And assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. The irony is sharp: Herod must consult the religious experts of Israel — the very people who should know the scriptures — to locate the birthplace of the Messiah they themselves are waiting for. They answer accurately (verse 6), drawing on Micah 5:2, but they do not go to Bethlehem themselves. The chief priests and scribes know where the Christ is to be born but show no interest in going to find him. John 5:39–40 captures the same paradox: you search the scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life, yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life. Correct information about Jesus and actual encounter with Jesus are not the same thing.

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