Contrary to Christmas scenes, the Wise Men did not visit Jesus in a manger in Bethlehem. Mary and Joseph had finished their purification ceremony in Bethlehem and were staying in a house (v.11) there when the Wise Men visit Jesus for the first time. Jesus is about one year old when they come to visit.

Verse 1 A little government context here. Caesar was the Roman Emperor at this time with many kings under him. King Herod is one of the kings under Caesar. Kings carry out the emperor’s commands but also have their own rules. Like a Governor of a state under the President of the United States. States have different laws under their governors but the Governor has to submit his authority to the President.

Wise men were philosophers or astrologers in their time. Eastern nations studied and worshipped the stars and made idols of them. The wise men saw this extraordinary star, like a comet, hovering over Judea. They knew someone extraordinary had been born. This star signified the Messiah had been born.

Two interesting things. First, God can use even the idols to bring people to Christ. Idols are things in this world that people worship. Gold. Money. A job. Clothes. A big house. Stuff The perfect marriage. The perfect job. You get the idea. Anything that isn’t Jesus that we spend most of our time thinking about, trying to make better or trying to perfect, or trying to protect.

God used a star, something these men put their faith in, to bring the Wise Men to Jesus.

Second, God spoke to these wise men in their own language, in a way that they would understand through the stars. And He spoke to the shepherds in a way they would understand, through an angel. God can get to you and speak through what you can understand. He’s not speaking foreign or lofty or hard-to-understand messages.

Verse 2 says the wise men traveled from the east to Jerusalem (this is where a king would be if he were a king) to ask Herod the king where the king of the Jews had been born. The wise men had come to worship him.

Verse 3 Herod the king is jealous and doesn’t want any other king to receive worship. The people in Jerusalem were disturbed (NLT) or troubled (ESV). That’s because they had their secular life and they were troubled at the thought that this Messiah might interfere with their lifestyle. And even though the star signified that this Messiah was from a heavenly kingdom, the people didn’t want their life to change. Wow, that sounds a lot like the argument unbelievers and “believers” currently have with following Jesus. They don’t want Him interfering with their lifestyle, even when His kingdom offers freedom and lasting peace and joy.

Verse 5-6 When he asks the priests and religious people where this Messiah was born, the priests quote him Old Testament scriptures (Micah 5:2)  that foretold where the Messiah would be born. Herod the king knew the scriptures but it’s possible he thought since he had been reigning for 35 years at this time, that the scriptures were going to be proven false and not come to pass. Living in sin will do that to us. If we’re living this way for a while, we can trick our minds into thinking we’re getting away with this and God isn’t going to do anything about it. It might seem fine… until it’s not.

Verse 7 Now Herod is trying to get an idea of when this baby Messiah was born by asking when exactly did this star appear to them. Herod wants to also get an idea of the age of this child.

Verse 8 Herod is cunning and doesn’t want to tell them about his fear or jealousy. So he acts like he wants to go worship this baby Messiah, but Herod is a cruel king and he has other motives here. The greatest wickedness often conceals itself under a mask of religion and worship. Evil will use “religion” to cover up their sin. You will see in the Bible that even the devil knows scriptures and he will use them to try to convince us to do something. But when the devil uses God’s Word, he skips over some important words or uses scripture out of context. He might use a scripture about God wanting good things for us to explain why we should let go of self-control and go get drunk with our friends. Or have an affair in our marriage because God would want us to be in love and not struggle. Or buy everything we want regardless of the debt because God would want us to be happy. Or switch a price tag at the store so we can get something at a cheaper price because God would want us to have this. These are examples off the top of my head. Herod the king’s passions rule his reason. He can’t think straight and reasonably because his passion and emotions are so strong and they are ruling all reasonableness in him. He doesn’t care how young his successor is, Herod can’t stand to think that someone else is going to take over his reign.

Verse 9 Bethlehem is about 7 miles from Jerusalem. After the wise men started their journey toward the town, the star reappeared to them to show them the exact house that the Messiah was in. When we willingly walk in obedience to God, He will direct us on the way to go. When we follow Him into unknown places out of obedience, we will find His light guiding our journey. In the Old Testament, the children of Israel were led by a pillar of fire on the way to the promised land. Here the wise men are led by a star to the promised Seed (the seed/grandson of David).

“Because of that experience, we have even greater confidence in the message proclaimed by the prophets. You must pay close attention to what they wrote, for their words are like a lamp shining in a dark place—until the Day dawns, and Christ the Morning Star shines in your hearts.” 2 Peter‬ ‭1:19‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you for Jesus. He is the only one I worship and desire to seek with my whole heart. Get rid of anything in my heart that is trying to build itself up as more important than Jesus. I rebuke anything that is competing for Your place in my heart, Jesus. Especially the world’s view of Christmas. Help me put Your view of Christmas back into focus in my household, Jesus. Thank you for speaking to me in a way I can understand. I don’t have to question if I missed Your message. You know how to get to me in a way I can understand. God, I want my life to change with You. I want lasting peace and lasting joy. I want freedom from the chains that hold me down, like worry and fear. Thank you, Lord, that You are watching. No one is getting away with anything. Father, I rebuke all passions in my heart that are at war for their own desires to be met. Father, help me soak in Your Word and retain it in the depths of my soul so that my natural reaction will not be to give in to my emotions but to respond according to Your Word. I don’t want to hide under a mask of religion. I want to be fully operating in Your Word and faith. God, I want to walk in obedience to You and trust You in all the unknown places You call me. I trust You to direct my path with the light of Your Word, always with me showing me the way to go. In Jesus’ name, Amen.