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“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 2:1-2, NKJV}

Chapter 2 of Matthew records the narrative about the wise men visiting Christ as a young Child. The wise men (magi) were from the east, that is, Mesopotamia, Persia. Some believe that they were Gentiles, either astronomers or astrologers. Because, the plural form is used, we know there were at least two wise men, but there could have been more.

The wise men journeyed to Jerusalem in order to worship the “King of the Jews” (v 2). The news was disturbing to Herod and “all Jerusalem” (v 3). The king assembled the Jewish scribes and learned from the Scriptures that the Messiah was prophesied to be born in Bethlehem of Judea (vv 4-6).

The king feigned a desire to worship the Messiah and ordered the wise men to report back to him when they found the Child (vv 7-8). Afterward, Herod sent the men on their way to Bethlehem. The wise men found the “Child” Jesus in Bethlehem in a house and worshiped Him. They offered the Messiah costly gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh (vv 10-11). God, however, warned them in a dream to return to their homeland by a different route (v 12).

Many have offered their conjectures about the “star” (vv 2, 9-10) that guided the wise men to Jesus, whether it was an actual star, a comet, or a planet. My conviction is that it was a “star” — a solitary star — a supernatural sign that showed them the way to Jesus. Observe the magi did not stop until the star “came and stood over where the young Child was” (v 9). Their find caused them to be overcome with “great joy” (v 10).

Today, no supernatural sign in the heavens, such as a star, will lead us to Christ. We have, however, a Supernatural Book – the Bible which prophesied the Messiah’s coming beginning with Genesis 3:15.

The remainder of the Old Testament develops this theme of His coming – more than three hundred prophetic references. The New Testament provides four gospel accounts instructing us that the long anticipated Christ – the Messiah – the Anointed One of God has come into this world (Matthew – John).

The book of Acts is about the church that Jesus established (Acts 2) and the spread of the gospel to the end of the earth (Acts 1:8). The epistles teach that Jesus is coming again at which time several other momentous things will happen, such as the resurrection of all the dead, the destruction of the world by fire and the Final Judgment (Romans – Revelation).

God’s Word can lead a person to Christ like the star guided the wise men. Paul’s words are relevant, “Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is” (Ephesians 5:17). May we be wise, seek Christ and obey His Will.

— Ridinger is the preacher at Coxey church of Christ. He can be reached at ridinger50@bellsouth.net.