[And He Walks With Me] Matthew 2

1-2        The wise men from the east were probably astrologers from Persia or Babylon rather than political kings. Because astrology was so prominent in various cultures, however, they were extremely wealthy and influential. Astrologers observed the stars in search of patterns which were then correlated with historical events and literature from a variety of cultures. The exile of Israel and subsequent diaspora (i.e., the spread of Jews beyond the Promised Land) allowed these wise men access to Jewish culture and literature. It is likely they pieced together bits of prophecy, perhaps from Balaam (e.g., Numbers 24:17) and other Gentile prophets from the east, with what they knew of the Jews’ messianic expectations, their own astrological observations, and a bit of divine revelation to arrive at the conclusion that the new star they observed signaled the birth of the Jewish messiah. All of this demonstrates that, while they may grasp the full gospel message without a little direction and clarification from a believer, everyone has access to at least some revelation from God. The question is whether they will seek him and piece it all together.

3        King Herod was paranoid and brutal. Through a combination of pleasing the right people and abusing everyone else, he rose to become a vassal king of the Roman Empire. Then, he is known to have killed multiple people, including his own family, to protect his throne. News of a new king of the Jews, therefore, caused a terrible ripple effect. Herod was deeply disturbed, and all Jerusalem knew that, when Herod was disturbed, people died.

4        Notice the contrast between all the chief priests and scribes of the people here and the wise men from the east in vss 1-2. The pagan astrologers saw the signs of the Messiah’s coming and traveled nearly a thousand miles to find and worship him. The chief priests and scribes, on the other hand, were supposedly spiritual leaders for the people of God, but though they were just 6 miles (9 km) away, they had no idea. They were neither watching nor seeking, and they certainly were not worshiping. This is made all the more poignant when one recognizes that, in Genesis, east represented away from God. Now, it is the wise men from the east who have turned and are seeking Christ. Be like the wise men from the east rather than the chief priests and scribes.

7-8        The fact that Herod secretly summoned the wise men (emphasis added) suggests he was up to something nefarious. He was not going to go and worship him. Rather, his intent was to pump the wise men for information – the exact time the star appeared, to be precise – so he could thwart the rise of this would-be king.

11        The pagan astrologers did not hesitate. The moment they saw the child, they [fell] to their knees and worshiped him.

        It was customary to bring gifts when approaching a king. The gifts the wise men brought are significant. Gold was, of course, of great value and symbolic of purity and royalty. It was also used as currency throughout the known world. Frankincense is produced from the resin of the tree Boswellia sacra. This species is found only in Somaliland, and the resin is sorted by hand into different grades. Consequently, frankincense was of great value.^[139] Similarly, myrrh was produced from the resin of commiphora myrrha. This tree was found primarily in Saudi Arabia and Somaliland. Myrrh was commonly used in medicine, perfume, and incense. Additionally, it was mixed with wine as an anti-inflammatory and analgesic. It was also used in Jewish burial rituals.^[140]

12        For the significance of a dream, see note on Genesis 40:8.

13-15        The holy family’s flight to Egypt to evade Herod’s plot to search for the child and kill him makes Jesus a refugee. This is significant because God’s people were originally called Hebrew because of Abraham’s lack of national affiliation (see note on Genesis 14:13). Following the exodus and, later, the exile, they themselves were themselves refugees. Now, the Messiah became a refugee so that he can sympathize with people who were displaced and dispossessed.

16        There is no extrabibilcal record of this massacre. However, this does not necessarily mean it did not happen. It is consistent with what is known of Herod’s character. By focusing on all the boys in and around Bethlehem who were two years old and under, the scope of the massacre was limited such that a coverup is plausible. Additionally, the massacre of children was universally condemned. Likely, it would have sparked riots across the volatile region if word escaped. Moreover, Herod was constantly walking a fine line between using enough violence to secure his throne and using too much violence to incur the wrath of Rome. Therefore, he had an incentive to keep this massacre on the downlow.

18        The quote is from Jeremiah 31:15. The connection to the current situation is a bit obfuscated. Jacob’s wife Rachel died during childbirth at Ramah while en route between Bethlehem and the high place at Bethel. Rachel aptly stood for the bereaved mothers of Bethlehem.

22-23        Herod the Great was renowned for his paranoia and brutality. Archelaus was every bit as brutal, but he was severely lacking in administrative competence. He was removed by Rome after failing to keep the peace in 6 CE.^[141] In order to avoid this, the holy family went to Nazareth, which was ruled by Archelaus’ brother Herod Antipas, who had a more even disposition.^[142]

[139] “Boswellia”, n.d.; Matthew 2004, Matthew 2:9-12

[140] Bostock, Riley, and Bohn, n.d.; Matthew 2004, Matthew 2:9-12

[141] Keener and Walton 2016, Matthew 2:23

[142] Chapman and Currid 2018, Matthew 2:22