Seeking Jesus This Christmas- Day 18: Dec 18 | Men Wise Beyond Their Years

Read: Matthew 2:1-12

Key Verse: “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.” (Matthew 2:2)

“Wise” is a good term for these men because they were willing to learn the source of all true wisdom. What is clear to us is that the Wise Men were earnest in their desire to find the King of the Jews. They may have used their reliance on a star to guide their way, but God met them where they were and used his power over the heavenly bodies to lead them to His son.

According to Matthew, a bright star led the Wise Men from the East until it stopped “over the place where the child was,” and “upon entering the house, they saw the child with Mary, his mother.” No doubt a surprise to the Wise Men – the star from Heaven didn’t point to Herod, but to Jesus.

Matthew included the story of the Wise Men to show us how true worshippers worship the King. He breaks it down into four responses that we should emulate in our own worship:
1. Seek – they sought the truth by following the star and reading the ancient prophecies.
2. Obey – they obeyed the voice of the angel who told them not to return to Herod.
3. Bow – they bowed at the sight of Jesus.
4. Give – they gave precious gifts as an act of devotion and worship.

We would all be wise to follow their lead and ignite our worship with awe, vigor and passion this Christmas.

Pray: Lord, how often is our worship just a check-the-box and move-on type of experience? Forgive us for that. Instead, ignite a passion in us to see more than a cuddling baby this Christmas but the God He is. Have us fall to our knees in reverent worship and offer you our heart, mind, body and soul. May we always seek and obey as the Wise Men did.