--- title: "Matthew 2 - Study King James Bible with the church pulpit commentary" description: "Read Matthew 2 with the church pulpit commentary commentary. 1 Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, 2 Saying, Where is" image: "/_app/immutable/assets/missing.C7wGMEZ6.jpg" url: "https://realbiblebelievers.com/study/the-church-pulpit-commentary/matthew/2" --- [ Read](/kjv/matthew/2)[ Commentary](/study/matthew/2)[ Interlinear](/interlinear/matthew/2) Audio 1 Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, 2 Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him. 3 When Herod the king had heard *these things*, 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 demanded of them where Christ should be born. 5 And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet, 6 And thou Bethlehem, *in* the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel. 7 Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, enquired of them diligently what time the star appeared. 8 And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search diligently for the young child; and when ye have found *him*, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also. 9 When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was. 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. 11 ¶ And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh. 12 And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way. 13 And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him. 14 When he arose, he took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt: 15 And was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called my son. 16 ¶ Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently enquired of the wise men. 17 Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet, saying, 18 In Rama was there a voice heard, lamentation, and weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping *for* her children, and would not be comforted, because they are not. 19 ¶ But when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeareth in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, 20 Saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and go into the land of Israel: for they are dead which sought the young child’s life. 21 And he arose, and took the young child and his mother, and came into the land of Israel. 22 But when he heard that Archelaus did reign in Judaea in the room of his father Herod, he was afraid to go thither: notwithstanding, being warned of God in a dream, he turned aside into the parts of Galilee: 23 And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, He shall be called a Nazarene. [Matthew 1](/study/matthew/1) [Matthew 3](/study/matthew/3) ## Commentary To verse 1 *THE GOODNESS OF CHRIST* **‘Behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem.’** ** [Matthew 2:1](/kjv/matthew/2/1)** ** Let us try to see what the Story of the Magi is meant to teach us. **I. Christ’s condescension**.—In the largeness of the plan of His salvation, Christ not only breaks over all the narrow notions of national, family, and social prejudice, but He permits every heart to come to Him, in spite of its imperfections and errors, by the best light and the best feeling it has. These astrologers were all wrong about the stars presiding over the destinies of men, and foretelling the birth of kings. Yet, condescending to them, taking them up at that low point of their childish superstition, this testimony of Jesus, which is the spirit of prophecy, made use of their astrological credulity to guide them to Christian knowledge, shaping the miracle even to their mistake, by all means to bring them out into ‘the truth as it is in Jesus.’ This patience and condescension, beginning there at the cradle, ran through our Lord’s personal ministry among men. He always gains persons, just as He gains the world, by going down to them. If fishermen are to be converted, He gets into a boat, or sits down by them as they are mending their nets. When wicked women are to be purified, He allows them to come in the wild earnestness of their impulsive devotion, and lets them wash His feet with tears. If the cure of disease, or raising the dead, or stilling the sea, will turn men’s hearts to Him, He works the outward wonder for the inward blessing. The Gospel goes forward, becoming all things to all men, taking men as it finds them, suiting the manner and voice of its appeal to their culture, tastes, and aptitudes. Every careless, unchristian person is like these wandering Gentiles. Worse than that, he may be living in frivolity, or in pride and self-will. But the Spirit of God is constantly at work, trying and searching him, to see if there is any tender spot in his heart, any sacred memory, any purer attachment, any look toward the stars, any nobler aspiration, or at least any susceptibility to suffering, by which he can be touched and renewed. **II. Blessing according to faith**.