NATIVITY By Mike Herron

for 70 days.’ 2 Most explanations are inconclusive and lead us to believe that this star, like the one whom it announced, was miraculous in every way. King Herod was deeply disturbed when he heard this, as was everyone in Jerusalem. 4 He called a meeting of the leading priests and teachers of religious law and asked, “Where is the Messiah supposed to be born?” 5 “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they said, “for this is what the prophet wrote: 6 ‘And you, O Bethlehem in the land of Judah, are not least among the ruling cities of Judah, for a ruler will come from you who will be the shepherd for my people Israel.’” Herod’s deep paranoia made the news of a rival King’s birth unbearable. The meeting he assembled might have been a gathering of the Sanhedrin as it included the leading priests and teachers of the law. Their answer as to the birthplace of the Messiah was a freely rendered interpretation of the prophet’s words from Micah 5:2. Matthew quotes the Old Testament verses in an interpretative rather than an exact way throughout his gospel. ‘What does the Scripture actually mean’ as much as ‘what do the Scriptures say.’ 7 Then Herod called for a private meeting with the wise men, and he learned from them the time when the star first appeared. 8 Then he told them, “Go to Bethlehem and search carefully for the child. And when you find him, come back and tell me so that I can go and worship him, too!” True to his manipulative manner, Herod isolated the wise men and found out the time of the appearing of the star giving him the general age of this newborn King. He conceals his true motive saying he also wants to worship (proskuneo), to prostrate oneself in homage before an Oriental King or deity. Nothing 3