Text: Matthew 2:1-11
Long before I really knew anything about Jesus, I could have told you the wise men brought gold, frankincense and myrrh.
In fact, as a child I memorized an alternate version of a song about the three kings smoking cigars and I got the stink-eye from our camp counselor, leading me to my bunk to read Little House on the Prairie while I thought about my bad choices.
I had no idea who they were or why they brought these weird gifts to baby Jesus. It’s not like we show up at baby showers with a teensy bottle of myrrh attached to an embroidered onesie.
And what if I told you (and I apologize, because I realize many of you still have very attractive manger scenes still scattered around your home right now) that we don’t really know for sure how many wise men came?
Let me guess: you’ve always heard it was three.
Possibly. I wasn’t there so I can’t say for sure, but it’s unlikely. There were three gifts mentioned, which is why so many people have assumed there were three kings, but Scripture doesn’t say.
Oh, and also (yikes)… they weren’t kings.
True story. (That little tidbit would have allowed me to make a leather bracelet with the other campers.) The “magi” were men from the east. They were astronomers, and when they saw an extraordinary star in the sky, acting in ways that were very atypical, they traveled to Jerusalem to meet with King Herod. Their words don’t question the birth of the king of the Jews, but simply His location.
Don’t miss this, because it’s beautiful.
The Old Testament is essentially the love story between God and His chosen people, the Jews. When the pages close, there are 400 years of silence as the Jewish people wait for their Redeemer to come and rescue them.
Anyone who wasn’t Jewish was a “gentile,” and until Christ’s ministry on earth, they were not necessarily considered heirs of His promises.
Do you realize that the wise men were gentiles?
They weren’t coming because of their claim in Jesus; they came because they recognized evidence that pointed to Him. After meeting with Herod, they continued to follow the star until it rested over the home where Mary held the Christ child.
Again, I don’t want to be the bearer of bad news, but the reality is that they weren’t in the manger anymore by the time the wise men reached them. I’ve seen plenty of movies where Mary is sweaty from childbirth, holding her brand-new Son when they arrive, but that’s not how it happened. They had to get to Herod after they saw the star rise, and by the time they finally got to Jesus (several hundred miles from where they started), it would have been months later.
In an effort to redeem the hand-carved nativity figurines you’ll surely be looking at like my camp counselor looked at me, let me offer you a new way of seeing the magi.
No, we don’t know the exact details, but we know enough to make the same conclusions they did:
Jesus came like a light in the dead of night, in the darkness of humanity and sin, and we will follow His leading until we bow before Him.
May we exhaust ourselves as we travel to see Him face to face. May we keep our eyes on the path He has chosen for us, and may we never cease to realize how meager our gifts are when compared to what He’s given us.
He is guiding us to Himself, even now.
And that’s enough to make us stop, breathe in the night air, and shout praise into the depths of the sky.
______
Angie Smith is a speaker and the best-selling author of Mended, I Will Carry You, What Women Fear, and the recently released For Such A Time As This. She holds a Master’s Degree in Developmental Psychology from Vanderbilt University and lives with her husband Todd and their daughters in Nashville, Tennessee.
For an added layer of worship during this sweet season of adoration and expectation, we’ve created a Spotify playlist for Advent 2014! You can find the complete SheReadsTruth | O Come Let Us Adore Him playlist at this link, or listen to today’s track on the player below. Enjoy!
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69 thoughts on "The Wise Men Visit the Christ Child"
Nice articel, Dijual Rumah Di Magelang Terimakasih
Terimakasih atas informasinya .. semoga sukses selalu
Nice post .. Great article
Good post
Thanks for sharing this story. This story is taken for the Scripture. Now I am pregnant. This is my first time. My mother in law always told me, during this time I should read this type of books. It is good for me and good for my baby's also.
You just made feel light, That is so astonishing to know.
