“Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” Matthew 2:2
The Bible does not tell us how many wise men there were, but tradition has it that there were three, because there were three gifts brought to Jesus—gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
So we have three kings, and they have come to worship Jesus the King. But in order to find Jesus, they go to visit Herod the king. That’s a lot of kings!
When the wise men go to Herod, who is king over the Jews, and they ask where is the one who has been born king of the Jews, there is bound to be trouble. Herod has cunning and he does not reveal his hand to the wise men. But God warns the wise men, and so after they have worshiped Jesus, they return by another route. Herod is then filled with fury, and he determines to destroy Jesus. This hatred of Jesus Christ arises for one reason and one reason alone: that he is the King.
If the wise men had come to Herod and said, “A baby has been born, and God has revealed to us that when he grows up, he will do good for many people and will teach us how to love,” Herod would have said, “I could use some of that. We all need that!” But when the wise men come, they say, “A baby is born, and he is the King!” So Herod says, “Well if that’s the case, I’m going to kill him. There’s only one king around here, and that’s me.”
King Jesus has enemies precisely because he is King, and this antagonism toward him continues today.
How does this truth that Jesus is the King lay claim over your life?
