A Tale of Two Kings

Introduction

In Charles Dicken’s A Tale of Two Cities, irony is used all throughout in different forms. One of the easiest ironies for Dickens to use was the irony that was lived out in history: the French revolutionaries fought for justice and used brutality to achieve that end. Irony is when we would expect one thing, but instead get a different and often opposite result. In fact, irony still occurs today in real life. For example, when one turns on the summer Olympics hosted by Paris, you might expect elegance and civility for the opening ceremony, but instead you’re met with a blue smurf-like man and a mockery of the Lord’s Supper.

Irony is an important tool for the biblical authors as well, and it’s important to pick up on it when we can. We might have expectations about how pagan magicians should act. We also might have expectations about how the king of Israel should act. We also have expectations of the Messiah. What we’re going to find as the narrative unfolds is that as long as our expectations are informed by the Bible, only the Messiah will meet our expectations.

The Wise Men’s Visit

The story begins, like any good story, with the setting, and Matthew mentions specific things here that are important. Matthew tells us the when and the where. Look at verse 1 of chapter 2

“Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judah in the days of Herod the king. . .”

These events take place after Jesus was born. And you have to sort of take your nativity sets and Christmas plays out for this one. Most scholars agree that it took the magicians years to travel to Bethlehem. So, Jesus could be 1-2 years old at this point. In other words, this is probably at least a year after the angels sang and the shepherds came. Next, Matthew gives the location: Bethlehem of Judah. He specified which Bethlehem (the one in Judah) because it fulfills prophecy. Micah 5:2 “But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days.”

Finally Matthew tells us this is in the days of Herod the King. Most date Herod’s death to be around 4BC, this could make Christ’s birth as early as 6BC. Mentioning Herod of course is also foreshadowing of what’s to come. Herod had Edomite blood, meaning he was partly a descendent of Esau and most Israelite resented him for that fact. He started getting more paranoid and cynical closer to his death. One Roman official made a play on words saying it would be better to be Herod’s ὑς than his υἱος. But he did a lot to beautify the temple and build up Jerusalem.

Then, some main characters enter the scene, “behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem.”

The Greek word used for these wise men is μαγοι which is magician. These were most likely Parthian astrologers. Under past empires, such as the Babylonian empire, the magoi were religious priests who served as advisors to the king known for their ability to understand the mysteries of the universe such as interpreting dreams, stars, and other divination (why magoi is translated as wise men). The Scripture forbids such practices. It’s interesting because the Scripture never denies the practices ability to work or actually gain some supernatural knowledge or power. But it seems clear that any such knowledge or power is demonic which is why it is forbidden.

So, the bar would not be set very high as for the expectation of these pagan astrologers. Maybe we would expect them to try to come assassinate the Messiah, or do something else to stop God’s plans. But the story takes an ironic turn.

Matthew 2:2–6 ESV

saying, “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.” When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet: “ ‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’ ”

Here the plot begins to rise. The wise men go around the biggest city in the area inquiring about the birth of a great king. To them his birth seemed so obvious they thought everyone would know and be excited about it. Here we learned what summoned them. They say, “we saw his star when it arose.” Now, there’s a lot of different ideas out there about what this could exactly be and how it could be tied to the Jewish people. I’m of the persuasion that this was a supernatural phenomenon. not a convergence of stars or a planet nor a comet. Whatever it was, they divined it had to do with the king of the Jews, perhaps noting another pagan prophet’s prophecy, Numbers 24:17 “I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near: a star shall come out of Jacob, and a scepter shall rise out of Israel; it shall crush the forehead of Moab and break down all the sons of Sheth.”

The wise men come out to worship this king. This word can also be used to pay homage, but certainly Matthew chooses it to show these wise men were doing more than they really knew they should be doing.

Verses 2 and 3 introduce for us our two major kings in the narrative: King Jesus who was recently born and King Herod who is about to die.

