The Savior’s birth should evoke unparalleled joy. Yet, while the Magi and shepherds rejoiced, Herod did not.
Matthew 2:3 records: “When King Herod heard this, he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him.” Herod and Jerusalem were anxious and shaken by news from scholars from the East. Why is the Savior’s birth joyful for some, but causes distress in Israel’s capital? It is because Jerusalem knew Herod’s temperament, intolerant of rivals. Bloodshed could result from his desire to keep power. For Jerusalem, the Messiah’s arrival brought threat, not joy. They tried to avoid this possibility.
This event illustrates that the rejection of Jesus came from His own people, not foreign nations. It is a sad irony: “God came to His own, but His own rejected Him.” We often act likewise—not overtly, but by disobeying His Word. Disobedience is rejection. Even with the law and the Spirit’s guidance, we may resist our conscience. May we be kept from hardened hearts. When hearing the Word, let us obey faithfully, not reject Him.
The appearance of the “chief priests and the teachers of the law” (v. 4) is introduced by Matthew for the first time. These two groups appear simultaneously. Throughout the Gospel of Matthew, these two groups will continue to emerge, almost always present in the Lord Jesus’s life journey. However, their presence is not to learn or receive His teachings but to oppose and even seek to remove Him.
This serves as a reflection for us as believers: what do we truly seek as we follow the Lord Jesus? The Lord Jesus Himself said that He has no place to lay His head. The world is not His home. Therefore, if we follow God with worldly motives, we embark on a life journey of little value.
If we are to follow the Lord, what we seek should be Himself. That is more than enough. God is the source of life for believers. The Word of God says, “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (Matthew 6:33). The entire journey of a believer’s life should be directed towards one goal: the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, not towards other matters. Surely, all worldly needs will be added without lack. Even the Kingdom of God has been prepared for those who love Him.
John 14:1 states: “Do not let your hearts be troubled; you believe in God; believe also in me.” The Lord desires that we not live in anxiety. Just as He was present in Bethlehem, He is with us now. His presence brings joy and peace—not distress or fear.