04.2.05. The King Of The Jews
Chapter 5 - THE KING OF THE JEWS
Matthew portrayed Jesus Christ as King of the Jews. After interrogating Jesus Christ prior to His crucifixion, Pilate called Him “the King of the Jews” (John 18:39). When he brought Jesus Christ forth to the Jews for their decision to crucify Him, he said to the Jews, “Behold your King” (John 19:14). Furthermore, he wrote the title “JESUS OF NAZARETH THE KING OF THE JEWS” on the cross (John 19:19). In His answer to Pilate, Jesus Christ told him the kingdom which is His is spiritual, and it is not out of this world’s system (John 18:36). He did not say it will not be “in” the world, but it is not made up “from” this world’s system. In answer to Pilate’s question, “Art thou a king then?” Christ affirmed that He is King: “...Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth...”
(John 18:37). The following things should be observed concerning Christ’s statement to Pilate in John 18:36—
(1) He spoke of the kingdom as His. “My kingdom” denotes His covenanted kingdom.
(2) His kingdom being not of this world means it is not of humanly devised order or arrangement.
(3) If His kingdom were of this world, His servants would be fighting to prevent His crucifixion. Christ’s kingdom is of Divine origin, and its establishment is future. (4) His kingdom is not from this place, signifying that it is not related to this age but to the age to come.
(5) As believers are not of this world but remain in the world, Christ’s kingdom is not out of this world’s system but it shall be in the renewed world system.
(6) Jesus Christ was born King of the Jews, but we must distinguish the King de jure from the King de facto.
(7) Distinction must be made between the kingdom on earth and God’s sovereign rule over the earth. The kingdom belongs to Christ as the Son of Man. Sovereignty is vested in Him as the Son of God. Conclusively, Jesus Christ was born King, and He recognized that He was born King. He confirmed it before He died, and Pilate inscribed that message on the cross. As soon as the birth of the Lord Jesus was announced, the wise men from the east came to Jerusalem asking, “Where is he that is born King of the Jews?” (Matthew 2:2). This is the first question in the New Testament, and the first question in the Old Testament is “Where art thou?” (Genesis 3:9). What made these men from the east wise? In the child, they recognized Christ the King. They worshipped Christ, not His mother. They came to give and not to get (Matthew 2:1-12). They knew something about Old Testament prophecy and believed it. Therefore, their wisdom came from the word of God and not from some dream or the figment of someone’s imagination. The wise men had seen “his star” in the east, and they came to worship Him (Matthew 2:2). The New Testament opens and closes with the star of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ said of Himself that He is “the root [the Divine nature of Jesus Christ] and the offspring [the human nature of Jesus Christ] of David, and the bright and morning star” (Revelation 22:16). Hence, Christ’s star is connected with His first and second advents. This is not merely “a star” but “the star” of prophecy: “I shall see him, but not now: I shall behold him, but not nigh: there shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Sceptre shall rise out of Israel...” (Numbers 24:17). The wise men evidenced their recognition of the deity of Jesus Christ, the King of the Jews, by bringing the gift of gold; His impeccable life, by bringing the gift of frankincense; and His going to the cross, by bringing the gift of myrrh. Thus, their spiritual wisdom led them to acknowledge that Jesus Christ came the first time to die, not to set up His kingdom. Suffering precedes glory. These men had been made wise by the grace of God. The Lord Jesus is from the royal line of David. Matthew used the title “King” fourteen times and “son of David” nine times to refer to Christ. He employed the term “kingdom” fifty-five times, thirty-two of which are “kingdom of the heavens.” He also recorded twelve parables to depict the kingdom of the heavens. The center and goal of all prophecy is the Lord Jesus Christ who was born King of the Jews. Union of the Divine and human natures in the King formed the foundation for a perfect kingdom. The reign of the Son of Man, in accordance with the Davidic covenant, and the union of His people with Himself in that rule alone will satisfy the cravings of a redeemed people. The kingdom will sweep away all the false hopes for a man-made utopia by fallible men. As the perfection of Christ’s human nature cannot be denied, the perfection of His work, which finds its completion in the kingdom, cannot be refuted. The past and present are only preparatory stages for the coming kingdom. This kingdom is the theme of the covenants and prophecy. It is the special honor given to Jesus Christ by the Father (Luke 19:12-15). The kingdom of the world shall become the kingdom of Jesus Christ (Revelation 11:15).
