Herod and Jerusalem troubled at the suggestion the Christ has been born

[chuckd]

Matt. 2:1 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, 2 saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” 3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; 4 and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.

Why were they troubled? Herod to the point of killing all male children two years old and under?

 

[SolaScriptura]

Remember: Herod was not an ethnic Jew and he was in his position almost exclusively due to political connections with Rome. "All Jerusalem with him" refers to the political/religious leadership based in Jerusalem (whose positions likewise depended upon maintaining the status quo). So these were not Hebrew nationalists who would praise the arrival of someone they expected to throw off their Roman shackles. No, these guys knew that if Rome went, they would go as well. So it makes a lot of sense they would be upset that people were thinking the Messiah had been born.

 

[chuckd]

Remember: Herod was not an ethnic Jew and he was in his position almost exclusively due to political connections with Rome. "All Jerusalem with him" refers to the political/religious leadership based in Jerusalem (whose positions likewise depended upon maintaining the status quo). So these were not Hebrew nationalists who would praise the arrival of someone they expected to throw off their Roman shackles. No, these guys knew that if Rome went, they would go as well. So it makes a lot of sense they would be upset that people were thinking the Messiah had been born.

Thank you. Do you think the chief priests and scribes knew about the wise men from the east? Or did Herod assemble them without telling the reason for his inquiry?

I just find it hard to believe that not one priest, scribe, lay-person would be enthusiastic that the Messiah was born.

 

[CovenantPatriot87]

Matt. 2:1 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, 2 saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” 3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; 4 and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.

Why were they troubled? Herod to the point of killing all male children two years old and under?

Herod was troubled for no reason other than what was fermenting in his own imagination. Christ came to establish a kingdom that was not of this world (Jn 18:36), a spiritual one that uses spiritual weapons (2 Cor 10:4) and is no threat to the kingdoms of this world (Psalm 2:1-6), because his kingdom citizens: submit to government (Romans 13:1-7), pay their taxes (Matt 22:21) and live peaceably with all men (Roman 12:18). The only reason Jerusalem was troubled is because when Herod is troubled, the heads start rolling! This also showed Jerusalem was ripening for ruin because they feared their earthly king more than their heavenly king who came to give his life for their ransom, and rejoiced not at the news of his coming. However, God would have Herods doom sealed by fretting himself to "keep" his "power". It's interesting that the scribes and pharisees already knew this before Herods inquiry.

 

[VilnaGaon]

Thank you. Do you think the chief priests and scribes knew about the wise men from the east? Or did Herod assemble them without telling the reason for his inquiry?

I just find it hard to believe that not one priest, scribe, lay-person would be enthusiastic that the Messiah was born.

Thank you. Do you think the chief priests and scribes knew about the wise men from the east? Or did Herod assemble them without telling the reason for his inquiry?

I just find it hard to believe that not one priest, scribe, lay-person would be enthusiastic that the Messiah was born.

In my humble opinion the parable of the wicked tenants in Mark 12 would seem to indicate exactly that.