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Humble Hero
them to make a close search and to tell him the birthplace of their
expected King. “So they said to him, ‘In Bethlehem of Judea, for
thus it is written by the prophet:
“But you Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
Are not the least among the rulers of Judah;
For out of you shall come a Ruler,
Who will shepherd My people Israel.”’”
Herod now invited the wise men to a private interview. Anger
and fear were raging in his heart, but he put on a calm exterior
and claimed to welcome with joy the birth of Christ. He urged his
visitors, “Search diligently for the young Child, and when you have
found Him, bring back word to me, that I may come and worship
Him also.”
The priests were not as ignorant as they pretended. The report
of the angels’ visit to the shepherds had come to Jerusalem, but the
rabbis had treated it as unworthy of notice. They themselves might
have been ready to lead the visitors to Jesus’ birthplace, but instead,
the wise men came to call their attention to the birth of the Messiah.
If accepted, the reports that the shepherds and the wise men
brought would disprove the priests’ claim to be the spokesmen of the
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truth of God. These proud, educated teachers would not stoop to be
instructed by heathen people. It could not be, they said, that God had
passed them by, to communicate with ignorant shepherds or pagan
Gentiles. They would not even go to Bethlehem to see whether these
things were true. And they led the people to consider the interest in
Jesus as merely fanatical excitement. This is when the priests and
rabbis began to reject Christ. Their pride and stubbornness grew
into a settled hatred of the Savior.
As the shadows of night fell, the wise men left Jerusalem alone.
But to their great joy, they saw the star again and were directed
to Bethlehem. Disappointed by the careless attitude of the Jewish
leaders, they left Jerusalem less confident than when they had entered
it.