W is for Wise men
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 saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” Matt. 2:1-2
We don’t know a lot about the wise men. We don’t know their names, where they came from, how many there were, or what led them to initially be looking for a star, and when they saw it, to follow it. Let’s think about three things we do know from Matthew 2:1-2.
First, they knew that they were looking for a king. They may have been thinking of the prophecy in Numbers 24:17, …a star shall come out of Jacob, and a scepter shall rise out of Israel… They traveled a great distance at a great cost to give gifts to this king who had been spoken of long ago.
Second, they followed a star. This was most likely such an amazing supernatural phenomenon that these men knew that it didn’t just happen. They knew that God had planned this great heavenly occurrence to announce the birth of a great king, a king who came from God. They had to follow the star. They just had to come and see. They were drawn by God to follow the star.
Finally, the wise men came to worship. That was their stated purpose when they first stopped to ask in Jerusalem about the star and the king. They worshipped someone greater than themselves and gave gifts to this king. Did they understand exactly who Jesus was, either then or later? We don’t know. But I hope that God led them to Bethlehem to change their lives and save them forever. That’s my hope for you as well, that God will cause you to fall down and worship Jesus this Christmas, again or for the first time.
I Commend Joy! 