Gold has always been linked to royalty; the ultimate symbol of kings. So when the Magi brought gold to honor Jesus, they were proclaiming him king. King Herod was “disturbed” when he heard about this newborn king of the Jews, and Matthew tells us that all Jerusalem was disturbed also. Herod was paranoid about anyone taking power from him or challenging his throne, but he couldn’t even begin to imagine that Jesus was not only king of the Jews, but ultimately the King of Kings. While we can all agree that Herod was evil in many ways, he was right in understanding that the arrival of this new King would change everything.
