Matthew 2:3-6 NKJV
“When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. 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.”
The Chief Priests and the Scribes were the custodians of the law and they knew what the prophecies declared concerning the Messiah. What’s intriguing is the fact that they were summoned by King Herod because the wise men had come from the East seeking this new born king. The High priest and the Scribes confirm from scripture that the Christ would be born in Bethlehem but they don’t follow up the issue. You would have thought that they would have tagged along with the wise men to confirm if this was true but they did not.
A religious spirit full of pride, that’s what it is. A holier than thou attitude that blinds you from seeing the truth. It is the kind of spirit that resists and suppresses the truth, not embracing it and not wanting others to hear it. It was the religious leaders of the day that condemned Jesus to be crucified on the cross. These men were more concerned with maintaining their positions and looking important more than embracing the truth.
May we not respond like they did when we come face to face with the Christ. What is your response to Christ?
