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Matthew 2:1. When was Jesus born in Bethlehem of Judea? Bethlehem means “house of bread,” while Judea means “confession.” Let it be that through confession we too may now become a house of spiritual bread. Matthew mentions Herod so that you may learn that the princes and kings of the tribe of Judah ceased and out of necessity Christ came. For Herod was not a Jew, but an Edomite, the son of Antipater by an Arabian wife. When the princes ceased, there came “the waiting of tongues,” as Jacob prophesied. For there was another Herod, the tetrarch; therefore Matthew refers to royal dignity. The Magi came to Jerusalem Why did the Magi come? For the condemnation of the Jews: for if the Magi, idolatering people, believed, then what remains to justify the Jews? At the same time, in order for the glory of Christ to shine forth more when the Magi testify, who served rather the demons and were the enemies of God. And this is for the condemnation of the Jews: for those from such a distance came to worship Him, but the Jews, having Christ, persecuted Him. Matthew 2:2. Where is he who has been born King of the Jews? They say that these magicians are the descendants of the sorcerer Balaam, that they, having found his prediction: “a star will rise from Jacob and destroy the princes of Moab,” understood the mystery of Christ and therefore went, wanting to see the Born One. for we saw His star in the east When you hear about a star, do not think that it was one of those that we see: it was a divine and angelic power that appeared in the form of a star. Since the Magi were astrologers, the Lord led them through what was familiar to them, just as Peter the fisherman was amazed by the multitude of fish that he caught in the name of Christ. That the star really had angelic power is evident from the fact that it shone during the day, from the fact that it walked when the wise men walked, and stood when they rested, especially from the fact that it went from the north side, where Persia is, to the south, where Jerusalem is - but the star never moves from north to south. and came to worship Him. These Magi were, apparently, people of great virtue. For if they wished to worship in a foreign country, how could they not be bold in Persia and not preach? Matthew 2:3. Hearing this, King Herod became alarmed, and all Jerusalem with him. Herod was embarrassed, like a foreigner, fearing for his royal power, for he knew that he was unworthy of it. But the Jews, why are they embarrassed? After all, they should have been more happy that they would have a king, whom the Persian kings now worship. But moral depravity is truly a crazy thing. Matthew 2:4. And, having gathered all the high priests and scribes of the people, he asked them: where should Christ be born? The teachers of the people were learned men, like those whom we call grammarians. They are asked according to the economy of God, so that they confess the truth: and therefore they will be condemned, because they crucified Him whom they had previously confessed. Matthew 2:5–6. And they said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written through the prophet: Through what prophet? Micah. For he says (Mic. 5:2): “And you are Bethlehem, the land of Judah, no less than the provinces of Judah, This city, since it was small, was neglected; now it has become glorious due to the fact that Christ came from it: for all from the ends of the earth come to worship this holy Bethlehem. for out of you will come a Leader, He said well: “will come out,” and not “remain in you,” for Christ did not remain in Bethlehem, but left it after birth and lived for the most part in Nazareth. The Jews say that this was foretold about Zerubbabel, but it is clear that they are lying. After all, Zerubbabel was not born in Bethlehem, but in Babylon. His name “Zoro” means seed and birth, and “Babel” means Babylon, that is, conceived or born in Babylon. But the prophecy clearly denounces them, saying: “His coming forth from the beginning, from the days of the world.” Who else has gone out from the beginning and from the days of the world, if not Christ? He had two origins or births: the first birth from the beginning - from the Father, the second - from the days of the century, it began from the Mother of God and took place in time. Let the Jews say, Did Zerubbabel come from the beginning? But they can't say anything. who will shepherd my people Israel.” “He will fall,” he says, and not: he will tyrannize or devour. For other kings are not shepherds, but wolves, but Christ is the Shepherd, as he Himself says: “I am the good Shepherd.” The people of Israel calls those who believed both from among the Jews and from among the pagans: for “Israel” in translation means: seeing God (the first “Israel” is Jacob, who saw God in the struggle with Him, Gen. 32, 28-30); therefore, all who see God are Israelites, even if they come from pagans. Matthew 2:7–8. Then Herod secretly called the wise men Herod secretly called them because of the Jews. For he suspected that the Jews, perhaps, cared a lot about the Child and were plotting to save Him, as one who would free them. Therefore, he is secretly plotting. found out from