Happy Almost-Easter! This month, I’ll be making blog posts centred on the birth, death, and resurrection of Jesus in the form of a series, called “Five.”
I’m so excited! I hope you are, too?
I’ll be kicking off this series with the story of the wise men. I know this story surrounding Jesus' birth is often talked about during Christmas and not necessarily during Easter, but before Jesus could die and rise again on the third day, He had to be born as a man on earth. I also believe that the story of the wise men is a great example of the fact that Jesus died for all men (2 Corinthians 5:15) and desires all men to be saved (1 Timothy 2:4) because the wise men travelled to see Jesus after His birth were non-Jews.
Who were these wise men?
Good question. The Amplified version of the Bible tells us that these men were educated men who specialized in astrology, astronomy, and the natural sciences. The Bible doesn’t actually specify how many they were, all we know is they were more than one. As I said earlier, these men weren’t Jewish, neither did they know much about God from studying the Torah like the Jews did, yet they enthusiastically came from the east to Jerusalem in search of the King. An overarching question I had when studying this story was, what makes grown, non-Jewish men travel a distance, inquiring of the King of the Jews? Their curiosity tells us something about how magnificent this King is, and it also tells us something about the heart of these men. Now, let’s dive into some lessons we can learn from this story, shall we?
Lesson 1: The wise men were inquisitive
In Matthew 2:2, when these men got to Jerusalem, they asked, “Where is He who has been born the King of the Jews? For we saw His star at its rising and have come to worship Him.” I mean, it’s kind of expected that they were able to discern stars since they specialized in astronomy, but what makes this interesting is that they did something with the discernment they had. They left where they were in the east and traveled to Jerusalem to see the King. Then, they left for Bethlehem where Jesus was. So, what's the lesson here? Because of what Jesus has done on that cross to reconcile us to Him by His blood, we no longer have to travel a distance to see God like the wise men did (Praise God!). Still, our heart posture should resemble theirs. Their willingness to travel far to see Jesus is a physical representation of the state of their hearts. The same way they left whatever they were doing to seek Him is the same way we ought to leave everything behind and seek God with our whole hearts. He is ever-ready to meet with us. The question is, are we inquisitive, desperate, and hungry enough to know Him?
Lesson 2: The wise men were in awe of Jesus
At the news of the birth of the King, there were three kinds of reactions. I like to call these reactions “the three As.” The first reaction was from the wise men, Anna, and Simeon, who were all in awe. Matthew 2:10 says the wise men were overwhelmed with joy when they saw the star that led them to where Jesus was. NKJV says, “they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy.” The second was from Herod, who was deeply disturbed and angry at the news of a King who could possibly take his place. Out of his anger, he planned to kill Jesus, even if achieving that goal meant killing every boy in Bethlehem below the age of two. The last was from the chief priests and scribes that King Herod assembled and asked for details on the birthplace of Jesus. Unlike the wise men, these chief priests and scribes were knowledgeable about the Torah. They knew what the prophets had foretold about the coming of the Messiah, yet they showed apathy towards the news about His birth. They weren’t as excited as the wise men were that they would go in search of Jesus, neither were they furious like Herod was. They simply stayed where they were and remained indifferent towards prophecy. If there is any disposition we should have to the Good News of the birth, death, and resurrection of Jesus, it should be the first A; we should always be in awe and never lose our wonder.
Lesson 3: The wise men honoured Jesus
These men weren’t simply going to Bethlehem to satisfy their curiosity, they were going to worship Jesus. It sounds a bit strange to hear that grown men were going to worship a child, but Jesus was no ordinary child, He was, and still is, God. Matthew 2:11 says when the wise men entered the house Jesus and His parents were, they fell on their knees and worshiped Him. What’s interesting is that the house Jesus and His parents stayed in was probably not fancy, like the house of a king (eg. Herod) would usually be. Still, this didn’t make them doubt if Jesus was really the King of the Jews like they initially thought. They not only honoured Jesus with their worship, but also with their possessions. The same verse 11 tells us that they opened their treasures and presented Jesus with gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. This reminds me of the parable Jesus told in Matthew 13:44 about a man who found treasure hidden in a field and hid it; and for joy over it, he goes and sells all he has and buys the field. Similar to this man, the wise men willingly gave out of what they had to Jesus. Although they only knew little about Jesus, they knew He wasn’t only worthy of their time, but also their possessions. As believers who are daily growing in knowledge of Jesus and have His Spirit dwelling in us, we should be willing to give Him so much more of our time and resources because He is worthy. You can pause here and think about the various ways you can do this.
Lesson 4: God's wisdom is infinite
After these men worshiped Jesus, they were warned by God in a dream not to go back to Herod. This dream they had tells us something: God’s wisdom surpasses human wisdom. These men were wise men, yet they didn’t know the true intentions of Herod’s heart when he told them to report back to him when they found Jesus so he can also go to worship Him. It is only the One who created the heart of man that can completely know its motives. Matthew 2:16 mentions that Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the wise men. They didn’t outwit Herod because they were so wise, but because God is so wise. Also, the wise men were humble and obedient enough to heed God’s warning and return to their country by another route. In a way, their obedience to God's instructions reveals that they really were wise. Proverbs 8:33 says, “Hear instruction and be wise, and do not refuse or neglect it.” True wisdom is submitting to God's infinite wisdom, which is displayed in the instructions He gives us.
Lesson 5: Every creation exists for God’s glory
The wise men were not the only ones who worshiped God, the star also did. This tells us that everything God created ultimately exists for His worship. God used the star to lead them to the place Jesus was, so they could go and worship Him. By guiding them, the star made it possible for God to be glorified through their worship. This reminds me of Psalm 19:1, which says, “the heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies display His craftsmanship.” And more specifically, Psalm 148:3 which says, “Praise Him, sun and moon; Praise Him, all you stars of light!” If the sun, moon, and stars can declare God’s glory, how much more we who have His breath in our lungs! The same way God used them as instruments for His glory is the same way He desires to use every single one of us for His glory. Yes, every single one of us.
The story of the wise men teaches us important lessons on wonder, hunger, honour, humility, obedience, and worship. My hope is that, this Easter season and beyond, we approach the Good News about our King's sacrifice and His victory over death with awestruck wonder and hunger for more of Him. I also pray we continue to have hearts of obedience and worship, as we humbly rest in the works He finished on the cross.
Happy Easter in advance!
What lesson stands out to you the most? Let me know in the comments!
P.S. Don't forget to check out the verse and declarations of the week.