Prophecy is not only a light to Christians in a dark world but also a witness to God when it is fulfilled: “We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place...” (2 Peter 1:19). “Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness” (2 Peter 3:17). Having been forewarned by prophecy, Christians are forearmed. Hence, knowing the truth beforehand, we are without excuse for failure to be on guard. A blessing is promised to believers who read, hear, and keep the words of prophecy (Revelation 1:3). As we do not understand everything about food before eating it, we do not have to understand everything about prophecy before we guard and proclaim it. Moreover, the fulfillment of prophecy will become, as it has in the past, a witness to God’s omniscience. The King of the Jews was born during the reign of King Herod. Herod became disturbed because he feared his own kingdom would be challenged. His response may be illustrated by the Thessalonians’ reaction to Paul’s preaching. The unbelievers caused an uproar in the city “...saying that there is another king, Jesus” (Acts 17:7 NASB). According to Paul’s Epistles to the assembly in Thessalonica, Christ’s second coming as King was prominent in His teaching. Believers look upon the establishment of the kingdom as the overthrow and destruction of the wicked ones and their wickedness. Believers delight not in their ruin but in the clearing of God’s name and glory (2 Thessalonians 1:3-12). Wicked rulers do not want their power challenged: “The kings of the earth set themselves, and their rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying, Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us” (Psalms 2:2-3). These words were partially fulfilled by Herod when the eternal Son was born King. There was another King, Jesus Christ. Herod had no problem summoning help from the priests and scribes to learn where the young child was located. Jesus Christ is hated and despised by rulers with the sword, religionists with their human traditions, and the multitudes with their lawless violence. They all have one thing in common. They care not what stars occupy the religious heavens of the world, provided “His Star” is not among them. They will tolerate any kind of religious leader other than the holy, sovereign, and impeccable Christ of Christianity. All this will have its final consummation in the last days before the Prince of Peace establishes His kingdom.
Matthew recorded four historic prophecies in the second chapter. Each had some particular burden:
(1) Micah’s burden was authority. He denounced the false rulers of his time; but by prophecy, he saw the true Ruler (Matthew 2:6).
(2) Hosea’s burden was the unfaithfulness of Israel (Matthew 2:15).
(3) Jeremiah’s burden was the judgment of a sinful nation (Matthew 2:18).
(4) The last one refers to no particular prophet, but it is a summary of several prophets (Matthew 2:23).
Micah prophesied Divine wrath and Divine promise. He was contemporary with Isaiah and prophesied in the days of Jothan, Ahaz, and in the early years of Hezekiah, kings of Judah. The three divisions of his prophecy began with the call to “hear” (Micah 1:2; Micah 3:1; Micah 6:1). Micah’s name means “who is like God.” Being like God, the prophet denounced the sins of the rulers and gave a picture of Christ’s kingdom with Christ’s reign of universal peace. He is noted for his rapid transitions from threats to promises. He went from pronouncing the destruction of Jerusalem and captivity in Babylon to prophesying the reign of the Ruler in Israel (Micah 3:12; Micah 4:7; Micah 5:2). “All the chief priests and scribes” (Matthew 2:4) gathered together by Herod proclaimed Micah’s prophecy that Christ, the King of the Jews, should be born in Bethlehem of Judah: “But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting” (Micah 5:2).