This is really very useful information about wise man and I loved your words under because it’s beautiful. Your information is true and pray to Jesus to give me strength to fight against life difficulties.
I appreciate the sentiment of this post. I think you've done an effective job of connecting scripture to encouraging themes about life with Jesus. That said – much of your points regarding the wise men and birth story are built upon assumption and wild speculation. Let's investigate what scripture actually says about the "wise men". "After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi[a] from the east came to Jerusalem 2 and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”
From the East – that is a pretty broad and abstract description, could mean 20 miles could, mean 300 miles…most scholars propose these men were Yemen Jews from Asia or Persian (possibly Hebrew, possibly Gentile). Did Jesus come for Jew and Gentile? YES. But, first the Jew, then the Gentile. The messiah was realized first by God's people, then by the world.
What else does scripture say? "When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. 5 “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:"
The distance between Jerusalem and Bethlehem – drum roll please. FIVE MILES. You could walk that in an afternoon. And even if these wisemen traveled 300 miles to get to Herod, the average speed of a camel is 5 MPH, which equates to about a week of travel. All that said, your explanation that the wise men never actually encountered Jesus is unfounded. There is no evidence for it and it contradicts what Matthew tells us, that the magi saw Jesus and fell on their knees and worshiped him. Even if they were late to the birth party…I don't think Mary and Joseph would've peaced out the moment Jesus was born…much like modern birth, one has to assume they would stay put for a few days while Mary and Jesus recover.
Lastly – why would there be more than three wise men? Why must we assume the scriptures are inaccurate without testimony that states otherwise? Let's stop trying to "out" the historicity of the new testament without supporting evidence.This feels like a highly critical commentary in a devotional's clothing. Again – I agree with the heart of this message, but the route you've taken to get their doesn't hold weight.
You might have slightly misread the part about the wise men not encountering Jesus – that's nowhere in the devotional. On timing of arrival and number of wise men, a quick search throws up quite a few links on the topic, but perhaps this one answers most of your points http://www.biblestudy.org/question/how-many-wise-…
Hope that helps!
Scripture clearly says that the wisemen were there. Matthew 2:10-12
“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 worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh.”
Yes, but it isn’t clear whether he was there for Jesus’ birth. And given the timeline, that’s not possible. The scripture says they saw him and that they did.
Needed this right now… Jesus really is enough. No matter what’s going on around you or how ticked off you are bc that person is so hateful or whatever the case may be… Jesus is enough to calm our hearts, to heal our hearts, and to refocus our hearts on him. Bc he has our hearts. He is our life and he is with us. Comforting. Calming. Loving us. He is our Immanuel!
This is such a beautiful truth! I am currently trying my hardest to follow his lead in my daily life. This summer I have an amazing opportunity to go on a missions trip with the youth at my church to Russia and need to raise $3500 by May. I have begun to worry about my financial needs and would greatly appreciate prayers! Thank you in advance and God bless!
Praying for you Kyndal. Trust Him! I am a missionary, and my husband and I rely on others to provide 100% of what we need for our lives and our mission. It is so scary sometimes, but so worth it! And if He wills it, He provides it. Something we say, half-jokingly but half-seriously is "God's will, God's bill!"
Be bold, pray for your needs, and never assume from where from whom He will/will not provide it. :)
Every piece of the Christmas story is incredible. I would love to have experienced and seen the phenomenon of Christ’s birth and how it affected the world. I would love to have seen the shepherds as well as the wise men and to hear them talk about the baby that was born in the manger.
Thank you, Angie for breaking through and correcting so many misconceptions. In addition the female masons (Eastern Star) organization comes from this portion of Scripture. However, The Magi’s never returned to Herod or did you mean the journey from Herod to locating the star was a 100 miles? Please provide Scripture for this reference and that the Magi were Gentiles…thank you! :)
She never said they returned to Herod. She said that they went to Herod first. ("They had to get to Herod after they saw the star rise, and by the time they finally got to Jesus (several hundred miles from where they started), it would have been months later.")
