"Where is he who has been born king of the Jews "(Matthew 2:1–2 ). Part 2 of a 3 part series

      

                       Part 2

     You have had 2 weeks to to consider how intense this moment was. Magi have come from the east to worship the Messiah. The reigning King is afraid the Messiah has been born; yet the religious leaders merely acknowledge the location, choosing to show allegiance to Herrod rather than submit to this Messiah. Why didn't these leaders come to worship the Messiah along with the Magi? With all the signs playing out before them,they chose to do nothing. Their actions fulfill the prophesy of Isaiah 53,which states that the Messiah would be rejected by his own.

     Than Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them the time the star had appeared,And he sent them to Bethlehem , saying" Go and search diligently for the child ,and when  you find him,bring me word,that I too may come and worship him" (Matthew 2:7-8)

     Notice that Herod summoned the Magi secretly.It is clear that he did not want anyone to know his plans. He did not want to draw anymore attention to this issue. He believed that the scriptures enough to know that the Messiah had been born, but he did not love God enough to submit to Him. Herod wanted to know when the star had appeared so he could get an idea of how old the baby was. If the star had appeared when the baby king was born, discerning the time of its first appearance would help him to know who to look for.Then Herod lied to the Magi,telling them to look for the Messiah so he could worship Him,when instead his only purpose was to eliminate any and all threats to his rule.(Matthew 2:16-18).He wanted the position that God said no one could ever have. Thus he was fighting against the rule of God.

     Herod was not the only person to experience fear in regards to the coming of Jesus. In a certain sense, we all experience fear, because when we come face to face with Jesus the Messiah, we have to submit to Him. We can not rule ourselves,we cannot be in charge, and  we cannot think that we can do what we want. We must submit to his sovereign rule. The truth threaten power hungry  leaders. Herod had come face to face  , not just with a one year old baby,but with the King of kings who would ultimately dethrone him and make him a servant

To be continued in part 3.