Who were the wise men Seeking?

 Read Matthew 2.

Matthew's account of Jesus only briefly mentions that He was born at the end of chapter one.  The Holy Spirit moved Matthew on in the story-line to confirm the true identity of Jesus and the next major events.

Who is Jesus?  Who were the wise men looking for?  Who did the prophets say would come?
Note the four terms that are used to identify Him. 

1. He is King of the Jews. (v.2)
This was the statement in the opening verse of the book.  "The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David (the King), the son of Abraham (the Jews).  The wise men were looking for the earthly king of the Jews that the prophets said would come.  "...and the government shall be upon his shoulder..." (Isaiah 9:6).  Many have been confused by either ignoring this still future earthly rule of Christ, or by spiritualizing the thousands of Biblical prophecies concerning Messiah's earthly reign from Jerusalem, or by attempting to combine those prophecies with the kingdom of heaven.

2. He is the Christ. (v.4)
Jesus is the long awaited Messiah.  There existed many opinions about Him then, as there are now.  But the most important question of all time is one's personal response to Jesus when He asked, "'But who do you say that I am?'  Simon Peter replied, 'You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.'" (Matthew 16:15-16)

3. He is a ruler. (v.6)
The Jews looked for Messiah to oust the Romans and rule over Israel in His first coming.  In John 6:15, the crowd intended to force Jesus to be their king right then.  But prophecies concerning His first coming included Messiah's suffering and dying for sin (Isaiah 53).  After the resurrection, even the disciples asked, "Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?" (Acts 1:6).  He will do just that when He returns to earth in power and glory as the King of kings and the Lord of lords (Revelation 19-20).

4. He is a shepherd for Israel. (v.6)
This is one of four quotes or references to the prophetic writings in this chapter.  Micah 5:2 named the place of His birth and the millennial leadership He will provide hundreds of years in advance.  Jesus said, "I am the good shepherd.  The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep." (John 10:11) 

Some time had lapsed between the birth of Jesus and the arrival of the wise men.  The thought of a king being born for the Jews threatened King Herod and his dynasty.  Herod's question regarding "what time the star had appeared" seems to be an attempt to ascertain the child's age.  In verse 11, the wise men found Jesus as a child in a house, not a babe in a manger.  This explains why Herod killed all the children two years of age and younger.

As Jesus fulfilled hundreds of prophecies in His first coming, the Scriptures have substantially even more promises concerning His second coming.