The advent of Christ was the greatest event which had taken place since the creation of the world. The birth of Christ, which gave joy to the angels of Heaven, was not welcome to the kingly powers of the world. Suspicion and envy were aroused in king Herod, and his wicked heart was planning his dark purposes for the future. The Jews manifested a stupid indifference to the story of the wise men. But Herod is intensely interested and excited. He summons the scribes, and the chief priests, and urges upon them to search carefully prophetic history, and tell him where the infant king was to be born. The careless indifference and apparent ignorance of the scribes and chief priests, as they turn to their books for the words of prophecy, irritate the fully aroused king. He thinks they are trying to conceal from him the real facts in regard to the birth of the Messiah. He authoritatively commands them to make close search in relation to their expected king. {2SP 22.3}

Kristi komme var den største begivenhed som har fundet sted siden verdens skabelse. Kristi fødsel, som gav glæde til himlens engle, blev ikke budt velkommen af verdens kongelige magter. Mistanke og misundelse blev vagt i kong Herodes hjerte, og hans onde hjerte planlagde sin mørke agt for fremtiden. Jøderne udviste en dum ligegyldighed over for vismændenes beretning. Men Herodes er meget interesseret og oprørt. Han sammenkalder sine skriftkloge og ypperstepræster, og beder dem indstændigt at undersøge den profetiske historie nøje, og fortælle ham hvor barnekongen skal fødes. Den rykkesløse ligegyldighed og tilsyneladende uvidenhed hos de skriftkloge og ypperstepræsterne, når de vender sig til deres bøger efter profetiens ord, irriterer helt årvågne konge. Han tror at de prøver at skjule de reelle fakta om Messias fødsel for ham. Han byder den myndigt at nøje undersøge forholdet til deres forventede konge.