—At every step forward in the Christian life, each disciple’s amount of privilege or blessing is generally in proportion to the growth of his faith, up to that time. These Eastern Magi were the purest-minded and most spiritual religionists in the heathen world. There can hardly be a doubt that it was for that superior cleanness of heart that they were honoured with this heavenly illumination. We are not to carry the doctrine of Christ’s condescension to such a pitch of extremity as to hide from view the real differences in men’s hearts. There are laws in the economy of grace, as in the growth of the body and the mind. Blessings are according to faith. Faith is nothing but the soul’s willingness to receive Christ’s blessings, and to receive them in Him by Whom alone they can come. **III. Led to Christ**.—After all, wherever the starting-point, whoever the travellers, whatever the gentleness that forbears to quench our feeble life, and however merciful the long-suffering that waits for us, there is an end of the whole way, at the feet of the Lord. All His patience, His diversities of working, the discipline of life, the dealings of the Spirit; all the gentleness and infinite charity in Christ, are for this. They lead us where He is. They guide to His manger and His cross. This is the unvarying doctrine of God’s whole Word, of His Providence in Christ, of the daily discipline of His Spirit. How can we help crying in thankful faith, O faithful and everlasting Shepherd, find us in our wilderness; let not the adversary have dominion over us; quench not, but rekindle by Thy Spirit, the dying embers of our repentance; bring us home, where the angels rejoice over every wanderer that was lost. Bishop Huntingdon. **Illustration** ‘These Magi came from beyond the bounds of that chosen and favoured Israel whose were the covenants, the oracles, the fires of Sinai, the glory of Zion, and the faith of the fathers. They came, doubtless, from Persia. They were princes among pagans, or a priesthood of superstition. Their business was a vain attempt to read the fortunes of empires and of men by watching the changing positions and mutual attractions of the stars. No plainer revelation of God’s loving-kindness and wisdom stood before their eyes than in the cold splendours of the midnight sky. The heavenly commandments and promise they must spell out in the mystic syllables of the constellations, or else grope on in darkness. The sun was the burning eye of an Unknown Deity. With night-long solemn vigils, they strained their eyes into the heavens; but they saw no “Heaven of heavens,” because they saw no Father of forgiveness, and no heart of love, there. Astrology was their pursuit, and astrology was neither a true faith nor a true science. Their prophet was Zoroaster—a mysterious if not quite mythical person, ever vanishing in the shadows of an uncertain antiquity. These were the men that God was leading to Bethlehem, representatives of that whole pagan world that He would draw to the Saviour.’ (SECOND OUTLINE) *THE MEN AND THEIR GUIDE* **I. The men who made the inquiry** are called ‘wise men.’ In the original they are denominated Magi. The title at first belonged exclusively to the priests of the Persian nation; but it gradually came to denote any class of men who applied themselves to learned and scientific pursuits. Astronomy was their favourite study. The Magi, therefore, were the learned caste of the East, and their journeying from their native land to Judæa to see the Kingly Child prefigured the gathering of all nations ultimately to Christ. Those Gentiles from the East came to Him at the beginning of His earthly life, and nearly at the end of it other Gentiles came to Him from the West (St. [John 12:20](/kjv/john/12/20)). The Magi unhesitatingly designated Him ‘King of the Jews’; and the Jews themselves ought not to have been distressed by the inquiry of the Magi, though Herod was, inasmuch as the expectation of a ruler over them was now general. These Orientals were right in their affirmations. They said that Christ was a King, not by mere appointment as was Herod, but by hereditary right. He was ‘born’ so. **II. A supernatural guide**.—Not a word is to be found in the Gospels defining the nature of the star. All that is certain is—God created that wonderful light, hung it in the cloudless skies of the Orient, directed the eyes of the Magi to it, and inspired them to follow its leading until they reached Bethlehem. To them it appeared as a star; they spoke of it as a star; and as a star it is described in the Gospel. What we know not now, we shall know hereafter. **III. Why these Magi sought the Infant Christ**.—‘We are come to worship Him,’ said they in Jerusalem; and ‘when they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, they fell down and worshipped Him.’ They saw Him but an Infant, in poverty and humility, and yet they instantly acknowledged Him as their King, and worshipped Him as their Saviour. That Royal Babe was the answer to all their wistfulness—the satisfaction of all their desire. They felt in their inmost soul that He was a God-made King and a God-sent Redeemer. What faith was theirs! the sages of the world bend in adoration before a little Child! To believe and worship is infinitely better than to reason and dispute! To follow in the wake of these wise men is the highest policy of mankind. When the shepherds, in their simple Jewish gaberdines and high yellow caps, stood in the presence of their Messiah, they had neither gold, nor frankincense, nor myrrh to give to Him, and so they gave Him nothing, save their belief and worship; but when these star-gazing Magi, with their proud tiaras and flowing mantles of purple, rose up before Him, they presented to Him gifts worthy of being offered to a king ( [Psalms 72:10-11](/kjv/psalms/72/10-11)). **IV. What about ourselves?