But notice also the big difference in the response to the news of the birth of the king. The pagan magicians want to worship him. But the people of God and their king are troubled. Notice that phrase at the end of v. 3 “and all of Jerusalem with him.” This isn’t just a story about a rebellious king, but a rebellious people. So king Herod summons his wise men to find out where this king is supposed to be born. Remember, Herod at this point is at peak paranoia. He ascertains that this king would be born in Bethlehem.

Now, its easy because of familiarity with the story not to get enraptured in these details. This is the king of the people of God. The king of the people of God asks the wisest of the people of God to go to the Word of God to discover where the promised ruler of the people of God is going to be born.

One would expect the people of God and their king would welcomed the ruler who was promised by God, seek him out and celebrate. But again, irony takes another twist that will later unfold.

Herod brings in the wise men to find out when they first saw the star (v.7). Then he sends the wise men to do his bidding under the guise that he too wants to worship this king—you know, the very thing he should do (v.8).

Again, miraculously, this star leads the wise men directly to Jesus (v. 9), showing the stark contrast between these pagan astrologers who should be blind but see clearly and king Herod who should see just fine but is blind to this star’s light. These wise men are practically giddy, look at Matthew 2:10 “When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.” This is the exact opposite of Jerusalem who was “troubled.”

They worship him and give gifts fulfilling Scripture of foreign kings coming to worship the Messiah (Psalm 72, Isaiah 60:6) Matthew concludes this portion of the story with Matthew 2:12 “And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way.”

King Herod’s Wrath

In v. 13, Joseph is warned to flee to Egypt. Here we see more irony that a pagan land is safer for the Messiah than the promised land. This also fulfills prophecy according to Matthew. This prophesy is what we call typology which we will talk about tonight, so please come to hear that.

In v. 16, Herod unloads his full wrath. Matt. 2:16-18

Matthew 2:16–18 ESV

Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men. Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah: “A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be comforted, because they are no more.”

Matthew is painting the story in such a way to make a clear connection to Pharoah in the Old Testament who through all the Hebrew baby boys in the Nile River. But the dark turn is that this is not a foreign pagan king, this is the king of the people of God.

Three pagan wise men come and honor the true Messiah and the king of God’s people in rage kills all the baby boys in an attempt to kill God’s messiah. The point is clear. The people of God do not need the Messiah to rescue them from Roman oppression, they need to be rescued from sin. We all need to be rescued from sin.

The quote Matthew gives is from Jeremiah 31:15. In the original context, the people are sent into exile and their great mother figure now weeps for the loss of her children. But this passage is not without hope. A promise of a future return is given. Furthermore, God promises to treat those who are exiled like a son and make a new covenant with them. Jeremiah 31:20 “Is Ephraim my dear son? Is he my darling child? For as often as I speak against him, I do remember him still. Therefore my heart yearns for him; I will surely have mercy on him, declares the Lord.”

In Matthew, the weeping is directed to those children who were left behind and thus slaughtered by the rebellious king and people of God. But the story is not without hope. For though God’s son is sent into exile he will return, and that is exactly what happens in the next passage.

Matthew 2:19–23 ESV

But when Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, saying, “Rise, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the child’s life are dead.” And he rose and took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel. But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there, and being warned in a dream he withdrew to the district of Galilee. And he went and lived in a city called Nazareth, so that what was spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled, that he would be called a Nazarene.

Herod’s wrath was like a match lit in eternity: it was strong and quick to ignite, but faded quickly into the darkness as death overtook this rebellious king. The chosen family returns to the promised land, but not to Bethlehem, they instead turn to Nazareth.

What’s confusing is that nowhere in the OT is there mention of the Messiah being called a Nazarene. But I think there is still a very reasonable explanation for what Matthew is saying in v. 23.

First of all, of the four mentions of fulfilled prophecy in this chapter, this is the only time Matthew mentions “spoken by the prophets” (in the plural, v. 23). So, with this we would be looking for more than one. So what is it about Nazareth?

