Granted, following a star doesn’t exactly give you pinpoint geographical accuracy . . .

Granted, following a star doesn’t exactly give you pinpoint geographical accuracy; but all the same, I’ve never been able to figure out why the wise men first go to King Herod to request the whereabouts of the newborn king of the Jews.  If you ask me, it’s not very wise to visit the reigning king and begin inquiring about his replacement.  But then again, by going to King Herod, they do learn the proper location of the Messiah’s birth.

It is the chief priests and scribes who end up divulging this information.  They tell an unsettled and anxious King Herod, when he asks about it: “In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet: ‘And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who is to shepherd my people Israel.’”

Of course, this begs the question—If the chief priests and scribes already know that the Messiah is to be born in the little town of Bethlehem, then why are they still hanging around Jerusalem?  Notice that they do not follow the wise men as they continue on with their quest.

What a difference there is between these two groups!  The wise men are operating only under the supposition that the portents they have detected in the night sky are correct.  But who knows?  Perhaps they have misinterpreted the heavens and its cryptic code.  If so, they have made a long and arduous journey—at great expense, mind you—all for nothing!

Meanwhile, the chief priests and scribes have the prophecy right there in their hands.  They are much better informed, and certainly better versed in scripture.  And yet this knowledge has not motivated them to budge one square inch.  The wise men, who are not even Jewish, are willing to travel a thousand miles, simply because of a hunch; whereas the chief priests and scribes, the leaders of the Jewish faith, seem content to stand there and watch from the sidelines.

If there is a moral here (and I suspect there is), it might be something along the lines of how it doesn’t really matter how many sermons you’ve heard, or how many Bible studies you’ve attended, or how many scriptural verses you can recite by heart—if you aren’t willing to move when the Holy Spirit nudges you, then what’s the point?  After all, the chief priests and scribes have the right answer; but they stay put.  The wise men are so clueless that they have to stop and ask for directions.  But in Matthew’s Gospel, they are the first ones to bow down and worship the Lord!