Bethlehem (the name means “house of bread”) was the birthplace of David, and it would be the birthplace of David’s Lord. Jesus Christ is David’s son as well as his Lord: “...I am the root and the offspring of David...” (Revelation 22:16). Although the Son of God came into the world centuries after the death of David, He was before David. In the days of the kingdom’s peril under King Saul, God gave Israel King David. He came from Bethlehem. Bethlehem has become a household name to all Christians. It is first mentioned in Genesis 35:19: “And Rachel died, and was buried in the way to Ephrath, which is Bethlehem.” It is believed the city was built by Ephratah, the father of Bethlehem, and called after both “Bethlehem Ephratah” in the prophecy by Micah. David is described as “the son of that Ephrathite of Bethlehem-judah” (1 Samuel 17:12). It was also the scene of Ruth’s romance with Boaz. Boaz purchased Ruth the Moabitess to be his wife: “And all the people that were in the gate, and the elders, said, We are witnesses. The LORD make the woman that is come into thine house like Rachel and like Leah, which two did build the house of Israel: and do thou worthily in Ephratah, and be famous in Bethlehem” (Ruth 4:11). The one who would come forth from Bethlehem is the same one “whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting” (Micah 5:2). This is a description of Christ’s eternal generation. Here we have the prophecy of the unprecedented King of the Jews of Matthew 2:2. Micah spoke of a twofold going forth:
(1) “from Bethlehem” and
(2) “from everlasting.” This twofold going forth also speaks of the two natures of the King of the Jews—as God from eternity and as the God-Man from Bethlehem. Hence, the Person who came from Bethlehem Ephratah is more than man; He is the theanthropic Person. The King came forth from little Bethlehem. His royalty is seen in the Divine nature and not in earthly circumstances. The shepherd life of David depicted Jesus Christ as Shepherd: “He [God] chose David also his servant, and took him from the sheepfolds: From following the ewes great with young he brought him to feed Jacob his people, and Israel his inheritance” (Psalms 78:70-71). The shepherd life of David was his needed preparation for kingship over Israel. He would rule them for their good, defend them from their enemies, and conduct the affairs of the kingdom in the spirit of a shepherd. Micah saw the new King coming out of little Bethlehem in the implied character of a shepherd: “And he shall stand and feed in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God; and they shall abide: for now shall he be great unto the ends of the earth” (Micah 5:4). The Lord Jesus is called the “good shepherd,” “the great shepherd,” and the “chief shepherd” (John 10:11; Hebrews 13:20; 1 Peter 5:4). He came to the sheepfold of Israel as “the good shepherd.” The prophet said, “He shall stand,” and “the good shepherd” stood against all the false shepherds who came into the sheepfold of Israel. The strength in which He stood as the “good shepherd” was His own intrinsic power. The “feeding” applies to all the duties of a shepherd, even to giving His life for His sheep. This is what Christ did “in the majesty of His God.” The Lord Jesus was majestic even in His humiliation. The prophet rejoiced to know that God passed by the pride of the city and brought forth the King from a place that was “little among the thousands of Judah.” The advent of Christ would not be according to human expectations. As the “chief shepherd,” He will consummate His work (Micah 5:5-15). Israel will yet be shepherded by her Messiah (Isaiah 11:1-16; Isaiah 35:1-10; Daniel 7:1-28; Daniel 9:1-27; Joel 2:1-32; Joel 3:1-21; Zechariah 9:1-17; Zechariah 14:1-21; Malachi 4:1-6). The burden of Hosea’s prophecy was Israel’s unfaithfulness. Hosea was contemporary with Amos, Isaiah, and Micah. His message was principally to Israel (the ten tribes of the northern kingdom). The subject matter of his message was spiritual adultery. The prophet learned the meaning of unfaithfulness through bitter experience. When he had suffered the worst agony that can come to the human heart—the infidelity of one’s mate—God said to him in effect, “Now, you know how I feel about Israel.”
Hosea’s prophecy “WHEN Israel was a child, then I loved him, and called my son out of Egypt” (Hosea 11:1) was quoted by Matthew: “Out of Egypt have I called my son” (Matthew 2:15). The angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph and told him to go into Egypt with the young child and Mary. Joseph fled into Egypt with his family that Hosea 11:1 might be fulfilled.
God loved Israel in Egypt and called Israel “his son” (Exodus 4:22). The Israelites were a highly favored people. God loved, redeemed, educated, guided, and fed them. Pharaoh treated the Israelites cruelly, but God heard their cry and came down to help them. Hosea looked forward as well as backward. He saw that his words had fuller meaning than could be fulfilled by the children of Israel. His prophecy carried a promise that had not been fulfilled. Like Abraham, he saw Christ’s day afar off and was glad. This may seem strange in the light of the context of the prophecy, but the Holy Spirit made no mistake when He inspired Matthew to quote this passage. The King of the Jews identified Himself with Israel. Israel and Christ are both loved, but Christ is loved by nature and Israel by grace. Both were called “my son,” and both were called out of Egypt. However, Israel was in Egypt because of sin; but Jesus Christ, who knew no sin and in whom is no sin, was there to be identified with the sinners He would deliver. He is the King of the Jews. Before His death, Christ was asked, “Art thou a king then?” He replied, “...To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world...” (John 18:37). Christ’s kingship is of such character that it can be neither invalidated by His arrest nor destroyed by His death. The King was untouchable by the wicked designs of men until the time He voluntarily laid down His life for the sheep (John 10:11; John 10:15; John 10:17-18).
