Herod's Fear

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE | Matthew 2:1-12
The birth of Jesus was the arrival of a King whose presence in the world ‘disturbs’ us the way it did Herod; a word that means “acute emotional distress”. As Wright put it, this news is political dynamite. Jesus is the true king of the Jews, and Herod is the false one.” And the arrival of the Magi underscores that Jesus’ reign is not limited to one nation, but that his rule would bring God’s justice and peace to the whole world (Psalm 72; Isaiah 11:1–10). Fittingly, Matthew concludes his gospel with Jesus’ admonition to his followers to make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28), pointing back to the scene we have here.