The Wise Men — TDW Kids

From far away. “Wise men from the East came to Jerusalem” (2:1). They were not Jews. They most likely came from the lands where Persia and Babylon had been, hundreds of miles away. Jesus came for everyone. Long before, God told Abraham, “In you all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Genesis 12:3). Jesus was born for people from every nation, and here they are, coming to Him while He is still small. Born a King. They asked, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews?” (2:2). Jesus did not become King later. He was born King, the King God had promised to send. They came to worship. “We have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him” (2:2). To worship is to bow before God with love and honor. Jesus Himself said, “You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve” (Matthew 4:10). The wise men were right to worship Jesus, because He is God the Son. Seekers find Him. Jesus promised, “Seek, and you will find” (Matthew 7:7). The wise men traveled a long way, and they kept looking until they found Him. What this means for you. Jesus is not a King for only one nation. He wants you, wherever you are from and whatever your family is like. Seek Him with your whole heart, and come to worship Him.

Magi (2:1). The Greek word for wise men is magoi (say: MAH-goy). The magi were learned men and advisers in the courts east of Israel. They studied the stars and old writings. Centuries earlier, Daniel had been made chief over the wise men of Babylon (Daniel 2:48), so Israel's hope of a coming King may have been known in the East long before Jesus was born. The nations come (2:1-2). God brought Gentiles, people who were not Jews, to worship Jesus while He was still a small child. Simeon had already called Him “A light to bring revelation to the Gentiles” (Luke 2:32). Isaiah wrote, “For the Gentiles shall seek Him” (Isaiah 11:10). Born King (2:2). “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews?” Herod held the title king of the Jews because Rome gave it to him. Jesus was King by birth, the Son of David God had promised. Years later, the charge nailed above His cross named Him King of the Jews (Matthew 27:37). Worship (2:2). The Greek word is proskyneō (say: pros-koo-NEH-oh). It means to bow down low before someone in honor and worship. Jesus said this kind of worship belongs only to God (Matthew 4:10), yet He received it. He received it because He is God the Son. Seeking (Hebrews 11:6). God “is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” The magi had only a little light at first: a star and perhaps some old words of promise. They followed what God showed them, and He gave them more. For you. God still draws people from every nation to His Son. If you want to know Jesus, start with the light you have: read His Word and pray. He will lead you the rest of the way.

The wise men were not from Israel. They came from a faraway land in the east. They were not from God's people Israel. But God brought them to Jesus anyway. This shows that Jesus came for everyone. He came for every country and every family. The wise men called Jesus the King of the Jews. Jesus really is a King. He is the King God promised long ago. The wise men came to worship Him. To worship means to love and honor God most of all. Only God should be worshiped. Jesus is God's Son, and He is God. You can come and worship Jesus too.

Wise men came a long way to find Jesus. They wanted to worship Him. Jesus is the King. Jesus is for everyone.

A troubled king. “When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him” (2:3). Herod was a jealous and cruel ruler, and he did not want any other king. Who is in charge? Herod wanted to rule his own life and everyone else's. Our hearts can be like that too. Wanting to be our own boss instead of letting God lead is at the root of sin. They knew the answer. The chief priests and scribes said, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet” (2:5). Scribes were men who copied and taught God's law. Micah's promise. About seven hundred years earlier, Micah wrote, “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Though you are little among the thousands of Judah, Yet out of you shall come forth to Me The One to be Ruler in Israel” (Micah 5:2). God named the town long before Jesus was born. A Shepherd King. This Ruler would “shepherd My people Israel” (2:6). Jesus later said, “I am the good shepherd” (John 10:11). Knowing and going. Bethlehem was about six miles from Jerusalem. The leaders knew where the Christ would be born. The wise men went to Him. A lie. Herod said, “Bring back word to me, that I may come and worship Him also” (2:8). He did not mean it. What this means for you. Knowing Bible facts is good, but it is not enough. Jesus wants you to come to Him and trust Him as your King.

Troubled (2:3). Troubled means stirred up or shaken, like water churned by a storm. Herod the Great was an Idumean, from the people of Edom, not from David's family. Rome had given him the title king of the Jews, and he had even put members of his own family to death to protect his throne. A child born King was a threat to everything he had built. All Jerusalem with him. The city knew what Herod did when he felt threatened, so his fear spread to everyone. The Christ (2:4). Herod asked where “the Christ” would be born. Christ means the Anointed One. It is the Greek form of the Hebrew word Messiah. Herod understood that “King of the Jews” meant the promised Messiah. Micah 5:2. The scribes answered from Micah. Micah's verse goes on to say more about this Ruler: “Whose goings forth are from of old, From everlasting.” The One born in Bethlehem had no beginning. He is the eternal Son of God who became a man. A Ruler who shepherds (2:6). “Who will shepherd My people Israel” echoes what God said to David, the shepherd king (2 Samuel 5:2). Jesus is the Son of David who rules by caring for His sheep, and “The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep” (John 10:11). Knowing and coming. The leaders knew the right verse. The wise men, who had traveled so far, went on to Bethlehem and worshiped. Knowing the right answer about Jesus is good, but He asks us to come to Him and trust Him. False worship (2:8). Herod used the same word for worship as the magi, but he was planning to kill the Child. When his plan failed, he struck at the boys of Bethlehem (2:16), and God kept His Son safe.

King Herod was afraid of losing his throne. He wanted to be the only king. That is why the news about Jesus troubled him. Our hearts can be like Herod's heart. We want to be the boss of our own lives. That is what sin is like. The priests and teachers knew God's Word very well. They knew the Christ would be born in Bethlehem. Bethlehem was only a few miles away. The wise men were the ones who went to Him. Knowing about Jesus is good. But Jesus wants us to come to Him. Herod also told a lie. God knew the truth all along.

