Where is He who has been born King of the Jews?

5 Tevet, B”H

I love the question that the wise men asked when they arrived in Jerusalem: “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews?” Matthew 2:2. Let’s ask that same question today.

The Coming of Messiah

The Gospel of Matthew begins with his account of the birth of Messiah. What has always stuck me the most is that the Son of God would be called Emmanuel: God with us:

“Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit. 

Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly. But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.  

And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”

So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.”

Then Joseph, being aroused from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took to him his wife, and did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn Son. And he called His name Jesus.” Matthew 1:18-25

The God of the entire universe humbled Himself and became flesh, to live among us and to die for our sins in order to save us. If you need some reassurance today, know this: God is with us, and He will never leave us nor forsake us.

The Bethlehem Star

“Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.” Matthew 2:1-2

I heard an excellent sermon recently. The pastor invited the congregation to consider all the billions of stars and realize that Scripture reports that the magi knew “His” star. One specific star. God has named each of the stars, and there was one particular star that would be the heralding star of the coming of God Incarnate, Jesus (Yeshua) the Messiah.

“He counts the number of the stars;
He calls them all by name.” Psalm 147:4

Gentile Astronomers

The wise men were probably not ethnically Jewish. Scripture gives us clues to believe these seasoned astronomers were Gentiles.

First of all, the fact that they are looking for the King of “the Jews” suggests this was not “their” king. The wise men didn’t say, “Where is our King?”

This is nonetheless extraordinary because somehow these Gentile star-gazers knew that the Jewish Messiah would come and they wanted to be a part of the history God was writing.

A second reason that suggests that the wise men were not ethnically Jewish is because they did not identify Bethlehem as the place to find Jesus (Yeshua). If they had been deeply familiar with the Jewish Scriptures, the wise men would have been likely to discern that the promised Messiah would be found in Bethlehem, but instead, they ask where they can find Him.

The wise men were Gentile astronomers who fulfilled even this Messianic prophecy from Psalm 147:

“The kings of Tarshish and of the isles
Will bring presents;
The kings of Sheba and Seba
Will offer gifts.
Yes, all kings shall fall down before Him;
All nations shall serve Him.” Psalm 147:10-11

The Gentile nations would come before the Promised King of kings bringing their gifts, their treasures, foreshadowing that the glorious Gospel would be available to all – Jew and Gentile alike.

Relationship Evangelism

I had an interesting conversation with my dental hygienist during my most recent visit. My dental hygienist comes from a very open, liberal background and attends a Unitarian “church.”

She has expressed curiosity about Jesus and I try to minister to her gently when my mouth isn’t full of toothpaste or her dental instruments!

At one point during our conversation, I said something about how Jesus is still alive.

To which she replied, very innocently, “Yes, you mean He still lives on when we talk about Him or in how we live.”

I challenged her nebulous response a bit, by saying, “Well, more than that. Jesus is literally still alive and sitting on His throne at the right hand of God the Father.”

(The Unitarians believe that Jesus and Buddha and Muhammed should all receive equal respect.)

I continued, “Think about it carefully. Buddha is dead. Muhammed is also dead and buried. Ghandi, same fate. Jesus was dead and buried, too, but the difference is, Jesus rose up from the dead and is literally alive and well! He is still alive!”

Her eyes lit up. I know she felt the impact of Truth in that moment. Please pray for her, the LORD knows her name. She is spiritually hungry and is open to hearing the Truth, but is in a relationship with a man who also espouses Unitarianism.

When those who are from spiritually afar come to us wondering who is the King, and is this King alive, and where can they find Him, it is our Commission to openly share the Gospel with them! Be sure to build relationships so that you can help lead others to a saving relationship with our Messiah!

Where is He who was born King of the Jews?

He is in our hearts –

but so much more than that –

He is alive and will forever rule and reign!

He is our King – the King of all kings!

Jesus (Yeshua) our Messiah came to dwell among us, and now He invites us to choose our eternal dwelling place to be with Him.

Shalom!