“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 have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.” Matthew 2:1ff. (Read Matt. 2:1-12)

Once again, through the Scriptures, we have heard of the birth of the Christ Child in Bethlehem of Judea. God the Son was made true man, born of a virgin, and laid in a manger. An angel told the shepherds in the field nearby that this Child was none other than the Savior of the world, the Messiah, Jehovah God Himself!

Wise men (the Bible doesn’t tell us how many) from a land or lands east of Judea learned of the Messiah’s birth through the appearance of a star (cf. Numbers 24:17; Isaiah 60:1ff.) and traveled a great distance to come and worship this newborn King and bring Him costly gifts. When they arrived in Jerusalem, King Herod was troubled by their quest and inquired of the chief priests and scribes where the Messiah was to be born. They rightly understood the Scriptures and quoted from Micah 5:2, pointing out that Bethlehem was to be the place of Messiah’s birth.

But what happened after this? The wise men continued their journey and were led by the star to Bethlehem and to the very house where Jesus was. There, they worshipped Jesus and offered Him gifts. Herod, the king, felt threatened by the birth of the Messiah and sought to kill Him and prevent Him from reigning on the throne of David. The chief priests and scribes knew the Scriptures and could tell Herod where the Messiah was to be born, but nowhere do we hear of them traveling to Bethlehem to worship their newborn Savior and King.

The question today is: “What about you?” You have heard of His birth and even know of His sufferings and death for your sins and of His glorious resurrection. Do you reject Jesus and try to silence those who would speak to you of Him because Jesus is a threat to you and your way of life? Do you know all the facts about Jesus but still fail to come and bow before Him and give Him your praise and worship? Or, like the wise men of old, do you follow the star (seeking the guidance of Holy Scripture) to find Messiah Jesus and worship your God and Savior, presenting Him with the costliest of gifts — your very lives?

O dearest Jesus, You are the Almighty God and our Maker. We thank You for taking on flesh and blood and coming into this world to redeem us from sin and death. We praise You and give to you our treasures and our lives. Amen.

[Scripture is taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.]