Matthew 2:6, commentary and pictures

Though Bethlehem in Judah is small and may seem insignificant among its towns, it is not the least because the Governor who will rule God's people Israel was to come from it. That Governor is Jesus the Son of David, the promised shepherd-Prince and expected King, and the chief priests and scribes gave Bethlehem as the answer to where the Messiah was to be born, a prophecy fulfilled in His birth there. He did not come to establish the temporal, triumphant earthly kingdom the Jews looked for. The Eastern wise men recognized the infant as that exalted ruler and worshiped Him with costly gifts of gold and frankincense and myrrh, which then provided for Jesus and Mary and Joseph in their flight to Egypt and stay there. In their heeding of the light they had, with the Bethlehem shepherds, they stand against the proud and unbelieving who missed the time of visitation, while Herod knew the prophetic announcement of Christ at Bethlehem and still determined to destroy Him.

Bethlehem's Promised Governor

Bethlehem in the land of Juda is small and may appear insignificant among Judah's towns, yet it is not the least among the princes of Juda because the Governor who will rule God's people Israel will come from it. The honor of Bethlehem lies not in its size but in its identity as the prophesied birthplace from which Israel's ruler would come to shepherd and rule.

That Governor is the promised ruler, shepherd and Prince of Israel, the expected King, Jesus the Son of David. The newborn Prince sought in prophecy is the Messiah whose coming was foretold, and the glory surrounding Bethlehem's hills pointed toward him.

The verse gives the answer of the chief priests and scribes to Herod's question about where the Messiah or Christ was to be born: in Bethlehem in Judah. They used the prophet's words to declare that Christ's birthplace had been foretold as Bethlehem, a town not least among Judah's towns because a Governor to rule Israel would come from it.

The verse belongs to the Old Testament's clearer revelation of the Messiah's advent, pointing to the promised divine teacher whose coming was near and through whom the knowledge of the Lord's glory would fill the world. It specifies in prophecy the place of the Messiah's birth, and that prophecy was fulfilled in Jesus' birth at Bethlehem. Although Bethlehem was small, it was not least because the Messiah would come from it.

The verse does not promise the temporal, triumphant kingdom the Jews expected; their mistaken expectation of earthly rule parallels Christians expecting worldly prosperity for the church and a temporal millennium.

Star-Guided Worship at Bethlehem

Matthew 2:6 belongs to the account of the wise men or Magi coming to find Christ as a young child. The promised ruler from Bethlehem is the child they recognized in his exalted position, worshipped, and honored with gifts even as an infant in a manger.

God guided those seekers by a star in a way suited to their study of the heavens, with angels appearing in the form of the star to guide them as they set out. Signs and wonders in the heavens were given to them as they sought him, the glory of God had flooded Bethlehem's hills, and a heavenly sign led them toward the promised Prince who would rule Israel. The seers were led from the east and from a distant country, and they had searched the Scriptures and traced the prophecies to learn when Christ would come. On reaching the land of Israel they came down the Mount of Olives with Jerusalem in sight, saw the star rest above the temple and after a season fade from view, then pressed on expecting joyful talk about the Messiah's birth. They entered the holy city and went to the temple inquiring for the newborn King only to find none with knowledge of him and to meet surprise and fear mixed with contempt instead of joy. The wise men's star guided them to find Jesus.

The wise men brought valuable, costly gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh to worship him and offer them to him. Those gifts provided for Jesus, Mary, and Joseph during their flight to Egypt and their stay there. They honor Jesus as God's immeasurable gift to the world.

His birth at Bethlehem was recognized by the heavenly hosts who sang his praise over Bethlehem, where angels proclaimed the Redeemer's advent. An angel host appeared there to shepherds keeping their flocks. Bethlehem was also David's birthplace more than a thousand years before Jesus' birth there.

Heeding or Missing Visitation

The coming of the wise men in search of the infant Jesus and their inquiries drew the attention of the nation to the events surrounding His coming. God guided those seekers by a star and moved them to bring valuable gifts, and those gifts provided for Jesus, Mary, and Joseph during their flight to Egypt and their stay there. The shepherds of Bethlehem and the Eastern Magi illustrate those who heeded the light they had received, in contrast to the proud and unbelieving Jews who failed to recognize the time of their visitation. Herod knew God's prophetic announcement that Christ would come at Bethlehem and nevertheless determined to destroy Jesus.

His birth in a humble place at Bethlehem was part of the plan of redemption. Christ entered the stages, temptations, and needs of human life so that He could sanctify every part of human experience and show that people need not continue in sin. To that Bethlehem the wise men came to worship Him and to offer frankincense and myrrh. Bethlehem is identified as the place from which Israel's ruler would come, and the star that guided the wise men to find Jesus illustrates how God's guidance leads those who seek Him.