While all of Israel may have been considered backwards and provincial by Roman standards, Nazareth had the reputation for being even more backwards, even by the people who lived in Israel at the time. As Nathanael asked in John 1, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” In fact, when some Jews are trying to accuse Paul of wrongdoing later on, they call him Acts 24:5 “ a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes.” So, they still use Nazareth as a way to smear the reputation of these Christ followers. Nazareth had the reputation of being lowly, rejected, and unimportant.

Isaiah 53:2–3 ESV

For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

But it is just like God to choose what is lowly and unesteemed by man and use that for his glory. Dt. 7:7-8

Deuteronomy 7:7–8 (ESV)

It was not because you were more in number than any other people that the Lord set his love on you and chose you, for you were the fewest of all peoples, but it is because the Lord loves you and is keeping the oath that he swore to your fathers, that the Lord has brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.

You remember when God whittled down Gideon’s army to a measly 300 men and armed them with trumpets and clay jars. Why? To make it unmistakably clear that it was God who delivered them, not their mighty army.

Here we see this small town with a bad reputation being associated with the Messiah to make it unmistakably clear that it is the Lord who saves. I think about this in my own life, “Why in the world would God use me of all people?”

I think we can further apply this principle to our own church. Someone in Troy remarked to me, “You don’t go to Goshen to go anywhere else.” And it’s true. Goshen, a small farming community of 300 people. Goshen Baptist, a small church, according to the rest of the country’s standards, seemingly in the middle of nowhere? How in the world could a church like that ever accomplish anything?

I hope you see that because of such a seemingly low reputation in the world’s eyes we are in prime position for God to use us in mighty ways. God does not choose to use a church because of how many people they have, or how much their budget had, or how great their preacher is. No, “but it is because the Lord loves you. . .that he had brought you out of the house of slavery” to sin.

At the edge of a cliff one man looks down and sees doom a head of him. Another man lifts up his eyes and sees greatness. Lift up your eyes, Goshen Baptist, and see the splendor, the might, the wonder, in the ways in which the Lord will choose to use you, just as he used a poor and lowly Nazarene.

Application

I want to take a moment now and apply this Scripture to our lives. The Lord Jesus seems to rest in the background of this narrative, but truly his greatness shines through. In verse 2, the wise men ask, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews?” Notice what they acknowledge about Jesus: his royal status is not bestowed upon him by some human authority, but is rightfully his by God’s designs.

Jesus is not just the king of the Jews, he is also the king of the universe. Colossians 1:15–17 “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.”

Revelation 1:12–16 ESV

Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands, and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around his chest. The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire, his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters. In his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength.

In Revelation 5, the Lord God has the scroll that brings about the end of everything and poses a question, “Who is worthy to take this scroll and open it.” No one was found worthy and John begins to weep. But he’s comforted by one of the elders that tells him that Jesus and conquered death, he slew our enemy and reigns forevermore. He is worthy.

Revelation 5:9–10 ESV

And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.”

Jesus is king.

But remember, we noted the ironies in the text. The other king who should have acknowledged Jesus as king instead in jealously tried to kill him. Furthermore, it was the pagan astrologers who came and worshipped the Christ child and acknowledged he was the king.

So the text forces us not just to acknowledge the fact that Jesus is king, but it also forces us to reckon with our response to that knowledge.

The greatest irony is not found in the text but in our country. A country where the majority of Americans claim to acknowledge Jesus is king, but live more like Herod in trying to do everything to be rid of him.

Why is that? Because Herod is going to do everything in his power to make sure Jesus is not king.

The even more terrible irony is the one that may exist in your own heart. Maybe you say Jesus is king with your lips, but with your heart and life you do everything in your power to ignore his lordship. Think about all the energy that’s used to make excuses to not acknowledge Christ as king.

“There are so many hypocrites in the church, so I will not obey king Jesus by regularly gathering together in worship”

“I’m too tired tonight, so I will not obey king Jesus by reading his word and live on bread alone.”

“This television show is entertaining, so I will continue to watch despite what a mockery it makes of Christ and his kingdom.”

“This person may reject or make fun of me, so I will not obey king Jesus by sharing his good news.”

How many babies are you willing to slaughter to ensure you remain king over your own life?