God chose Jeremiah, a tenderhearted man, to deliver a stern message of judgment. He was contemporary with Ezekiel and ministered to the Jews in Jerusalem while Ezekiel ministered among the captives in Babylon. Matthew quoted Jeremiah 31:15 at the conclusion of the section describing the slaying of the children in Bethlehem: “In Rama was there a voice heard, lamentation, and weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, and would not be comforted, because they are not” (Matthew 2:18). The context of Jeremiah 31:15 gives a prophecy of the Israelites being driven from their land, but there was hope in their future restoration (Jeremiah 31:15-17). Jeremiah’s prophecy describes the massacre of the tribulation through which Israel shall pass before her final deliverance. Herod’s murder of all the male children from two years old and under is only a foretaste of that future tribulation. The foundation of Israel’s hope of the future is God’s unconditional covenant. The twofold application of prophecy is common in Scripture. The baptism in the Spirit at Pentecost was the pledge, or foretaste, of the future fulfillment in the kingdom (Joel 2:1-32, Acts 2:1-47). Therefore, Bethlehem’s mourning over the murdered children was as though Rachel were repeating her lamentation. Rachel, however, represents the remnant that shall be saved by the coming Messiah.
Few attempts have been made to explain and little has been said about the slaughter of the children. Some have said it seems strange that, only a few days before, men had assembled around the newborn King, and now the whole province of Herod was strewn with the bodies of slaughtered male children from two years old and under. The question has been asked, why were innocent children slaughtered? The following answers have been suggested: The lot of the children was a blessed one because they were “safe”—not saved. The Father was plucking His innocent flowers. They died for Christ in order that He might die for them. Had they not died for Him, Christ would have been slain by Herod; and all of Adam’s descendants would have spent eternity in hell.
There is no Scripture to justify the idea of children being either “innocent” or “safe.” The word “innocent” may be used relatively to speak of someone free from a specific crime or wrong, but it cannot be used in the sense of being without sin. Indiscriminate universal death of persons of all ages proves that all persons come into the world sinful—in a state of depravity (Psalms 51:5; Romans 5:12). What about children destroyed in the flood, Sodom and Gomorrah, the night of the passover, etc.? Furthermore, the idea of children being “safe” until they reach the age of accountability is ridiculous. What is the difference between “safe” and “saved” if all who die in infancy go to heaven? There is no Scripture which says they go to heaven, not even the one recording the death of David’s son by Bathsheba: “...I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me” (2 Samuel 12:23). “I shall go to him” means that David shall go to the “house appointed for all living” (Job 30:23), and “he shall not return to me” means he shall not return to me in the present, mortal state.
If children are “safe”—saved—until they reach the age of accountability, they lose their safeness and must be regenerated. What is the difference between being safe and being regenerated? Did God give “safe” children grace in Christ before the world began? If so, did they lose it at the age of accountability? (See 2 Timothy 1:9.) The hypothetical statement, “If the children had not died, Christ would have died by the hands of Herod and all of Adam’s race would have spent eternity in hell,” contradicts the eternal purpose of God. This is not the first instance recorded in Scripture where children were slaughtered. (See Ezekiel 9:1-11.) In the last division of Matthew 2:1-23, Joseph was told to take the young child and His mother into the land of Israel because those who sought His life were dead. The statement “He shall be called a Nazarene” (Matthew 2:23) does not refer to any particular prophet; but it was the message of the prophets in general. “Nazarene” was a term of contempt: “...Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth...” (John 1:46; John 7:52). A person is not to be judged by the place from which he comes or by the work he has been doing. Jesus Christ came from Nazareth, and He was the son of a carpenter. The whole of Galilee was a despised region. The Galileans were accused of being rude, illiterate, and devoid of culture. Hence, the appellation “Nazarene” describes the lowliness of the majestic Person of Jesus Christ who was born King of the Jews. Not only is Jesus Christ the Lamb that was slain but He shall also be the King, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, on David’s throne.