Are you aware that January 6th is known as “Little Christmas”? In some countries presents are exchanged on January 6th, in remembrance of the gift giving of the three kings who came to worship the baby Jesus. Since January 6th is my birthday I have always enjoyed the story of the three kings although I must admit I didn’t always like having my birthday so close to Christmas. It was not until I was a student of the Bible that I came to know the real story and appreciate the day God chose to give me life. Here let’s read the first part together…
Matthew 2:1-12 (NKJV) 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.”
When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. So they said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet: ‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, Are not the least among the rulers of Judah; For out of you shall come a Ruler Who will shepherd My people Israel.'”
Then Herod, when he had secretly called the wise men, determined from them what time the star appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the young Child, and when you have found Him, bring back word to me, that I may come and worship Him also.”
When they heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star, which they had seen 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 exceedingly great joy. And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
Then, being divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed for their own country another way.
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What an amazing story told in the book of Matthew of wise men who came from the east to worship Jesus. Notice the Word does not say there were three wise men. The Word does not reveal how many were in their party. We do know they carried three gifts – gold, frankincense and myrrh. We also know they followed a star. As best I can tell from other resources, the wise men were likely from what we know today as Iran or Iraq. The Word does not tell us exactly where they were from, only that they were traveling “from the east” (v.1). They must have been very familiar with astronomy and were students of the Word for they identified the unusual star as “His Star in the east” (v. 2). They seemed to be familiar with the words of the prophet Micah (5:2) who foretold the birth of a King in Bethlehem who would shepherd the people of Israel (v.6).
When they entered Jerusalem they must have expected the people to know where the Christ was born. I wonder if at this point they moved by the flesh and not the Spirit. It almost seems like they got off track. Of course they may have needed to stop in Jerusalem for some supplies or a break from their road trip. It must have felt good to get off the camels, their likely mode of travel. Anyway, in the Word it sounds like they were the talk of the town. Herod secretly called for them after he got some counsel from his chief priests and scribes. He sent them to Bethlehem and told them to come back to him with a full report since he too wanted to worship the King. The truth was he feared the loss of his position (v.3-8). Herod had no interest in worshiping the King of the Jews.
The wise men were carrying with them expensive gifts for the King they expected to find. How interesting that they chose gold, frankincense and myrrh. Could it be that they sought God’s wisdom when choosing the gifts to bring? The gifts each seem to hold significant symbolism as well as practical application. The gold was surely a fitting gift for a King. On the practical side, it is of great value and could provide financial support for the King Jesus. The frankincense was fitting for one so holy. Frankincense was used in sacrifices and burned in the temple, as a sweet aroma to God. It, too, had a practical benefit for given its medicinal qualities it may have served the physical health of King Jesus. It, too, was of great value. Finally the myrrh was a gift fitting for one who would sacrifice His all for our salvation: you see myrrh was used for embalming the dead.
Victory Call 