LESSONS FROM THE VISIT OF THE WISE MEN TO JESUS

Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him. When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born. And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet, And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel. Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, enquired of them diligently what time the star appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search diligently for the young child; and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also. When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh. And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way. 

(Matthew 2:1-12 KJV) 

Let me start this by correcting some mistakes we make concerning the visit of the wise men to Jesus.

1.      The wise men were not 3 in number but more than 1. The bible doesn’t specify their number. For the fact that they presented 3 gifts (gold, and frankincense, and myrrh), doesn’t mean they were 3 in number. Definitely they were more than 1, for the called them men. They could be 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and so on.

2.      These wise men did not meet Jesus in the manger but rather in the house. Verse 11 reads thus "And when they were come into the house..."

3.      Jesus was no longer a baby when they saw Him. He was described as young child. "they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him..." (verse 11)

With the above last 2 points, we can say that:

1.      They saw the star from the East (present day Iran or Iraq) immediately Jesus was born in the manger in Bethlehem.

2.      The journey from the East that time to Jerusalem could take over one year. Meanwhile they journeyed with the star  ahead, leading them; they patiently followed its leading. With this it is possible that it took them about two years to arrive in Jerusalem.

3.      They must be very rich to have embarked on the journey for over a year without working. That means they had more than enough to take enough for the journey. In fact considering the gifts they presented to Jesus (gold, frankincense, and myrrh), it showed they were well to do.

LESSONS TO LEARN

1.      Just like the wise men left their comfort zones to seek Jesus to worship Him, we too must do the same this year and always. We must be ready to sacrifice anything or everything to seek Jesus and worship Him. He is the way, the truth and the life. (John 14:6)

2.      The wise men were patient in seeking. They diligently sought for Jesus. We too must be patient as we seek the Lord’s face for anything. He will crown our efforts with success when we do this. Don’t forget that there is reward for seeking Jesus diligently. (Heb 11:6).

3.      Don’t be too big to ask God for direction. The wise men felt the king should be born at the palace, that was the reason they went straight to Herod at Jerusalem. But they were mistaken 

4.      God can use anybody for you this year. Even people with wicked intention like Herod can unknowingly show you the way out of that problem or confusion. Herod, after calling the Chief Priests and the Scribes asking where Christ should be born, sent the wise men to Bethlehem.

5.      Rejoice in the Lord for anything He does for you this year. The wise men saw the star and they rejoiced with exceeding great joy (verse 10). The Scripture says in Phil. 4:6 "Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice."

6.      Learn to worship God. Adore God for who He is (verse 11)

7.      Learn to give gifts to God and people. There’s blessing in giving (verse 11)

8.      Listen to to God’s voice and obey Him so that your joy can be permanent (verse 12). If the wise men had gone back to Herod, just guess what Herod might have done to the young child. When you disobey you endanger your life and others close to you.

In conclusion, when we seek God like the wise men did, the following and many more shall be our portion:

1.      You will find Him. Deut.4:29 says "But if from thence thou shalt seek the LORD thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul."

2.      You will be blessed. Ps. 119:2 says "Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that seek him       with the whole heart."

3.      The Lord will be good to you. Lam.3:25 says "The LORD is good unto them that wait for him, to       the soul that seeketh him."

4.      You shall live. Amos 5:4 says "For thus saith the LORD unto the house of Israel, Seek ye me, and ye shall live"

I therefore call on you all to seek Jesus, invite Him into your life and be ready to follow Him more nearly this year. You are wise to do so and shall be greatly blessed when you do. Amen.