Reading the Word

Matthew 2:1–12 (ESV)

1 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, 2 saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” 3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; 4 and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. 5 They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet:

6 “ ‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for from you shall come a ruler
who will shepherd my people Israel.’ ”

7 Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared. 8 And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him.” 9 After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. 11 And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. 12 And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way.

Understanding and Applying the Word

After Jesus was born, we read of visitors from far away. Most translations call them “wise men.” We may also think of them as kings due at least partly to the song We Three Kings. The Greek calls them magi. It is the word that we get “magician” from and was used to refer to a number of different things: a magician, a sorcerer, or an astrologer are some of the common things. These wise men were probably astrologers since the text tells us they were watching the stars. We also read that they were from the east, which is probably in the region of Babylon.

The wise men must have heard of the promised Messiah from some of the Jews who were still residing in the region of Babylon after they were exiled four hundred years earlier. They knew the prophecy and they saw a star that signified the time of the Messiah, so they traveled to Jerusalem to find him and bring him tribute. This is amazing! These non-Jewish astrologers come from a long way away to find the Messiah and bow before him, yet Herod, the Jewish king and the religious leaders of the day, wanted nothing to do with Jesus. They sought to destroy him from the very beginning.

Once again, we learn that Jesus is the Messiah, but he was a Messiah for all people. He came not only for the Jewish people who would trust in him, but also people from all nations. He did not come to cater to the powerful and elite, but all who would recognize him and follow him. At the end of Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus will instruct his followers to go into the world and make disciples of “all nations.” Jesus came as the King, the Messiah, and the Savior for the whole world. He came for you. He came for me. What a great King!

**Shaped by the Word is a daily, Bible-reading devotional. Please subscribe to this page so you can follow along each day. We are reading through the life of Christ as recorded in the four Gospel accounts in 2019.