Matthew 2:1. Now when Jesus was born is Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem,
Our Lord was born in Bethlehem, an inconsiderable village of Judaea. Its name, however, is significant; it means, «the house of bread.» Truly Bethlehem has become, in a spiritual sense, the house of bread to all who feed on Christ. When Jesus was born in Bethlehem, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem,
Matthew 2:2. Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews?
There was another king, of whom we have just read: «Herod the king,» but he was an Idumean, an Edomite. He had no right to the throne; but here is born the true heir to the throne of David, and the Magi from the east have come to ask for him.
Matthew 2:2-3. For we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.
When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.
Tidings of the arrival of these strangers in the Jewish capital, asking for the new-born King, would be sure to spread rapidly. The news soon reached the palace; and Herod, one of the most suspicious and cruel of tyrants, and therefore the most cowardly of men, «was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.»
Matthew 2:4. And when He had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born.
They could tell him if they wished to do so, for they were deeply versed in the Scriptures. The Scribes copied the Sacred Writings. The Pharisees had counted the very letters of the Word, they could tell which was the middle letter of the Old Testament. They were great at the letter; but, alas, they had missed the spirit! Men may know a great deal about the Bible, and yet really know nothing of it. The husks of Scripture yield small profit; we need to come to the kernel, the real corn, the spiritual meaning of the Inspired Word.
Matthew 2:5-7. And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet, And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel. Then King Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, enquired of them diligently what time the star appeared.
He half suspected that he should not see them again, so he determined to get all the information he possibly could out of them.
Matthew 2:8. And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said « Go and search diligently for the young child; and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also.
It was like his deep, cunning spirit to try to find out where the child was, that he might kill him. He looked upon him as a rival, as one who might rob him of his throne, so he would put him to death if he could; and, meanwhile, he would pretend that he wanted to worship him.
Matthew 2:9. When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was.
It was probably not a star in the sense in which we use the word: that is a planet, or a fixed star; but a meteoric brightness, which moved in the sky, and so guided the wise men. They do not appear to have seen its light after they set out on their journey; it directed them to the region of Judaea so they came to the capital city, Jerusalem. When they departed from Herod, the star appeared again, and guided them to the little town of Bethlehem, where they found the Christ. God may sometimes send us stars, bright lights of joy, to guide us on our way; he may also take them away again, and then we must walk by faith. When they reappear, we shall be glad to have them once more, as the wise men were.
Matthew 2:10-11. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. And when they were come into the house,
For it would seem that the mother and child had moved out of the stable into a house. The town was, perhaps, not now quite so crowded, and there was more room for Mary and her blessed baby: «When they were come into the house,»
Matthew 2:11. They saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.
These were the products of their country, such as they would give to princes. Such treasures must have been of great use to Mary and Joseph to help them take care of the wondrous child who had been entrusted to their charge.
Matthew 2:12. And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way.
I remember a long disquisition, by a learned man, to show that we may sometimes break our promise, if, upon further consideration, we find we did wrong in making it, saying that these wise men, though they had promised to go and tell Herod all about the young child, did not do so when warned of God by a dream. After reading his very ingenious dissertation, I turned to the text, and there discovered that the wise men never made any promise of the kind; so that it was a sermon on a non-existent text. They never agreed to return; Herod told them to do so, which is one thing; they did not promise to do so, that would have been quite another thing. They broke no promise, and hence needed no excuse. They were in supernatural communication with God, he had guided them by a star, and now he speaks to them in a dream, and bids them go back to their own country another way. May we all be under like unerring guidance!
Amen.