Matt 2:1–12 — Come And Worship Christ, the Newborn King

Today we remember the wise men, a famous story immortalized in many Christmas scenes. A star guides three wise men to the house where the child Jesus is, and they bring him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. We do not actually know how many wise men there were. The traditional number three is simply inferred from the three gifts. We love the story of the wise men and the star of Bethlehem, but there is far more theology in this passage than we may realize.

The Wise Men and the Rival King

Matthew sets the story “in the days of Herod the king.” Herod was a puppet king installed by Rome. His principal task was to keep the Jewish people from rioting or revolting against Roman rule.

During Herod’s reign, wise men from the east arrived in Jerusalem. They were probably astrologers from the region of Babylon. The term may sound disreputable to us, but these were not mere hucksters or palm readers. They were learned men—the intellectuals of their society—who studied the stars and planets. They were also Gentiles.

They entered Jerusalem, the holy city of Israel, and asked, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews?” The question was alarming. The only man currently known as king of the Jews was Herod. The wise men explained, “We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”

When the news reached Herod, “he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.” Rumors that the Messiah had been born could provoke a revolution against Herod and Rome. The Jewish leaders did not want that either. Herod was neither a Davidic king nor a godly man, but he permitted them to worship and had spent a fortune enlarging and beautifying the temple. They had settled into an arrangement they did not want disturbed.

For Herod, a new Messiah threatened the end of his power and wealth as Rome’s king of Judea. He assembled the chief priests and scribes and asked where Scripture said the Messiah would be born. They correctly answered Bethlehem and quoted Micah 5.

Herod then secretly summoned the wise men, learned when the star had appeared, and sent them to Bethlehem. He told them to search diligently for the child and report back so that he too might worship him. This was a lie. Herod intended to use them to locate and destroy the rival king.

The wise men departed for Bethlehem, only about five miles from Jerusalem. Then the same star they had seen in the east went before them until it rested over the place where the child was. They rejoiced exceedingly. Entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, fell down, and worshiped him. They opened their treasures and presented gold, frankincense, and myrrh as tribute to the true King.

Their worship would have been idolatry if Christ were merely human. Had he been only a king like David or a prophet like Micah, bowing before him in worship would have violated the first commandment. Yet honoring him not only as David’s son but also as David’s Lord was right because he is Immanuel, God with us.

Matthew tells this story for two purposes: to demonstrate that Jesus is the promised King and to call us to worship him.

Jesus Is the Promised King

Matthew delights in identifying the special providences, miracles, and fulfilled prophecies surrounding Jesus’ birth and childhood. They demonstrate that Jesus truly is the promised Messiah. Two Old Testament prophecies stand out in this passage: the Star of Jacob in Numbers 24 and the ruler from Bethlehem in Micah 5.

The Star of Jacob

The most striking special providence is the star that appeared and guided the wise men. Ancient peoples regarded heavenly events such as eclipses and comets as momentous signs. Yet the star of Bethlehem was not an ordinary astronomical phenomenon.

Various theories have attempted to identify it as Halley’s Comet or a conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn. Such explanations cannot account for Matthew’s description. The star directed the wise men toward Israel, went before them from Jerusalem to Bethlehem, and finally rested over the particular place where Jesus was. An ordinary comet, planet, or star could not guide travelers to a specific house. This was a supernatural sign, perhaps angelic in character, since stars and angels are closely associated in biblical and Jewish literature.

The star also fulfilled prophecy. Matthew does not quote Numbers 24:17 explicitly, but he almost certainly has the Star of Jacob oracle in view:

I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near: a star shall come out of Jacob, and a scepter shall rise out of Israel; it shall crush the forehead of Moab.

The prophecy arose during Israel’s journey from Egypt. After Israel defeated Sihon king of the Amorites and Og king of Bashan, the people encamped in the plains of Moab. Balak, king of Moab, feared that this vast company would consume everything around it “as the ox licks up the grass of the field.” Unable to confront Israel militarily, he resorted to divination.

Balak summoned Balaam, a famous soothsayer from the region near the Euphrates, and offered to reward him richly if he would curse Israel. When Balaam attempted to do so, God prevented him and compelled him to bless Israel instead. The Star of Jacob prophecy comes from Balaam’s fourth oracle.

The parallel between “star” and “scepter” shows that the star is a royal symbol. Numbers 24:19 makes the point explicit: “One from Jacob shall exercise dominion.” The star represents a future king of Israel.

The prophecy also reaches back to Genesis 3:15. The coming king will “crush the forehead of Moab,” echoing the promise that the Seed of the woman will crush the serpent’s head. Moab represents the enemies of God’s people, but the oracle also mentions other nations, including Edom. That detail is especially striking because Herod himself was an Edomite.

