Matthew 2

http://www.esvbible.org/Matthew+2/

Jesus was born in Bethlehem while Herod was "king." He wasn't really a king, but he was in charge of the region and very much on a power trip. After the birth, enter the wise men to Herod's palace. They asked him where the Messiah was because they had seen the star in the sky, and they wanted to worship Him. Herod had not heard about the Messiah's birth, so he freaked out. He called together the chief priests and asked them where the Messiah was to be born, and they told him that He would be born in Bethlehem because that's what the prophets said. King Herod did not go there himself, however, but sent the wise men. He told them to return and tell him if the Messiah was there so that he too could worship Him. So the wise men set off. From the time they saw the star on the night of Jesus' birth until when they arrived in Bethlehem, much time had passed. Although we often place the magi at the nativity scene, they did not arrive until a little later. The star led them all the way to where the baby was. Mary, Joseph, and Jesus were still in Bethlehem. The wise men were overwhelmed with joy to see the baby and fell, worshipping Him. They opened their chests and gave Him frankincense, gold, and myrrh. This is how we should feel when we see Jesus. He is the savior of the world, and He chooses to reveal Himself to us. We should never forget to have joy from Him through the Holy Spirit. We should always worship in all we do. On the way home, God told the wise men in a dream not to return to Herod, so they went home by a different road.

The next part is generally left out of the Christmas story. The angel appears again to Joseph in a dream.. This time, the angel says that Joseph, Mary, and Jesus must flee to Egypt and stay there because Herod intended to kill the baby. Joseph understood and took the baby and His mother that night to Egypt where they remained until Herod died. This adventure fulfilled another prophesy. Jesus fulfilled over 400 prophesies throughout His life. That would be impossible for anyone except God. Eventually, Herod realized that the magi were not going to return, so Herod had all of the baby boys two years old and younger killed because that is the age range of Jesus at the time. This fulfilled another prophesy. The prophesy talks about Rachel crying for her dead children. Rachel was the wife of Jacob, who God later renames Israel. He had twelve sons who became the twelve tribes of Israel. All of the Jewish people come from these tribes.

After Herod died, the angel gave Joseph the all clear and sent him home. On the way there, Joseph heard that Herod's son was in charge, and he was afraid to go there. The angel confirmed that home was no longer safe and guided him to Nazareth in Galilee. This fulfilled yet another prophesy that Jesus would be called a Nazarene.