Matthew 2

Chapter 2 begins showing the responses of people towards Jesus, though yet He is still a child, the responses of people toward His identity is quite polar. Considering the claims by Matthew of who Jesus is, there is hardly any middle ground to argue any other way, he is either either the Messiah or he is not. He is either the Son of God or a charlatan.  Yet the first claims of His kingship are not from His own lips.  It is the Magi who are coming to visit the King that was born.  These “wisemen” studied the stars and what they saw led them to Jerusalem in search of king.

Neither can we say all of this talk of Messiah and kingship was thrust on baby Jesus.    Jesus led the disciples in the interpretation of the Old Testament scriptures concerning His coming.   But what we are to understand is that Jesus did not invent some grand ideas about Himself when He was older.  No, even at His birth, the truth of His identity was heralded by wisemen and angels alike.

At the coming of the Magi, King Herod seemed to agree that this indeed was the Messiah, but Herod’s  cruel actions to kill many innocent children only give a bit of foreshadowing the kind of political poles Jesus coming will create.  In contrast to Herod’s reaction the wisemen worship Jesus.  If the wisemen were Jews, they would have thought it improper to worship a mere man, king or not.  But just has Herod’s actions foreshadow the truth of Jesus’ identity, so does the worshipping of the wisemen speak of Jesus’ deity, for only God is to be worshipped.  They present their gifts fit for royalty, gold frankincense and myrrh.

Matthew brings us to another visitation by an angel warning Joseph to take Jesus into Egypt while Herod seeks the child’s life.  I believe Matthew sees the remarkable similarity in Jesus’ life and historical Israel.  Just as God brought the nation of Israel out of Egypt, so will God call His “Son” from the same place, and a new covenant will begin.

At the conclusion of chapter two, Matthew sets up Jesus to be the Christ, the coming King. But also one who is worshipped and surrounded by conflict.  Anyone who is connected to Jesus may find themselves in all sorts of peril.