them the time of the appearance of the star I found out thoroughly. For the star appeared to the wise men before the Lord was born. Since they had to spend a lot of time traveling, the star appeared a long time ago so that they could worship Him while He was still in swaddling clothes. But some say that the star appeared at the same time as the birth of Christ and that the Magi walked for two years and found the Lord not in swaddling clothes or in a manger, but in the house with His Mother when He was two years old. But consider what was said earlier to be better. and, sending them to Bethlehem, said: go, carefully inquire about the Child He did not say: “about the king,” but “about the Baby,” because he could not stand the name, which showed how he was mad against Him. and when you find it, notify me, so that I too can go and worship Him. Matthew 2:9. After listening to the king, they left. Sincere people themselves, they thought that he, too, spoke without deceit. And behold, the star that they saw in the east walked before them, The star, according to the economy of God, disappeared for a short time so that they would ask the Jews and so that Herod would be confused, and thus the truth would become more obvious. When they left Jerusalem, the star appeared again, guiding them. From this it is clear that the star was a divine force. how she finally came and stopped over the place where the Baby was. And this is wonderful: for the star came down from above and, becoming closer to the earth, showed them the place. For if it had appeared to them from above, how could they have more clearly known the place where Christ was? For the stars cover a large space with their radiance. That’s why you, too, may see the moon above your house, but I think that it is only above my house. And it seems to everyone that the only thing standing above him is the moon or another star. And that star would not have indicated Christ if it had not descended down and stood, as it were, above the head of the Child. Matthew 2:10. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with great joy, They were happy that they were not mistaken, but found what they were looking for. Matthew 2:11. and entering the house, they saw the Child with Mary His Mother, After the birth, the Virgin laid the Child in a manger, for they did not find a home then. It is very likely that afterwards they found a house in which the Magi found them. For they went up to Bethlehem for the purpose of, as Luke also says, to register there, but since a huge number of people had gathered to register, they did not find a house, and the Lord was born in a den. Then they found the house where the Magi saw the Lord. This is the illumination of the soul! They saw Him in poverty and worshiped. They were convinced that this was God, and therefore they brought Him gifts, both as God and as a person. For listen: and having opened their treasures, they brought Him gifts: gold, frankincense and myrrh. They brought gold to Him as to a king, for to the king we, as subjects, bring gold; incense, as to God, for we burn incense to God; and myrrh, as one who has tasted death, for the Jews bury the dead with myrrh so that the body remains incorruptible, for myrrh, being dry, dries out moisture and does not allow worms to arise. You see the faith of the Magi. They learned from the prophecy of Balaam that the Lord and God and the King and that He has to die for us. But listen to this prophecy. “He lay down,” he says, “and rested like a lion” (Num. 24:9). “Lion” denotes royal dignity, and “lying down” means slaying. “He who blesses you shall be blessed,” This is the Divinity, for the divine nature alone has the power of blessing. Matthew 2:12. And having received a revelation in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by a different route. Pay attention to the sequence! First, God led them (the Magi) to faith with a star; then, when they came to Jerusalem, he taught them through the prophet that Christ was born in Bethlehem, and finally through an angel. And they obeyed the prophecy, that is, the divine conversation. Thus, having received a revelation from God, they deceived Herod, were not afraid of his persecution, but dared, relying on the power of the Born One, and thus became true witnesses. Matthew 2:13. When they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said: Arise, take the Child and His Mother. Do you see why God allowed the Virgin to be betrothed! For here you can see that the betrothal was made for the purpose that Joseph would take care of her and care for her. He did not say, “Take your wife,” but “His mother.” For when the suspicion disappeared and the righteous man was convinced from the miracles at birth that everything was from the Holy Spirit, he no longer called Her his wife. The Lord also runs so that they may believe that He really is a man. For if He, being in the hands of Herod, had not been killed, it would have seemed that He had incarnated ghostly. He runs to Egypt to sanctify it, for two places were dens of all evil: Babylon and Egypt. So, He accepted the worship of Babylon through the Magi, but He sanctified Egypt with His own presence. and be there until I tell you, “Be there” instead of “you will be there” until you receive a command from God. And we should not do anything outside the will of God. for Herod wants to look for the Child in order to destroy Him. Pay attention to the madness of a person who wants to defeat the will of God. For if one is not born of God, then what is there to be afraid of? If from God, then how will you destroy the Baby? Matthew 2:14. He arose, took the Child and His Mother by night, and went to Egypt Matthew 2:15. and there he was until the death of Herod, so that what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet might be fulfilled, saying: Out of Egypt I called my Son. The Jews say that this was said because of the people that Moses brought out of Egypt. We answer: something new and representative was said about the people, but truly it was fulfilled in Christ. Then, who is the Son of God? Is it a people who worship the idol Beelphegor and graven images, or the true Son of God? Matthew 2:16. Then Herod, seeing himself ridiculed by the wise men, Just as God laughed at Pharaoh through Moses, so He laughed at Herod through the Magi, since both Herod and Pharaoh were child killers: Pharaoh beat Jewish male children in Egypt, and Herod beat the children of Bethlehem. He became very angry and sent to kill all the babies in Bethlehem... He turns his anger against the Magi against those who did no harm. But perhaps you will tell me: what is this? Did the infants suffer injustice only for Herod's wickedness to be revealed? So listen. Why was the massacre of infants allowed? In order for Herod's malice to be revealed; the babies did not perish, but were awarded crowns. For everyone who suffers any evil here suffers either for the remission of sins, or for the multiplication of crowns. Likewise, these children will be crowned more. and throughout all its borders, from two years and below, according to the time that he found out from the Magi. Matthew 2:17. Then what was spoken through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled, saying: Lest anyone think that the massacre of the infants happened against the will of God, it shows that He knew it in advance and predicted it. Matthew 2:18. the voice in Rama is heard, Rama is an elevated place in Palestine, for its name means “high.” It was inherited by the tribe of Benjamin, who was the son of Rachel. Rachel was buried in Bethlehem. So the prophet calls Bethlehem Rachel because she was buried in it. Crying and sobbing could be heard from above. So listen to the prophet. weeping and weeping and great crying; Rachel (that is, Bethlehem) cries for her children and does not want to be consoled, for they are not there. In this life “no”, for souls are immortal. Matthew 2:19. After the death of Herod, - Herod had a bitter end, expelling his evil soul with fever, pain in the stomach, itching, crooked legs, rotting of the private member, which gave birth to worms, shortness of breath, trembling and cramps of the limbs. The angel of the Lord appears to Joseph in Egypt in a dream Matthew 2:20. and says: Arise, take the Child and His Mother and go to the land of Israel, He doesn’t say “run,” but “go,” because there was no longer any fear. for those who sought the soul of the Child died. Where is Apollinaris, who said that the Lord did not have the soul of man? Here he is exposed. Matthew 2:21. He stood up, took the Child and His Mother and came to the land of Israel. Matthew 2:22. Having heard that Archelaus reigned in Judea instead of Herod, his father, he was afraid to go there; Herod left three sons: Philip, Antipas and Archelaus. He ordered Archelaus to be king and the rest to be tetrarchs. Joseph was afraid to return to the land of Israel, that is, Judea, because Archelaus was like his father. Antipas is the new Herod, who killed the Forerunner. but, having received a revelation in a dream, he went into the region of Galilee. Galilee was not an Israeli land, but a pagan one; therefore the Jews looked upon them (the Galileans) as an abomination. Matthew 2:23. and he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth, How then does Luke say that the Lord came to Nazareth after forty days had passed after his birth and after Simeon had received Him, while Matthew here says that he came to Nazareth upon his return from Egypt? So, notice what Luke said about what Matthew kept silent about. As an example, I will say the following. Forty days passed after the birth, then the Lord came to Nazareth. Luke says this. Matthew speaks of what happened after this, that the Lord fled to Egypt, then returned from Egypt to Nazareth. So, they do not contradict each other: one speaks of returning from Bethlehem to Nazareth - this is Luke; Matthew is about the return from Egypt to Nazareth. that it might be fulfilled which was spoken through the prophets, that He should be called a Nazarene. Which prophet speaks about this cannot be found now: for due to the negligence of the Jews, as well as due to constant captivities, many prophetic books were lost. But it is possible that this prophecy was transmitted unwritten among the Jews. Nazarite means "sanctified"; Since Christ is holy, He was rightly called a Nazarite, for the Lord is called “the Holy One of Israel” by many prophets.