Matthew 2:4-6
When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:
“‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’”
Reflection
So to answer the Magi’s question and most likely (as we will learn later) to satisfy his own needs, Herod calls together the “chief priests and teachers of the law.” Don’t miss this point. (I am not sure I ever picked up on exactly what was happening until now.) Herod asks the question, “where is the Messiah to be born?” The people Herod asked – the chief priests and teachers of the law – would have been TOTALLY familiar with the Hebrew Scriptures and would have known. In fact, they quoted the prophet Micah (Micah 5:2).
Micah tells us that a ruler and a shepherd will come from Bethlehem. So the Magi and Herod and the chief priests and teachers of the law are all on the same page – a new King is coming. If a new King is coming, then that implies that the King would rule over a Kingdom.
When you hear the phrase “…a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel,” what does that mean to you, and what type of action should that require of those people in the Kingdom that will be ruled and shepherded?
