There Is Only One King of the Jews is a simple thought reflection from Matthew 2:1-9 about the fact that the wise men sought out the only King of the Jews – Jesus.

When Jesus was born, kingmakers from the East came to worship Him. King Herod heard about them and asked them about their plans. He also inquired about the place and time when Jesus was born. In answering these questions, the Magi quoted the prophets:

““In Bethlehem of Judea,” they told him, “because this is what was written by the prophet:” (Matthew 2:5, HCSB)

They knew that Jesus would be born in Bethlehem. They knew that Micah spoke about this. But in quoting Micah they also revealed what they understood about the mission of Jesus:

“And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the leaders of Judah: because out of you will come a leader who will shepherd My people Israel.”” (Matthew 2:6, HCSB)

They saw the birth of Jesus as a one-time event. They thought that when Jesus was born, He would come as a king to rule the world from Jerusalem. They were unaware of the idea that Jesus would come twice. So naturally, they assumed that when He came, He would be the next King of the Jews. This made Herod naturally jealous. He wanted to find out how old the boy would be. So He asked when they received this star:

“Then Herod secretly summoned the wise men and asked them the exact time the star appeared.” (Matthew 2:7, HCSB)

Herod did not want to worship Jesus. He wanted to kill Jesus. Because Herod knew that there could only be one King of the Jews.