And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. 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.’ ” (Matthew 2:4-6)

They Knew Where The Messiah Was To Be Born

The birth of Jesus was a mystery to the Jewish leaders, but not the Messiah’s place of birth. When the wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, they inquired where the King of the Jews was born. They had seen His star in the east and desired to worship the young King. The Roman ruler, King Herod, called the chief priests and scribes of the people together, inquiring where this King was to be born. Without hesitation, the Jewish leaders told Herod the child would be born in Bethlehem of Judea. It was important to know which Bethlehem the prophets spoke because there was another Bethlehem.

Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea. There was another Bethlehem, a town of Zebulun, six miles west of Nazareth. Micah the prophet, declared Bethlehem in the land of Judah to be the birthplace of the Ruler, who would shepherd the people of Israel. The question of where the Christ or Messiah would be born was established by prophecy seven hundred years before the birth of Jesus. The Jewish leaders were well acquainted with the prophecy describing the place of birth and the character of the Messiah. God had not hidden this knowledge from His people. Reading the prophet Micah revealed where Christ was to be born.

The wise men went to Bethlehem and saw the young child, Jesus, with his mother and Joseph. They were living in a house, and Jesus was about two years old. Warned by a divine dream not to return to Herod, the wise men departed for their own country another way. Herod sent his troops into the small village of Bethlehem and killed all the young boys two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the wise men. Notably absent are the Jewish rulers who knew where the Christ was to be born. They never made a move to see who the child was the wise men were seeking.

Jesus’ birth was not what anyone expected. Joseph and Mary were poor Israelites without any notable pedigree to distinguish them. Carpenters were necessary, but they were a lower class of citizens. The town of Nazareth had no distinguishing significance. Joseph and Mary came to Bethlehem because their lineage was from David. When arriving for the census, no rooms were available, and Mary was due to give birth. Jesus came into the world with no place to lay His head but a manger filled with straw. There were no high officials to welcome the King of the Jews. The people of Bethlehem were unaware of who the baby was. That night, shepherds from the field visited the new mother and saw Jesus wrapped in swaddling cloths in the manger.

The Jewish leaders knew where the Messiah was to be born, but they did not know when. It had been seven hundred years since Micah made his prophecy. The visit of the wise men could have been a sign. God never intended for His Son to come into the world in the fashion that men are born to greatness, and that may have been what clouded their thoughts. Throughout the ministry of Jesus, when the Jewish leaders interrogated Jesus about His claim to be the promised Messiah, no one asked Him where He was born. The proof of the divinity of Jesus was known when the wise men came to Jerusalem. Christ was to be born in Bethlehem of Judea – and the Jewish leaders were correct.