Herod Heart No Rest

For one palace on top di hill, one old king stop to waka up and down. Newborn king of di Jews? No, no while e still dey alive. E send for di scholars. Tonight.

Strangers from di east don reach Jerusalem. Dem be magi, wise men wey dey study di stars, and dem don dey go round di city dey ask one question wey shock people: where di one wey dem born as king of di Jews dey? We don see im star, dem talk, and we don come worship am. News like dat no dey stay for market for long. Soon e reach di palace of King Herod. And Herod don old by now; e don spend im whole reign dey watch for anybody wey fit challenge am.

Matthew talk say when Herod di king hear dis tins, im heart no rest, and di whole Jerusalem dey with am for di same worry. Herod worry because e see danger. E be king because Rome make am king, no be because dem born am inside David royal family. Pikin wey dem born as king of di Jews go be rival. And di whole Jerusalem worry with am. Why? Maybe because people know wetin Herod dey do when e feel say danger dey. When Herod worry, everybody dey for danger.

So Herod do one clever tin. E gather all di chief priests and di scribes of di people. Dem be di leaders of di temple and di experts for di scriptures, di people wey know di writings of Moses and di prophets pass everybody. And Herod ask dem one question: where dem go born di Christ, di Messiah? E no ask, na true? E no ask, make we go worship am too? E just want di place. E want know where to look.

Di scholars know di answer quick quick. For Bethlehem of Judea, dem talk. Because na so di prophet write. And dem quote Micah. And you, Bethlehem, for di land of Judah, you no be di smallest among di rulers of Judah, because from you one ruler go comot, wey go shepherd my people Israel. Micah talk dis words about seven hundred years before, when Judah small and dey fear, as di big empire of Assyria dey threaten dem. E promise say from small Bethlehem, David hometown, God go raise new ruler, one shepherd for im people. Di scholars know exactly where to look. But Matthew no ever tell us say any of dem go.

Everybody know say Herod dey suspect people. Di Jewish historian Josephus write say Herod order make dem kill some people for im own family, including im wife Mariamne and three of im sons, because e fear say dem dey plan against am. One Roman writer wey dem dey call Macrobius, many hundred years after, pass down one joke wey people say na from di emperor Augustus: say e better to be Herod pig than to be Herod son.

Herod worried question dey Matthew chapter two, verse three reach six. One king wey dey fear, scholars wey know di correct answer, and foreigners wey ready to travel to find di pikin. For long time, Christians don read Micah words as words wey point to Jesus. So see one question wey you go carry dey go. E do to just know di correct answers about Jesus, or we need to go find am for ourselves?