The gospel of Matthew begins its presentation of ‘Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham’ with a genealogy. This fits perfectly the identity given to Jesus at the front end as heir of a rich, three-fold legacy of memory of expectation. If he is ‘Messiah’ and if he is heir to David’s throne and if he is the vehicle or realization of the promises made to Abraham, then he before all else will be the restorer of Israel. So does the carefully selective genealogical material that follows cohere perfectly with Matthew’s grand design.
Matthew then crowns his genealogy with a rather famous quotation from the book of Isaiah which is now understood to have pointed to Messiah’s birth by way of a virgin. At least two features of this approach suggest that a key party—the nations—is missing. YHWH’s promise to Abraham embodies blessing to many nations, in the first instance. Any prospective reading of Isaiah nourishes the expectation that the nations will stream to Israel’s God at some future date and that they may even compete for first arrival honors as they flock to Zion to learn from him.
In this light it appears that the magi of Matthew’s story comprise a sort of first response to this broader expectation. They are nowhere called kings, yet their gift-giving capacity suggests that they control significant resources. Their access to King Herod may also signal their elevated stature.
Jesus In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, ‘Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage.’
It seems only right to understand the Magi in the light of this hope of deep redemption that would flow beyond Israel’s borders without displacing the prominence of Israel in the central narrative.
In his way, Matthew is hinting at large things. Indeed, the child seems barely to have been born and already the gentiles are milling about at the front gate.
Canter Bridge 
Ok. Let’s get clear. I did not understand this post. This makes a challenge to a “Matthean” commentator. Don’t you think so? Anyway, with my best intentions, I will continue with your following posts. Let’s roll.
.