**—Jesus now reigns as King in glory. Have we done homage to Him? Are we His loyal subjects? If not, let us beseech Him to come and occupy the throne of our heart; let us make every use of all the divinely instituted ordinances of the Church, that, like the star of Bethlehem, they may lead us directly to Christ. Then shall we yearn and labour for the last glorious Epiphany of Him Who died to redeem us to Himself. **Illustration** ‘The manifestation of Christ to the Gentiles is actually the second festival of the Church’s ecclesiastical year. Originally it was not a distinct celebration, but formed part of the festival of the Nativity, because both holy seasons related to the manifestation of Christ in the flesh; but in the latter part of the fourth century a distinction was made between them: the festival of the birth of Christ was celebrated at Christmas only, while that of the manifestation to the Gentiles was celebrated a little while afterward. The sanctity of this latter developed more and more in the estimation of the faithful, and even Christian emperors dignified it by frequently introducing into its services fresh signs of external reverence. On the vigil of this festival homilies were delivered, the Lord’s Supper was administered, the water was consecrated that was used at baptism throughout the year, and the meanest slaves were indulged with a holiday.’ ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/#website","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com","name":"Real Bible Believers","description":"RBB","publisher":{"@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/#/schema/person/e966585dde703268e7f6ae890ea98509"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/search?q={search_term_string}","query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/study/the-church-pulpit-commentary/matthew/2#primaryimage","inLanguage":"en-US","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/_app/immutable/assets/missing.C7wGMEZ6.jpg","contentUrl":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/_app/immutable/assets/missing.C7wGMEZ6.jpg","width":672,"height":448,"caption":"Real Bible Believers"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/study/the-church-pulpit-commentary/matthew/2#webpage","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/study/the-church-pulpit-commentary/matthew/2","name":"Matthew 2 - Study King James Bible with the church pulpit commentary","isPartOf":{"@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/study/the-church-pulpit-commentary/matthew/2#primaryimage"},"author":{"@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/#/schema/person/e966585dde703268e7f6ae890ea98509"},"description":"Read Matthew 2 with the church pulpit commentary commentary. 1 Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, 2 Saying, Where is","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/study/the-church-pulpit-commentary/matthew/2#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https://realbiblebelievers.com/study/the-church-pulpit-commentary/matthew/2"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/study/the-church-pulpit-commentary/matthew/2#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/","name":"Home"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/study","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/study","name":"Study Bible"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/study/the-church-pulpit-commentary","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/study/the-church-pulpit-commentary","name":"the church pulpit commentary"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"item":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/study/the-church-pulpit-commentary/matthew","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/study/the-church-pulpit-commentary/matthew","name":"Matthew"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":5,"item":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/study/the-church-pulpit-commentary/matthew/2","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/study/the-church-pulpit-commentary/matthew/2","name":"2"}}]},{"@type":["Person","Organization"],"@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/#/schema/person/e966585dde703268e7f6ae890ea98509","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/#personlogo","inLanguage":"en-US","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/android-chrome-512x512.png","contentUrl":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/android-chrome-512x512.png","width":512,"height":512},"logo":{"@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/#personlogo"},"sameAs":["https://twitter.com/RBiblebeliever","https://www.facebook.com/RBibleBelievers"]}]} ```