King Herod was upset. He wanted to be the only king. The leaders knew God's Word. The wise men went to Jesus.

The star went before them. “Behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was” (2:9). God was leading. Stars do not usually move ahead of travelers and stop over one house. God was guiding these men step by step. God made the stars. “By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, And all the host of them by the breath of His mouth” (Psalm 33:6). The One who made every star can use one to point to His Son. Light for the next step. The wise men did not get a map at the start. They got enough light to begin, and then more light as they kept going. Exceedingly great joy. “When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy” (2:10). That is joy on top of joy! Good news. The angel told the shepherds the same joyful news: “For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:11). How God leads today. We do not look to the stars for answers. God leads us through His Word, His Holy Spirit and His people. “Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path” (Psalm 119:105). What this means for you. If you are looking for Jesus, God will lead you to Him, and finding Him brings real joy.

His star (2:9). The magi called it “His star” (2:2). It belonged to the King. It appeared, led them and then “stood over where the young Child was.” A star that goes ahead of travelers and stops over one house is God at work. In the East (2:2, 9). The words translated in the East can also mean at its rising, when the star first rose in the sky. Either way, the magi first saw the star in their own land, and God then used it to guide them the last few miles to Bethlehem. Balaam's words. Long before, Balaam said, “A Star shall come out of Jacob; A Scepter shall rise out of Israel” (Numbers 24:17). Many Christians see the wise men's star as an echo of that promise of a coming King. Sky and Scripture. “The heavens declare the glory of God” (Psalm 19:1). The star brought the magi as far as Jerusalem. To learn the town, they needed God's written Word, which named Bethlehem (2:5-6). God's Word is the surer light: “a light that shines in a dark place” (2 Peter 1:19). Joy (2:10). They “rejoiced with exceedingly great joy.” Their joy was stacked high, the joy of people who had found what they came for. Seekers received Him. Outsiders from far away traveled on to Bethlehem and rejoiced. John wrote, “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God” (John 1:12). The Spirit guides. Jesus promised that the Holy Spirit “will guide you into all truth” (John 16:13). The same God who led the magi leads His people today through His Word and His Spirit.

God made every star in the sky. He used one special star to lead the wise men. The star went ahead of them. It stopped right over the place where Jesus was. God knew exactly where His Son was. God also knew who was looking for Him. The wise men were filled with joy. Finding Jesus is the happiest thing that can happen. God still leads people to Jesus today. He leads us through His Word, the Bible. He helps us through parents, teachers, and our church too. When you look for Jesus, God will help you find Him.

God used a star to lead the wise men. It stopped over Jesus. The wise men were very happy. God leads us to Jesus too.

Into the house. “And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him” (2:11). By now Jesus was a young Child living in a house, not a newborn in a manger. They worshiped Him. They did not worship Mary. They worshiped Jesus. Worship belongs to God alone, and Jesus is God the Son. Gifts for a King. “They presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh” (2:11). Gold was a gift for kings. Frankincense was a sweet incense burned in worship. Myrrh was a costly spice used in perfume and in caring for the body of someone who had died. Pictures of Jesus. Many Christians see the gifts as pictures: gold for a King, frankincense for God, and myrrh for the Savior who would die. Years later, myrrh was brought for Jesus' burial (John 19:39). Our gift. Paul wrote that we should “present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God” (Romans 12:1). The best gift you can give Jesus is you. God protected His Son. “Then, being divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed for their own country another way” (2:12). God was in control, and Herod could not stop His plan. What this means for you. Worship Jesus with your whole heart. Give Him your love, your time and your life. God kept His Son safe, and He watches over His people too.

The house (2:11). Matthew calls Jesus a young Child, paidion (say: pie-DEE-on), and the family is now living in a house. Luke used a different word, meaning a newborn baby, for the night of the manger (Luke 2:12, 16). Herod later used the time the magi gave him and struck at boys “from two years old and under” (2:16), so some months had likely passed. Fell down and worshiped. Learned men who advised kings bowed to the ground before a small child. They knew they stood before the true King, and they gave Him the worship that belongs to God. Treasures (2:11). Gold, frankincense and myrrh were costly, the kind of gifts brought to kings. Isaiah 60:6 pictures the nations bringing gold and incense to praise the Lord, and many Christians see the magi as a first taste of that day. Frankincense. In the tabernacle, frankincense was part of the holy incense (Exodus 30:34) and was placed with the grain offerings (Leviticus 2:1). It was used in the worship of God. Myrrh. Myrrh was offered to Jesus mixed with wine at the cross (Mark 15:23), and Nicodemus brought myrrh and aloes for His burial (John 19:39). Many Christians see the gift as pointing ahead to His death. Divinely warned (2:12). God Himself gave the warning. Herod's plan could not touch God's plan for His Son. Another way (2:12). Herod wanted the magi to report back to him, but God sent them home by another road. Herod could not find the Child through them. For you. The God who protected His Son is the same God who makes His people new: “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation” (2 Corinthians 5:17).

The wise men found Jesus in a house. He was a young child by then. They bowed down low before Him. Grown men from far away bowed to a little boy. They knew Jesus is a King, and He is God's Son. They gave Him gold, frankincense, and myrrh. These were gifts fit for a king. The best gift we can give Jesus is ourselves. We can give Him our love and our whole lives. God warned the wise men in a dream. He told them not to go back to Herod. So they went home another way. God was keeping Jesus safe.

The wise men bowed to worship Jesus. They gave Him gifts. God kept them safe. We can worship Jesus too.