The Birth of Jesus the Messiah

Where? Visiting the Birthplace of Jesus (Matthew 2:1-12)

“Where are you from?” is a question we are sometimes asked, especially when visiting a new place. It is just as much a question of identity as “what do you do?” or “who are your parents?” When I am preaching at another church, I often give a brief introduction of myself in anticipation of such questions. It not only satisfies people’s curiosity, but can even establish one’s credentials. Matthew appears to be doing the same thing in his birth narrative of Jesus, though perhaps for an even weightier purpose.

Matthew 1 was replete with names. Not just the countless names of the genealogy, but numerous titles for Jesus as well: Messiah, Son of David, Son of Abraham, Jesus, Immanuel. As we move to chapter two, the focus seems more on geographical names: Bethlehem, land of Judah, Egypt, Ramah, land of Israel, Nazareth. For that reason, Krister Stendahl (Quis et Unde? 1995; see Introduction to Matthew) came up with the idea that Matthew may have been answering a two-part question that John records: “How can the Messiah come from Galilee? Does not Scripture say that the Messiah will come from David’s descendants and from Bethlehem, the town where David lived?” (John 7:41-42). At least by his structure, Matthew appears to answer the question “Who?” (Raymond Brown, 1979, adds “How?” in 1:18-25) in his first chapter, tracing Jesus to the line of King David (via adoption by Joseph).

Now in the second chapter, Matthew is apparently answering the question of Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem (2:1-12; “Where?” according to Brown) and how he got to Nazareth, where he was raised (2:13-23; “Whence?” according to Stendahl). Matthew again relies on OT Scripture to show God at work in the birth and early life of Jesus, whether in Bethlehem, “where” he was born, or his travels to and from Egypt, back into Israel and ultimately to Nazareth, from “whence” he came. All of this, notes Matthew, was according to biblical prophecy and God’s guiding hand.

While this structure is helpful, there is much more of a flow to Matthew’s birth narrative and its themes than found in such a structure. We’ve already seen that Matthew’s focus is to show that Jesus is the Son of David, the promised Messiah from that royal line. This focus will continue, especially in 2:1-12. Jesus is given the title “king of the Jews,” which sets up a natural rivalry with Herod (“King of the Jews”), and is identified with David’s hometown as his (prophesied) birthplace. Another title Jesus is given in Matthew 1:1, while fleshed out a bit in the genealogy, has not received as much attention. That Jesus is also the Son of Abraham is now illustrated in Matthew 2, as his kingdom now blesses the Gentiles (Magi; cf. Gen. 12:3; 22:18) and he recapitulates the travels and travails of Abraham’s children (2:13-23).

But Matthew has more than an apologetic purpose, seeking to answer questions that might undermine the idea of Jesus as the Davidic Messiah. He also seems to have an evangelistic purpose, calling people — Jews and Gentiles alike — to a response to Jesus the Messiah. He confronts his audience with the need to make a personal decision about Jesus by contrasting the main characters of the story: the pagan astrologers worship him; Israel’s king seeks his death; the people of Jerusalem fear (but not in the sense of faith); and the religious elite take him for granted (Keener 1999: 97).

So Matthew takes us on the first stage of a journey. We will visit the place where the Messiah, in fulfillment of Scripture, is born. We are joined by some strange characters. Pagan astrologers chart our path, at least in the beginning, and we find ourselves in the palace of King Herod in Jerusalem. We are caught up short by their audacious, though innocent, question: “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews?” Don’t they know that’s Herod’s title? Somehow we escape with our heads still intact — though the rest of Jerusalem is quaking in fear! We are brought to the temple, where the chief priests verify in their scrolls that Bethlehem is our next stop. Herod suggests that we give him the exact directions to the house so that he can worship the new king too — just who does he think he’s kidding?! But how will we find the house? Another star! It’s moving, and so are we. Soon the Magi are on their faces, paying tribute to this newborn king with great joy. Should we join in?