Matthew 2:1-12

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.” When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet:
“‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
    are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for from you shall come a ruler
    who will shepherd my people Israel.’”
Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him.” After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. And going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way.

Matthew 2:1-12

Now that we come to chapter 2, we pass the birth of Jesus.  Jesus has already been born and there are these wise men who come into the story.  They are currently searching for the king of the Jews (Jesus).  How did they know?  They knew because they were wise (haha).  They studied the stars and perhaps new of the signs they were to expect.  Unfortunately, Herod, the current king, hears of this news.  Herod was troubled at this, probably because he didn't want the rise of another king.  He wanted to be king and didn't want anyone else to get in his way.  Apparently, he had taken many matters into his own hands with regards to ensuring nobody else would stand in his way (including his family).  This is perhaps expected of someone like Herod.  However, I am interested in what is mentioned afterwards, "and all Jerusalem with him".  Apparently, Herod wasn't the only one who was troubled by this news.  I would've thought that all of Jerusalem would have been happy to hear of a new king.  But, for some reason they were content with the current king and didn't want someone else.  This is quite sad because Jesus is awesome.

So, Herod goes about to confirm where the Christ would be born.  He assembles the chief priests and scribes to find out, and they tell him that the Christ is to be born in Bethlehem.  Now that he knows where, he decides to send the wise men to find out for him.  This is done in secret, since Herod probably doesn't want anyone else knowing or anyone catching wind of his intentions.  He sends the wise men and lies to them about his intentions, "that I too may come and worship him".

The wise men go and they find Jesus and worship him.  They also present gifts to Jesus: gold, frankincense and myrrh.  By this time, Jesus is born and is most likely 1 or 2 years old (I'm guessing).  If this is the case, they are probably no longer in the stable with Jesus lying in a manger.  So, for all those nativity scenes, they portray it wrong if the wise men are present.  Anyway, afterwards, the wise men are warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, so they return home through a different route.

Another thing about the wise men could be mentioned.  It never says here that there were three wise men.  Yes, there are three gifts given, but that doesn't mean that there were three of them.  In any case, these men came and worshiped Jesus.  They were apparently Gentiles, since they came "from the east".  Though we know of the shepherds from the account of Luke, it seems as though this story only shows a bunch of Gentiles who are honoring Jesus.  This is in contrast to all of Jerusalem being troubled at the news.  In any case, the king has arrived and though everyone should've been overjoyed, it is only these foreigners who are paying their respects.