And there is no scripture that says "The Magi were gentiles," but it can be pretty easily surmised because they are said to have come from the East (outside of Jerusalem.) Also, they were practicing astrologers, which at the time would have included witchcraft. No Jew would have ever done that. That's why most Biblical scholars assume that they were gentiles.
Thank you all so much for your prayers for my family during this time.
I never imagined spending Christmas in the ICU unit watching a machine breathe for my grandma but it has given me a different appreciation for the day.
So many people are looking out for her, they are telling us good news and being honest. Round the clock care which makes this so much easier for us.
We still have no idea what has caused this but we take great comfort in knowing she is stable and responsive.
Thank you for your kind words of prayer and support. Some of my family doesn’t believe and i truly think this could be used as a way to show them how incredible The Lord can be
Yay!! Thank you Jesus!!
Not sure I’m understanding these verses state they arrived to see Jesus and His mother and bring them gifts, they where also warned in a dream not to go back to Herod. Which you said, “they had to get back to Herod.” On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route. (Matthew 2:11-12 NIV)
Lynn, I think you just misread a little bit. She's saying the timeline we all imagine (the magi arriving as Jesus is just hours old) is not quite right. This is because the magi "had to get to Herod" FIRST, and THEN go to Jesus. Which would have taken months. She's not saying they went back to see him after they saw Jesus, just that they went to Herod first. Hope that clears is up. :)
Beautiful day after Christmas devotion. I loved how it said We will follow His leading until we bow before Him. So beautiful. And May we exhaust ourselves as we travel to see him face to face. So so good. Thank you for this today. I was being lazy this morning and not wanting to do my devotion, but finally started it and I'm glad I did. It ALWAYS makes my day better. I don't know why I'm always so lazy about it :-) Love this community!
He is guiding us to Himself, even now.
I needed this today. I need to know His Light shines even when I have trouble seeing it. I need to know that on the days that I struggle with my Bible study time, when I'm filled with more questions than answers & when I feel distant & unsure – He is still guiding me to Him.
Thank you.
Ipoiobhu
Wow this is such a beautiful insight into what really happened. I never knew how much the magi represented us, the Gentiles. Hollywood can always misrepresent the story so this was very interesting to know that the magi took such a long journey to get to Jesus. May we always search for Jesus as they did!
He is leading us to Himself, even now… The Lord has been doing this for me in such a big way this Advent season. He has opened my heart to his truth and my eyes to his kingdom in ways I haven’t felt in years. Thank you She Reads Truth community for your role in this! I pray you know his closeness and love as the year turns!
Hi She Reads Truth team! I am wondering if, in future updates to the app, could there be a way to mark days that have already been read? If I miss a day (or a few, to be honest) I get confused about where I left off.
Thanks for this great Advent series!
This is unrelated to the SRT app, but I love using the app Bloglovin' to follow the She Reads Truth blog. You can use it on your phone, tablet, or computer. It allows you to "mark as read" after reading each day so that even if you get a couple days behind you know what you last read and can click directly to whatever the next day you plan to read is.
Cool! Thanks
what is the She Reads Truth blog called? I can’t seem to find it in the search on Bloglovin’
I was unable it find it when I did a search for it on the app but I did find it when I googled "She Reads Truth Bloglovin" I hope that helps! What a neat app! :)
Thank you for this! :)
This is great!
My pastor, Chris Hodges, gave this exact message at our Christmas Eve service!! It blew my mind bc I’d never heard about the Magi being astrologers and then it showed how cool our God is… He used a star, something they studied for witchcraft, to bring them to the Light to bow & worship. You can’t worship Hod until you bow and give Him your best and your all!! Thank you for going deep with this one!!
