The Visit of the Wise Men

Hello friends! Welcome back to the twelve days of Christmas (Blog Edition), where we go over the birth of Jesus Christ; the true reason for the season. It is the eighth day. Today we will take a break from Luke and visit some of the verses in Matthew about the events after Christ’s birth, the visit of the wise men.

Matthew 2:1-12: The Visit of the Magi

After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.

When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Christ was to be born. “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:

“But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will be the shepherd of my people Israel.”

Then king Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and make a careful search for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship after him.”

After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshipped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.

*Traditionally Wise Men* *A fragrant gum resin*

King Herod sent the wise men in search of the baby Jesus and was supposed to report back to him afterward. They found Him and were overjoyed so; they worshiped Jesus and gave him gifts. In a dream they were warned not to go back to Herod, so they didn’t.

In this series, I will not go into detail about Herod’s plot to kill the babe, but you are welcome to go and read it for yourself in Matthew. I really just wanted to focus on Jesus and the events that unfold before and after his birth.

Find something to smile about today. The wise men might have given gifts to the child, but the child was the real gift, and He and His salvation was given to all of us. Find joy in that today.