah,
who are too little to be among the clans of Judah,
from you shall come forth for me
one who is to be ruler in Israel,
whose coming forth is from of old,
from ancient days.
They knew the truth, and yet, as the Wycliffe Bible Commentary records, “Matthew ... shows the contrast in attitudes between the non-Jewish wise men who journeyed far to see Jesus and the Jewish authorities who would not go five miles.”
The response of the Jewish leaders was not one of opposition, at least not to begin with. It was perhaps worse. They just ignored him. There was an expectation of the Messiah. They were looking for the one who would deliver them from the rule of the Herods and the authority of Rome. They desired the throne of David to be re-established, yet when the Christ came they ignored him. Later they would move from apathy to contempt, from ignoring him to outwardly opposing him, but for now they just went home. Intellectual pride and spiritual apathy is, perhaps, one of the most dangerous combinations. Jesus warned the church of Laodicea of that very condition in Revelation 3. But that raises the question: Do we do the same thing?
They had to know what prompted Herod’s inquiry into where Messiah was to be born. All the city was troubled. Everybody was talking about these foreign visitors. It was no coincidence that just after they show up Herod wants to know about the Christ. Not only was everybody talking about these strange visitors, but we need to remember that the shepherds had already given testimony to what they had seen on the hills near Bethlehem and what they witnessed when they went to find the new born baby. Luke 2:18 says that “all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them.” The rumor mill was running full bore. Not only were the crowds buzzing about the magi and the testimony of the shepherds, but Simeon and Anna had testified in the temple of Jerusalem. These things were not done in secret. For up to two years the rumors have been circulating about this King. Now someone from a distant land has shown up looking for him. This inquiry didn’t take the Jewish scholars by surprise.
But, what is more significant is that they knew the scriptures. When Herod asks them about where the Christ was to be born they knew the answer. They quoted the scriptures from Micah 5:2
But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah,
who are too little to be among the clans of Judah,
from you shall come forth for me
one who is to be ruler in Israel,
whose coming forth is from of old,
from ancient days.
They knew the truth, and yet, as the Wycliffe Bible Commentary records, “Matthew ... shows the contrast in attitudes between the non-Jewish wise men who journeyed far to see Jesus and the Jewish authorities who would not go five miles.”
The response of the Jewish leaders was not one of opposition, at least not to begin with. It was perhaps worse. They just ignored him. There was an expectation of the Messiah. They were looking for the one who would deliver them from the rule of the Herods and the authority of Rome. They desired the throne of David to be re-established, yet when the Christ came they ignored him. Later they would move from apathy to contempt, from ignoring him to outwardly opposing him, but for now they just went home. Intellectual pride and spiritual apathy is, perhaps, one of the most dangerous combinations. Jesus warned the church of Laodicea of that very condition in Revelation 3. But that raises the question: Do we do the same thing?
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