Matthew 1:18-2:23 (2) Matthew 2: The Setting
Mt.2:1 sets the time, the place, and the players for the second part of Matthew’s birth story. -time: “after Jesus was born” -place: “Bethlehem of Judea” -players: King Herod, the child Jesus, the magi Contrary to every Christmas pageant you may have seen, the magi (“wise men”) do not show up at Jesus birth but some time after (often two years later is postulated but that is not important to Matthew’s story). Herod was king of Judea at the time (till 4 b.c.; so we know Jesus was born before then and not in 1 a.d.) and has a nasty reputation which, though perhaps one-sided, it seems he earned. “ While Herod was cruel and vindictive, perhaps even paranoid, in his dealings with his family, he played a crucial role in improving the lot of Jews during his long reign (40-4 b.c.e.).” [1] The magi are probably astrologers since they are portrayed as followers of a star to the Christ-child. Among the intelligentsia of the pagan world, they seek out the child to ...