“Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, ‘Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.”
-Matthew 2.1-2
When we concentrate on the attendant lowliness of Jesus’ arrival, we miss something very important. Such a lowly entrance would serve as a stumbling block to the Jews and an offense toward the Gentiles. The passage above, along with the angelic voices in the pasture, a miraculous star, and the opening to God’s revelation after 400 years provide. the flip-side of His lowly arrival. He was and is after all a King. Let’s concentrate on the arrival of these wise men.
Observations:
1. The word for wise men is magoi in the Greek. It where we get our English word magician. Our understanding of magician is far different than that of the ancients. These men were philosophers and astronomers.
2. They came to worship Jesus Christ. The miraculous star prompted them. Upon arrival they asked the Jews where He was. But the Jews did not know and were not aware. Herod viewed this as an omen and a threat to his throne. Therefore, he killed children not only in Bethlehem but throughout the region. They found Jesus via the star and stood over the very place where Jesus was – not the manger. They arrived in Nazareth to see the toddler Jesus.
3. The men presented gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. They believed that He excelled all other earthly kings.
Application:
1. These men increase our faith. They were men of great intellect, but they believed what God revealed to them. God’s hand was at work through the whole situation.
2. These men bolster our hope. They were Gentiles after all. Jesus came to save all of us from our sin. During the millennial reign of Christ, “Gentiles shall come to you …they shall bring gold and incense, and they shall [all] proclaim the praise of the LORD.”
3. These men influence our conduct. First, we must press toward the mark of wisdom and understanding. We receive light and use it to find more light. Second, the wise men did not let obstacles keep them from seeking Jesus nor should we. We must seek Jesus until we have found Him. Third, once we find Jesus let us give Him all that we have and are. Glorify God in body and spirit. Both must be His.
