In 66 CE, the Jews had rebelled against Rome. The imperial armies had besieged Jerusalem; after four years of war, the sacred city had been destroyed, the temple itself had burned to the ground. Just at this fragile moment in Jewish life, the question of Jesus demanded attention.

Matthew operates like a detective, putting into order all the clues he had at hand that could disclose the meaning of this strange man. Was he a prophet denied by his own people, as other prophets had been before? Or a charlatan, the sooner killed the better? These are difficult days for the Jewish people. There is no room for subversion. Those who revere Jesus must fall into line or leave the synagogue.

At stake for Matthew is the Jewish community he dearly loves. His human concern brings forth a deeply human story: his Jesus is a commanding, stately figure, worthy of the Law he imparts, but around this Jesus swirls turmoil from the very first, as the baby boys of Bethlehem are slaughtered by a frightened king.