Matthew 2:1 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, 2 saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” 3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; 4 and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. 5 They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet:
6 “‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for from you shall come a ruler
who will shepherd my people Israel.’”
Something we can easily miss in the details of this account is what the prophet had said about the Christ: He would be a Ruler. We are much more familiar with the term King, but the prophet said Ruler - "a person (as a king or queen) having supreme power over a nation; one that rules; sovereign."* Obviously, these wise men saw Jesus as more than one ruling over small, subservient Israel; they saw Him as one Who was worthy the investment of their time and resources to come all the way to worship. He would indeed "shepherd (His) people Israel," but His Rule would extend so much further: the whole world.
*(Diann Cotton: 100 Days with Jesus)
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