Balaam’s prophecy received an initial fulfillment in David’s monarchy. Immediately after the Davidic covenant in 2 Samuel 7, the following chapter recounts David’s victories. David defeated Moab and subdued Edom, Ammon, Philistia, Amalek, and the Syrian kingdoms. He dedicated to the Lord the gold, silver, and bronze taken from the nations.

David’s victories were only a type and shadow. The final fulfillment is Christ, David’s son and David’s Lord. Christ did not merely crush earthly kings who opposed an earthly nation. By suffering on the cross and rising from the dead, he crushed the ancient serpent and defeated the spiritual forces arrayed against God’s elect. He has ascended into heaven with angels, authorities, and powers subjected to him.

The star of Bethlehem was therefore more than a miracle of divine power over nature. It was a theological sign announcing that the promise of Genesis 3:15 and the Star of Jacob prophecy were being fulfilled in Christ.

The identity of the visitors reinforces the connection. Balaam was a pagan diviner from the east, and God used him to announce the coming star and scepter. The wise men were also pagan astrologers from the east. They saw the star, recognized the birth of the King, and came to worship him. Later Christian tradition describes the wise men as kings, probably because Isaiah 60 foretells kings coming to the light and bringing gold and frankincense.

Isaiah’s vision concerns the restoration of God’s people beyond exile. The mountain of the Lord is exalted, the nations stream toward its light, and Gentile kings bring their wealth in worship. The wise men’s arrival in Jerusalem with royal treasures is therefore another sign that the promised restoration has begun. Gentiles who once stood outside the covenant community are being drawn to Israel’s Messiah.

These Gentiles called Jesus the King of the Jews, yet they came to worship him themselves. They recognized that his reign was not restricted to Israel. He is the King of kings and Lord of lords who subdues a people for himself from Jewish and Gentile nations alike.

The King from Bethlehem

The second prophecy is explicit. When Herod asked where the Christ was to be born, the chief priests and scribes answered:

In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet: “And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.”

Micah was a younger contemporary of Isaiah. Their ministries overlapped during the reigns of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah in the latter part of the eighth century BC. The northern kingdom fell to Assyria in 722 BC. Although Judah survived for a time, its idolatry and the failures of its kings made future judgment inevitable. Micah foresaw Jerusalem’s fall, which occurred in 586 BC, but he also looked beyond exile to Israel’s restoration through the Messiah.

Micah 5 begins with a siege against Jerusalem and the humiliation of its earthly ruler: “With a rod they strike the judge of Israel on the cheek.” Against that dark background, the prophet announces another King:

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.

God would give his people up until the woman in labor gave birth. Then the ruler would gather his brothers, stand in the Lord’s strength, shepherd his flock, and become great to the ends of the earth.

Micah sees both judgment and restoration in a single vision. The existing king is struck and humiliated because Judah’s rulers have failed, but from the seemingly insignificant town of Bethlehem God raises a faithful ruler. Under his shepherding care, the people dwell securely, and his greatness extends far beyond Israel to the ends of the earth.

Bethlehem was not a random birthplace. The story of Ruth takes place there, and Boaz was a prominent man of Bethlehem. He became David’s great-grandfather. David’s father is called “Jesse the Bethlehemite,” and David is identified as the son of an Ephrathite of Bethlehem. To the original audience, Bethlehem meant the royal city of David. By locating the coming ruler there, Micah identified him as David’s heir.

The Star of Jacob and Bethlehem prophecies complement one another. The star emphasizes the King’s dominion and victory over the enemies of God’s people. Bethlehem emphasizes his gracious rule as the Shepherd of God’s people. The first directs us toward the cross and resurrection, where Christ defeated Satan and secured forgiveness. The second directs us toward his ascension and present reign, through which he regenerates sinners, transfers them from bondage into his kingdom of grace, and conforms them to his image.

Jesus’ kingship is therefore spiritual and saving. It does not concern the restoration of national Israel, an earthly temple, or a political kingdom. Throughout Matthew, Jesus proclaims, “The kingdom of heaven is at hand.” His miracles, exorcisms, forgiveness of sins, and teaching all manifest his saving reign. He defeats his enemies, but toward his people he is the Shepherd-King who loves, feeds, guides, and sanctifies them.

Come and Worship the King

Matthew’s second purpose is to invite his readers, including Gentiles, to respond to the Messiah with the wise men’s worshipful faith. The star is a heavenly spotlight pointing not merely to Bethlehem but to Jesus himself. The declaration that the King of the Jews has been born demands a response. Neutrality is impossible.

Two Responses to the King

The wise men respond with worship and joy. Herod and Jerusalem respond with fear and hostility. Herod’s response anticipates the nation’s later rejection and crucifixion of Jesus. The wise men’s response anticipates the Gentiles coming to faith and being incorporated into the people of God.

