The Gospel According to Matthew – Chapter 2
The King Revealed to the Nations, Rejected by the Throne, and Guarded by God
1. The King Is Born, the World Is Divided
“Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king…” (Matt 2:1)
Matthew immediately sets a contrast: Jesus is born; Herod reigns. One is the true King; the other holds power by fear and violence. From the beginning, Christ’s presence exposes the false peace of tyrants.
Bethlehem is not incidental. It is the city of David. The Messiah is born where God promised the Shepherd-King would arise.
St John Chrysostom observes that Matthew names Herod to show that Christ enters a world already hostile to Him.
2. The Magi Seek the King
“Wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, ‘Where is he who has been born king of the Jews?’” (vv. 1–2)
The Magi are Gentiles. They are not part of the covenant people, yet they seek the King with sincerity and courage. God draws the nations to Christ before Israel recognises Him.
They do not ask whether a king has been born, but where. The kingship of Christ is treated as fact.
St Augustine teaches that the Magi represent the nations coming to worship Christ, while Jerusalem remains troubled.
3. The Star and Divine Guidance
“We have seen his star at its rising and have come to worship him.” (v. 2)
The star is not astrology. It is a sign given by God, guiding those who seek in humility. Creation itself bears witness to its Creator.
God meets the Gentiles where they are, yet leads them beyond natural knowledge to revealed truth.
4. Herod Is Troubled, and with Him Jerusalem
“When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.” (v. 3)
The presence of Christ disturbs false security. Herod fears the loss of power. Jerusalem fears disruption.
The city that should rejoice trembles instead. This anticipates the Passion: the rulers are threatened; the people hesitate.
St Jerome notes that earthly power always fears the coming of the true King.
5. Scripture Knows Where the Christ Must Be Born
“They told him, ‘In Bethlehem of Judea…’” (vv. 5–6)
The chief priests and scribes know the Scriptures. They can quote the prophecy. Yet they do not go to Bethlehem.
Knowledge without obedience remains sterile. Scripture condemns them not by ignorance, but by inaction.
6. Herod’s Deceit
“Go and search diligently for the child… that I too may come and worship him.” (v. 8)
Herod speaks the language of piety while plotting murder. This is the first explicit example in Matthew of religious hypocrisy used to mask violence.
St John Chrysostom warns that false worship often imitates true worship in words while opposing it in deeds.
7. The Star Leads to the Child
“The star… went before them, till it came to rest over the place where the child was.” (v. 9)
God’s guidance does not end in abstraction. It leads to a place, a child, a mother.
Grace is not vague. It leads to Christ Himself.
8. Joy at the Sight of Christ
“When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.” (v. 10)
True joy is the fruit of finding Christ. The Magi rejoice not at power, but at presence.
The Gospel presents joy as the proper response to divine revelation.
9. Worship of the Child
“They fell down and worshipped him.” (v. 11)
The Magi do not merely honour; they worship. Matthew leaves no ambiguity. The child is worthy of adoration.
St Athanasius later insists that this worship testifies to Christ’s divinity from the beginning.
10. Gifts Fit for a King
“They offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh.” (v. 11)
The Fathers consistently read these gifts as confessions:
Gold – kingship
Frankincense – divinity
Myrrh – death and burial
The Cross is already present at the cradle.
St Irenaeus of Lyons teaches that Christ receives these gifts not for need, but as proclamation of who He is.
11. God Protects the Child
“Being warned in a dream… they departed to their own country by another way.” (v. 12)
God intervenes directly to protect His Son. The Magi obey immediately. Obedience preserves life.
The true servants of God do not linger when commanded.
12. Flight into Egypt
“Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt.” (v. 13)
The Messiah becomes a refugee. God allows His Son to share the vulnerability of His people.
Egypt, once the place of slavery, becomes a place of refuge. Salvation reverses history.
St Gregory of Nyssa sees here the sanctification of exile and suffering by Christ’s presence.
13. “Out of Egypt I Called My Son”
“This was to fulfil what the Lord had spoken by the prophet.” (v. 15)
Matthew declares fulfilment again. Israel was called God’s son; Christ is the Son. What was spoken of the people finds its full truth in the Person.
Christ recapitulates Israel’s history—obedience where Israel failed.
14. Herod’s Rage
“Herod… was furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem.” (v. 16)
The first bloodshed of the Gospel is the murder of the innocent. The world responds to Christ with violence.
The Church has always honoured these children as martyrs, slain because of Christ.
St Augustine calls them “flowers of martyrdom,” killed before they could speak.
15. Rachel Weeps
“A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and loud lamentation…” (v. 18)
Matthew does not soften grief. Mothers weep. Innocence is destroyed. Scripture names the sorrow honestly.
Yet even here, prophecy frames suffering within God’s saving plan. Evil does not have the final word.
16. Herod Dies
“But when Herod died…” (v. 19)
The tyrant passes. The Child lives.
Matthew states this simply. History belongs to God, not to those who seize power.
17. Return to the Land
“Rise, take the child and his mother, and go to the land of Israel.” (v. 20)
God restores what He protected. Christ returns not by chance, but by command.
The true King enters His land quietly, without triumphalism.
18. Nazareth
“He went and lived in a city called Nazareth.” (v. 23)
The Messiah grows up in obscurity. God chooses what is small and despised to confound pride.
St Jerome notes that Nazareth becomes glorious not by its status, but by Christ’s presence.
Key Doctrinal Themes in Matthew 2
| Theme | Catholic Truth |
| Kingship | Christ is King by birth |
| Gentiles | The nations are drawn to Christ |
| Worship | Christ receives divine adoration |
| Providence | God actively guards His Son |
| Suffering | Innocence suffers because of Christ |
| Fulfilment | Israel’s history is completed in Christ |
| Obedience | God’s servants act without delay |
Christ at the Centre of Matthew 2
Magi → the nations called
Herod → the world resisting
Star → creation witnessing
Gifts → Christ confessed
Egypt → exile redeemed
Bethlehem → innocence slain
Nazareth → humility chosen
St Augustine summarises:
“The same Christ who is worshipped by the Magi is hunted by kings.”
Closing Prayer
Lord Jesus Christ,
true King born in humility,
worshipped by the nations and rejected by the proud,
guard Your Church as You were guarded in Your infancy.
Grant us the obedience of the Magi,
the courage of Joseph,
and the perseverance of the innocent,
that we may follow You faithfully
through danger and obscurity
until we behold You in glory.
Amen.
St. Mary's, St. John Bosco and St. Edward's 