Matthew 2:3-8
When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Christ 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 be the shepherd of my people Israel.’” Then Herod called the magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and make a careful search for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”
Reflection
King Herod was of Jewish heritage. There was the belief, at that time, that to be a Jew made you favored in the eyes of God. Herod thought he was a part of the chosen people even though he was a very evil man who was working against the will of God. This passage of scripture reveals the fact that King Herod had ulterior motives when it came to the birth of Jesus. He didn’t want to know the location of Jesus’ birth because he wanted to worship the Messiah; he wanted to know where Jesus was so he could kill him. King Herod thought he was a part of God’s chosen people but yet he wanted to kill God’s Son and Savior of the world.
Have you ever thought of how the people who think they are the closest to God might in actuality be the ones who are the farthest away?
