The Christmas story in Matthew chapter 2. This story is different from the story as told in Luke. They are told from different perspectives and intended for different audiences. By reading both we actually get a better view of the whole story.
Matthew 2 to told mostly from the perspective of Joseph. In Luke it is more from the perspective on Mary.
The magi were not really “wise men”. They came from what would be modern day Iraq and they were famous for reading the stars. They travelled about 1000 miles to Jerusalem. They went to Jerusalem because they didn’t know exactly where to go but they knew they were looking for the “King of the Jews”. There may have been more than three, we don’t know. That journey would have taken a lot of resources.
Herod was a man obsessed with finding and killing his enemies. This even included his family members. We would call him paranoid. He was also short. E was a great architect and builder. He was very disturbed when he heard about the Magi’s search. He wasn’t the only one who was disturbed. All of Jerusalem was disturbed. He called the chief priests and the teachers of the law and asked where the messiah was to be born.
Herod sought to know when the baby was born. He told the magi that he wanted to worship the child and asked that they tell him when they find him. The magi knew this was a trick so that Herod could have Jesus killed.
In the traditional nativity scene, we have it wrong. The magi were not there for His birth. They probably didn’t show up until He was about two years old. When it was time for them to leave, the magi had a dream about Herod’s treachery. So the left by a different route. About that time Joseph also had a dream and he took he family off to Egypt.
Jesus’ birth disrupted a lot in Jerusalem and in the Roman empire. He still disrupts the world today. We need to have a relationship with Him that goes beyond how He can help us. We need to focus also on how we can stand up for Him and spread His love and His message.