Advent Word Study: 2

Jesus' birth was foretold by prophets who saw His coming, longed to live in those times, but who died confident in the promise that the Almighty had made. That is faith.

Yet, despite a number of clear prophecies that pinpointed the manner, location and special circumstances surrounding His birth, it was largely ovelooked by the religious establishment of the day. His arrival was viewed as a political threat, in fulfillment of another prophecy. But human attempts to thwart God's plans are doomed to futility.

Question:

Why the inaction of the religious establishment? They knew the prophecies well enough. They could explain the situation to Herod easily enough. They must have known what his true intentions were in Matthew ch.2, but they did nothing.

Did they fear the disruption of the staus quo? Did they fear the consequences of being wrong if they backed a false Messiah? Were they so convinced of the military might of Rome that they thought the Messiah would be no match if the Empire decided to crush any rebellion He instigated? Discuss your ideas. Can you back them up with suitable scrptures?