When they saw the star, they were filled with joy! They entered the house and saw the Child with His mother, Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped Him. Then they opened their treasure chests and gave Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Matthew 2:10-11
Following the birth of Jesus, a star lit the sky so bright that a group of astrologers could not ignore it. These astrologers, who are better known to us as "wise men," knew that this star was not just an ordinary star. It was a sign of the birth of the Christ. As soon as they saw the star, they wanted to worship Jesus. They made their way to Jerusalem to find Him. Their search for Christ captured the attention of everyone in Jerusalem, along with Herod, the king at the time.
When King Herod heard that the wise men were searching for Jesus, he was terrified. After all, he was the king at the time, so Jesus' birth must have felt like a threat to him. Herod gathered up all of the best religious leaders of His time and asked if they knew where the promised Christ would be born. They knew that it was prophesied that He would be born in Bethlehem and told Herod this information. Herod gathered the wise men and told them to go to Bethlehem, find Jesus, and come back to him after seeing Jesus so that he could know where Jesus was and worship Him. Herod, however, did not want to worship Jesus. No, he wanted to kill Jesus.
As soon as the wise men saw the star, they wanted to worship Jesus so badly that they put their lives on hold to find Him. For three months, they journeyed 900 miles. They knew that something in the world was happening that was greater than themselves. Finally, they found Jesus and offered Him precious, expensive gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. They wanted to offer their best gifts for this newborn King. Not only did they offer costly gifts, but they also risked their lives to keep Herod from finding Him. They had been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod after seeing Jesus, so they went another way home so that they could avoid him. They must have known this would infuriate Herod, but they did it anyway to protect Jesus.
These wise men had the honor of being some of the first people to worship Jesus. Their costly, expensive gifts must have helped Mary and Joseph financially because after these wise men left them, they fled to Egypt. They fled because Joseph was warned in a dream to go to Egypt to escape Herod, whose goal was to find and kill Jesus. These wise men were generous and brave. They sought out Christ, and they found Him. The same is true for us. When we seek Jesus, we will find Him.
The wise men were devoted to worshiping Jesus. Will you do the same?
Wise men and women still seek Christ today. Although He did not have to, He came to earth to live among us. He has made Himself known. What is one way you can dedicate yourself to seeking Him this week? Perhaps you can seek Him by spending more time in Bible study, listening to sermons online, or dedicating yourself to prayer. Whatever you decide, seek to worship Him today.
Read Matthew 2:1-15 (NLT)
Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod. About that time some wise men from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem, asking, “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star as it rose, and we have come to worship him.”
King Herod was deeply disturbed when he heard this, as was everyone in Jerusalem. He called a meeting of the leading priests and teachers of religious law and asked, “Where is the Messiah supposed to be born?”
“In Bethlehem in Judea,” they said, “for this is what the prophet wrote:
‘And you, O Bethlehem in the land of Judah, are not least among the ruling cities of Judah,for a ruler will come from you who will be the shepherd for my people Israel.’”
Then Herod called for a private meeting with the wise men, and he learned from them the time when the star first appeared. Then he told them, “Go to Bethlehem and search carefully for the child. And when you find him, come back and tell me so that I can go and worship him, too!”
After this interview the wise men went their way. And the star they had seen in the east guided them to Bethlehem. It went ahead of them and stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were filled with joy! They entered the house and saw the child with his mother, Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasure chests and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
When it was time to leave, they returned to their own country by another route, for God had warned them in a dream not to return to Herod.
After the wise men were gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up! Flee to Egypt with the child and his mother,” the angel said. “Stay there until I tell you to return, because Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.”
That night Joseph left for Egypt with the child and Mary, his mother, and they stayed there until Herod’s death. This fulfilled what the Lord had spoken through the prophet: “I called my Son out of Egypt.”
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