The response of the Jewish leaders is especially astonishing. They knew Herod was an illegitimate king who did not belong to David’s house. They also knew from Micah that the true King would be born in Bethlehem. When the wise men reported the birth and the star, the leaders possessed every reason to accompany them to Bethlehem. Yet their hearts were hardened, and they refused to bow before Christ.

They wanted to remain in control. Worship requires us to acknowledge that Jesus occupies the throne and we do not. Herod clung to his power, wealth, and building accomplishments. The scribes and Pharisees clung to their religious authority and their interpretations of the Mosaic law, which they had turned into an engine of self-righteousness and justification by works. They did not perceive their need for a Messiah who would save them from their sins.

Herod could point to the magnificent temple he had financed. The religious leaders could point to their traditions, learning, and careful observance. All of them believed that they were contributing something indispensable to Israel’s life. The announcement of a true King exposed the fragility of that confidence. If Christ is King, their accomplishments cannot establish their righteousness or preserve their control.

The wise men were different. They came from pagan darkness, yet they recognized their need. They held positions of learning, influence, and respect in their own land, but left everything to seek Israel’s King. They set aside any boast in their wisdom and prostrated themselves before a child. In Jesus they saw one greater than themselves.

Matthew repeatedly sets Gentile faith alongside Israel’s unbelief. Later, a Roman centurion will display such confidence in Jesus’ authority that Jesus declares, “With no one in Israel have I found such faith.” He then announces that many will come from east and west and sit with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. The wise men are an early picture of that ingathering from the nations.

One cannot worship without acknowledging that the object of worship is greater. Worship places us in the posture of needy dependence. We do not come before Christ to offer him assistance, as though he lacked something. We come as sinners who need his saving help.

Let us therefore follow the wise men as needy sinners. Matthew does not merely intend to teach us biblical theology and fulfilled prophecy. He sets these Gentile visitors before Jews and Gentiles in the church as examples of humble faith. Do not imitate the leaders who refused to worship Christ. Imitate the wise men who traveled from a distant land to pay homage to the true King.

Rejoice in the King

We first honor Christ by rejoicing in him. When the wise men saw the star, “they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.” Their joy was not ultimately in the star but in the King to whom it pointed.

We too have Christ. We have the promised Savior, the fulfillment of the prophecies, the serpent-crushing King. We experience suffering, broken relationships, trauma, affliction, and many other hardships, but none of these can erase the surpassing gift that we have Jesus. Let us rejoice exceedingly in our King.

This application may sound simple, but it is not small. Christian joy does not require us to deny our suffering. It arises from knowing that amid every trial we possess the King whom God promised from the beginning. Our circumstances change, but Christ’s victory and shepherding care do not.

Walk in the King’s Victory

We also honor Christ by walking in his victory over the enemy. The Star of Jacob has crushed the serpent’s head. Christ fully satisfied God’s righteous requirements through his active obedience and bore the curse in our place through his suffering and death. We are therefore justified and accepted before God.

Satan remains active in the world, deceiving people and spreading darkness, but he is already a defeated foe. Christ crushed him through his death and resurrection. Satan can no longer sustain an accusation against those who are in Christ. Revelation 12:10 declares:

Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God.

We pay homage to the King by resting in his finished work and living with the assurance that the accuser has been cast down.

The world still displays darkness and confusion, and the enemy still seeks to deceive. Yet he acts as a condemned enemy whose decisive defeat has already occurred. Because Christ fulfilled the law and bore its curse, Satan has no valid charge to bring against those justified in Christ. We honor our King when we refuse to ground our assurance in ourselves and instead stand in his completed victory.

Submit to the Shepherd-King

Finally, we honor Christ by submitting to his gracious reign. He is not a tyrant who merely imposes his will. Like David, the shepherd who became king, Christ exercises his royal office as the Shepherd who loves his sheep, feeds them, guides them, and leads them in paths of righteousness.

Submission to him is therefore not an onerous burden. We have the privilege of following the King who loved us and laid down his life for us. Sanctification is God’s sovereign work within us. Christ sanctifies us by his Spirit and conforms us to his image. Because he gives us new hearts, however, we respond to that work with willing and joyful obedience.

The wise men went to great lengths to honor Christ. They undertook a long and dangerous journey, opened their costly treasures, and laid gold, frankincense, and myrrh at his feet. They did not act reluctantly but from hearts overflowing with joy.

Serving Christ, doing good works, and fighting against the flesh are not merely burdensome duties. They are joyful privileges through which we pay homage to our gracious Shepherd-King. Let us come to Christ in humility, bow before him, and lay our treasures at his feet.