In Matthew 2, we read about the Magi and Herod, both searching for Jesus. Both believed, and both wanted to find the baby, but they went about it very differently and for very different reasons.
A truth that is demonstrated here is that anytime we are exposed to God in any way, we will always be changed in some way. How we are changed is largely up to us. We can either draw closer to God, or we can rebel against him. The Magi faced the truth, and devoted their time to finding Jesus to be closer to him. Herod, in response to the same truth, felt compelled to find Jesus to stop him from ever becoming king. Herod didn't want to himself be closer to Jesus--he just wanted to make sure no one else did, either. His response is paranoid, fearful, aggressive, and violent.
Herod was obviously a nasty guy. What kind of king orders all male babies under the age of two to be killed (verse 16)? Can you imagine how you would feel and how you would respond if a government leader sent that order out in your community? They don't have to--in this country, we murder our own babies when they are inconvenient, and no one has to force us to do so.
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