I liked your pointing out that the Jews were not interested in learning about this babe the wise men were seeking. Reminds me of John 1:11, "He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him." (ESV) As you mentioned, this becomes a theme in Matthew and the gospels. It foreshadows God's plan to reach out, first to His people, and ultimately to all nations.
Another possibilty re: the star . . . it was a rival to the star that had appeared in 44 BC, and was taken by some as a sign of Julius Caesar's deification: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caesar%27s_Comet. The association of a star to a divine king seems to have been part of the popular mythology of the ancient world? And it fits well with Matthew's concern in chapter 2 about Jesus being identified as "king of the Jews".
![Who Were the Wise Men? (Matthew 2:1) [Audio Only]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/j3YalS0YqFk/mqdefault.jpg)
I liked your pointing out that the Jews were not interested in learning about this babe the wise men were seeking. Reminds me of John 1:11, "He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him." (ESV) As you mentioned, this becomes a theme in Matthew and the gospels. It foreshadows God's plan to reach out, first to His people, and ultimately to all nations.
Excellent connection back to John 1:11.
Another possibilty re: the star . . . it was a rival to the star that had appeared in 44 BC, and was taken by some as a sign of Julius Caesar's deification: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caesar%27s_Comet. The association of a star to a divine king seems to have been part of the popular mythology of the ancient world? And it fits well with Matthew's concern in chapter 2 about Jesus being identified as "king of the Jews".
Great insights.