A King is Born

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 saw His star when it rose and have come to worship Him.” – Matthew 2:1-2 (ESV)

The first book of the New Testament marks for us the end of life defined by the Old Testament laws and sets forth the first account of our new beginning. The beginning of our new lives birthed in salvation and freedom from sin. It is the Gospel of Matthew. Matthew, like the other three Gospels that follow it, weaves together the fabric of the greatest story ever told: the story of Jesus Christ, our Lord. The woven patchwork of Matthew’s Gospel stitches together and presents to its readers the miracle of the life of Jesus on this earth, His teachings, death, and resurrection.

Each of the four Gospels— Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John—declares the fulfillment of ancient prophecies and announces the arrival of long-awaited promises from God. Each Gospel account serves to highlight the fulfillment of different prophecies and presents important aspects of Jesus Christ, painting Him in a specific light. Matthew paints him with the colors of royalty. Purple majesty shrouds the mightiness of His kingship, fulfilling God’s promise to bring a mighty King into the world through the familial lines of King David of Israel. Matthew boldly shouts, “Hosannah, our King has arrived.”

Matthew focuses on Jesus as the King of the Jews and the fulfillment of the Messianic prophecies. He draws a line from Abraham, the father of the Jewish people, through King David, Israel’s greatest king, to emphasize that Jesus came to fulfill the Law of Moses, not to destroy it. Matthew paints the magnificent portrait of Jesus, King of the Jews, who will sit on the throne of David forever (2 Samuel 7:12-17).

In Chapter 2 of Matthew, three mysterious, wise men travel to Jerusalem, guided by a magnificent star shining brightly in the heavens. These men traveled far in search of this King of the Jews to worship Him. Matthew’s words are veiled with a fog of mystery, for we do not know who these men were nor where they came from, but we can see that they were indeed wise men, for they were men with a faith righteous enough to search for a King they did not know, guided not by a map, but only a mysterious star. The actions of these wise men will forever echo through eternity. Without shame and only assuredness, they entered the city, asking where they might find the King of the Jews.

When the star came to rest over the place where this King was sleeping, the men rejoiced with exceedingly great joy, for they had found not only the King of the Jews, but the newly crowned King of the World. The burning fires of the stars overhead shined their heavenly lights down upon the place where the promised Messiah, the savior for all people, lay quietly sleeping. With them, each man brought a gift for this humble infant king. Yet, these gifts were no accident; each of them was deliberate and purposeful in declaring the kingship of this promised child.

The bright yellow sheen of gold was presented as a kingly gift of wealth for Him to be honored. The first gift of frankincense, commonly used in Jewish temples for sacrifices to God and symbolic of prayer, served to highlight Jesus’s divinity. And finally, the third gift of myrrh, an oil used to anoint chosen prophets, anointed Jesus as God’s prophet. This gift of anointing oil to the born King foreshadows His later anointing by the woman prior to His crucifixion, described in Matthew 26. These wise men traveled far, led by a star, guided by their faith, in pursuit of a promise made long ago. Their gifts inscribe upon the pages of history that Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of that promise. He is the chosen King.

Jesus is not only the King of the Jews but is, indeed, the King of all the earth. He is the government of His chosen people, those who would follow Him. He is the fulfillment of God’s promise to bring salvation to His people. He is the son given, who holds the government upon His shoulders (Isaiah 9:6-7).

Jesus Christ is our King.