The wise men have arrived at the king’s palace in Jerusalem, which they presume must be the place of the promise. They inquire after the newborn “king of the Jews.” This is a typically non-Jewish expression. In Jewish circles, people would speak of the “king of Israel.” In fact, this “Gentile” title, “king of the Jews,” does not reappear until Jesus’ trial and the inscription over the Cross, in both cases used by the Gentile Pilate (cf. Mk 15:9; Jn 19:19–22). So we could say that here—as the first Gentiles inquire after Jesus—there are already echoes of the mystery of the Cross, a mystery that
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