Matthew chapter 2 starts like this
2 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, [a]wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, 2 saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.” 3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. 5 So they said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet:
6 ‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
Are not the least among the rulers of Judah;
For out of you shall come a Ruler
Who will shepherd My people Israel.’ ”
I've always thought that there were three wise men who came to find Jesus, but the scripture doesn't actually ever say that there was 3 men. It says that there were wise men who gave Jesus three gifts, gold, frankincese and myrrh. Also, if you look at the passage, by the time the wise men made it to Bethlehem Jesus was in a house with his parents. So while historically they are part of the Christmas story, they weren't there on the night Jesus was born in a physical body. I'm grateful to Matthew for telling us this story because the other gospel records do not record it at all.
One of the remarkable things that I think when I read the passage about is that the scribes and Pharisees could rightly interpret Micah 5:2 as saying that Jesus would be born in Bethlehem, but they seemed indifferent about going to see him themselves. You notice it doesn't say that the scribes and Pharisees went with the magi to find Jesus. Yet, here were the magi, who most likely traveled from somewhere around modern day Iran or Iraq and they had the wisdom to seek out Jesus. Possibly they learned about the Messiah from writings that the Jews took with them when they went into exile hundreds of years beforehand.
So, those who should have been seeking him were indifferent, yet the pagan Persian astrologers (wise men) had enough wisdom to seek him. I think this is what made them truly wise. Notice also that they brought him gold, frankincense and myrrh. Some of these herbs were commonly used in burial customs at the time. They probably financed Joseph and Mary's trip to Egypt which is mentioned later in the passage. There is thought that the gold represented his kingship, the frankincense and myrrh represented his suffering and eventual death. So, even in his birth there is a foreshadowing of his death.
So, why does it say that Herod was troubled and all Jerusalem with him. There was a saying attributed to Emperor Augustus that it was safer to be Herod's pig than his son. That is because Herod, towards the end of his life, Herod became paranoid and had several of his family members killed including his wife and three sons. Herod was a master building who contributed much to the enlarging of the Jewish temple, but he was not a nice man. Herod felt threatened by Jesus even though he was still an infant and paranoid that he was a threat. And as we see later on in Matthew, when Herod became paranoid people died.
There was a passage in 2 Peter 3:11 that the pastor mentioned at the church I attended this morning. The passage before verse 11 says that the Lord will come like a thief and the elements of earth and heaven will be burned up with intense heat. Then in verse 11 it says,
"Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness."
What made these men wise men is that they were looking for a redeemer not from the stars or even Herod, but the Messiah. And when they found him they did not hesitate to give him their best and to worship him. While the Pharisees and scribes never recognized Jesus, the wise men did not hesitate in their acknowledgement of this young toddler or baby as being the Messiah. In their wisdom, they recognized him immediately.
In Proverbs it says that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. The word fear there is a word that means reverence. The wise men had a reverence for God while the scribes and Pharisees had some knowledge about God. But, they did not have true wisdom because if they did they would have gone to Bethlehem. The wise men gave their all for Christ and are an example for us of putting him first and seeking Him with all our heart.