Thank you, Angie for breaking through and correcting so many misconceptions. In addition the female masons (Eastern Star) organization comes from this portion of Scripture. However, The Magi’s never returned to Herod or did you mean the journey from Herod to locating the star was a 100 miles? Please provide Scripture for this reference and that the Magi were Gentiles…thank you! :)
God can and will use anyone. No matter what profession, race, how rich or poor. He wants all of us and all of our hearts. I just love the mix of people he has used in the bible, and continues to use today. I’m so glad he’s used me too! God Bless ladies!!
I love the part that says the magi came because they recognized the evidence that pointed to Jesus. Oh that gives me some focus today. I want to never miss the evidence of the presence of Jesus. I know it is all around but my eyes and heart and mind seem clouded all to often. Awesome word today as usual!
This is so interesting and full of things I never considered- like the wise men being Gentiles. Other than the star though, the wise men had nothing else to follow. No other map. Nothing else they could see. That takes a lot of faith and trust. I want to have that kind of faith and trust- to simply keep following the light of Jesus even when it appears that I have no other map or nothing else I can see to guide me.
Angie, bless you for today's piece. I am thrilled by your words, "May we exhaust ourselves as we travel to see Him face to face. May we keep our eyes on the path He has for us, and may we never cease to realize how meager our gifts are when compared to what He's given us," and agree with you. On my way out the door to work, this line of life has much meaning.
Heather, I have prayed for your Grandma and have hope.
They sought Him even though He was not their promise fulfilled. But He became it. Love this insight! Thank you!
Angie, I appreciate the analogy between the wise men's journey to Jesus and our own journey to Jesus. They pursued the new King in the night, led by a light. No matter my circumstances–the bright, joyful times or the dark of night–I need to keep my eyes on The Light. Keep my feet turned toward Him. Keep walking.
I have never considered this before; each of Christ's first visitors would have been rejected from the temple. The magi were Gentiles, considered unclean. The shepherds were also considered unclean. They worked with animals, and from what I've read, had to wash properly to be considered ceremoniously clean for temple. Neither group would have been allowed into the temple to worship. Just like the Old Testament was a symbol of things to come, it seems as if Christ's first visitors were as well.
He came to the Jew first, the the gentile. It wasn't the "clean" teachers of the law that the angels appeared to… those that "cleaned the outside of the cup." It was the shepherds, in the field, watching over their flocks. Jesus later told the crowd that those who are well do not need a doctor. Then, who visited the Christ child, but the outsiders. He came for the Children of the Promise first, then for the Gentiles. This is amazing to me.
He truly leaves out no detail. We serve an amazing God. :-)
I knew the shepherds were lowly and the Magi were foreigners (Gentiles) but I never really put it together that neither group would necessarily be welcome at the Temple. What a glorious NEW temple we get to be a part of, with Jesus as its glorious cornerstone!
It’s interesting that the magi were supposed astronomers…the study of stars which now in our times translates to astrology…and which as Christians we’re not supposed to follow or engage in the study of astrology/star signs! Has anyone else ever wondered this? Why did our God choose magi to reveal the star to? They were Gentiles that weren’t really wise and engaged in practices frowned upon by God traditionally. The only conclusion I can make is that it heralded the start of Jesus’ mission on earth…? drawing those that were far from God; the outcast, the lowly, magi representing the sinners from all backgrounds (other examples Matthew the tax collector, Mary M the prostitute, etc). The magi were only wise in that they recognized early prophecy and decided to ‘check it out’ and when they did they were humbled and their eyes opened to the amazing truth of our Saviour born as a baby on earth. That’s my ‘take’ on it but interested in other people’s comments!
