The first one, Matthew 2:3 says: "When Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him." It doesn't take a genius to understand why Herod would be disturbed. He was on the "hot seat," as it were. He was thinking that this child was going to replace Herod and his lineage from ruling in Jerusalem. No ruler likes to hear about the one who will replace them, and it is easy to see why Herod was disturbed. However, why was the rest of Jerusalem disturbed? When Herod called together the chief priests and teachers of the law to ask where this child would be born (2:4-6), I have to think that they would have known that Herod was announced King of the Jews but he wasn't the king that Scripture had proclaimed. So, what possible reason would they have to: A) be disturbed, and B) give him the location of the child? The only thing I can think of is that they were scared of him. After all, Herod did kill his wife and two sons, and the Massacre of the Innocents was on his hands, so it would make sense that the Jewish people, who had long awaited the arrival of the true King of the Jews would only give him the information if they were scared for their own lives.The second thing that I find interesting, which many people before have realize long before I caught this is that Joseph and Mary took Jesus to Egypt to escape Herod. Egypt was a source of bondage for the Jewish people, and then God delivered them using Moses. Now, another source of freedom for the Jewish people was going to come out of Egypt again. Egypt was bondage for the Jewish people, and it was also refuge for their Messiah. It is truly amazing how God weaves the story of Israel in with the story of Jesus in such intricate ways. Love it!
Thanks for reading!
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