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Matthew 2
Some wandering astrologers from Asia had seen a star, and figured that a new King of the Jews had recently been born in Bethlehem. They came to Israel to look for him, and asked around. This caused a political firestorm for the local governor, Herod, because Israel was then part of the Roman Alliance, and the last thing Herod needed was a new claimant to the Jewish throne. That would only encourage the Jewish insurgents to continue their campaign of terror against the Romans. Somehow, the astrologers didn't understand these political ramifications, and agreed to help Herod find this new King so Herod could "worship" him. However, after the astrologers found Jesus, another angel of the Lord came 'round and 'splained things, so the astrologers ran off without telling Herod where he could find Jesus. [Neither Herod nor the astrologers realized that Jesus was born of the Holy Spirit (not of Joseph), and therefore had no claim to the Jewish throne. It isn't clear why Joseph hadn't claimed the Jewish throne for himself, given his direct lineage to David and Abraham. Maybe he preferred an anonymous life.] Herod wanted Jesus dead, so Joseph took his family into hiding. Herod executed all the Jewish boys age 2 or under, just to make sure. This unjust act probably made the Jewish insurgency worse :-( After Herod died of unspecified causes, Joseph and his family returned to Israel, and lived in a town called Nazareth.
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