Interesting observation! Sparked my curiosity :) John MacArthur says the following about the magi:
The magi from the east (the word literally means “from the rising” of the sun, and refers to the orient) who came to see Jesus were of a completely different sort. Not only were they true magi, but they surely had been strongly influenced by Judaism, quite possibly even by some of the prophetic writings, especially that of Daniel. They appear to be among the many God-fearing Gentiles who lived at the time of Christ, a number of whom-such as Cornelius and Lydia (Acts 10:1–2; 16:14)-are mentioned in the New Testament. http://www.gty.org/resources/bible-qna/BQ122011/W…
I like your angle, that God can and will redeem anyone from any profession. He chose the shepherds and the magi to be among the first worshipers of the new King. Jesus came to seek and save the lost from every corner of the earth. May we be as accepting of others as He is!
Here's my view on it. Astronomy and astrology are very different. The study of the stars and outer-space is science. Astrology, though, is in my opinion, witchcraft. I think the magi were astronomers who studied the movement of celestial bodies… not astrologists who claim that people are influenced or affected by the movements of celestial bodies. They probably were aware of prophetic scripture and were watching and waiting for the star mentioned in Numbers. Maybe they even realized that they were the gentiles and kings who would go to him as mentioned in Isaiah. Just a thought but I like your view on it too… God uses broken vessles for his glory.
Thinking about the wise men has really impacted me. As Angie said, they had no claim on Christ- they were Gentiles, outside the covenant. And yet, they recognised the evidence of the Saviour King and they left everything behind and went, just to get a glimpse of Him and worship Him. We on the other hand are in a totally different place. The King has come. He lived, he died, he rose again and ever lives to reign. Through Christ there is no longer any divide between Jews and Gentiles. We are accepted and the King WELCOMES us. Let us as the wise men ever be on pilgrimage desiring to meet and worship the King!
The journey that the Magi took wasn’t easy. They endured the long, exhausting journey because they knew it was bringing them closer to Jesus. This knowledge strengthens and inspires us, because even when the paths Jesus guides us through are hard, they will certainly lead to joy at the end.
Hello ladies,
My family really needs your prayers.
My Grandma was admitted into the hospital Christmas even and has declined rapidly since.
She is now hooked up to a breathing machine and is paralyzed. The doctors have no idea what is wrong so they are working on ruling things out. Which takes time that of which we do not have much to waste.
They have a list of 15 possible reasons behind her paralysis and working with the top 3.
She is not in any pain but we have also been told that family out of the country should make their way here.
The good news though is her blood pressure and vitals are normal. Which NEED to stay that way.
We are all beside ourselves with feeling at a loss and still having to go about our daily duties.
Please pray for us and her!
Her name is Nan Spedding and we live In Vancouver bc
Hi Heather,
Father God, tonight I pray for Heather, Nan, and their family. May they know your presence and your peace in this scary time of uncertainty. Father, allow them to rest in the palm of your hand knowing that you are the almighty God who loves and protects His creation. God, I also pray for Nan's doctors. Please give them the wisdom and knowledge to help Nan. Show them where her body is failing and guide their hands in treatment. We surrender everything to your will tonight, knowing you are to ultimate healer and Savior and ask that YOUR will be done. Amen
Amen!
Yes, Lord!
Praying Heather. Peace to you.
Please Lord, hear these prayers.
Praying in agreement according to Your powerful Word Father!
Thank you all so much!
We are flying my brother out from Finland and my uncle.
She had a very uneventful night and managed to get some sleep.
Words can not express my gratitude at this time.
Thank you!
Praying for you sister! The Lord holds you in the palm of his hands. Xxxx
Praying for your dear grandmother and your family.
Praying!
Prayimg for you
Praying for all of you Heather.
Praying for your Nan, Heather, & your family this season.
Prayers to your grandmother and her recovery during this time of uncertainty and fear. May God provide you all strength and peace to fully lean on him during this time. Father God we ask that you come and make your presence known to this loving family and allow them to come together in this time to worship your holy name, for you all e have greater things in store for us all❤️
Alone*
Praying!
Continuing prayers for you and everyone in your family.
Prayed for her and your family.
Merry Christmas and Happy Holydays! You, reader, are so loved by Him! God bless you and your kin! :)
Lovingly,
Robin and My Family