Matthew 2:1 Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem,

2 Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.

3 When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.

4 And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born.

5 And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet,

6 And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel.

7 Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, enquired of them diligently what time the star appeared.

8 And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search diligently for the young child; and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also.

9 When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was.

10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.

11 And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.

12 And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way.

13 And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him.

14 When he arose, he took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt:

15 And was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called my son.

MEMORY VERSE: Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. —Isaiah 55:7

CENTRAL THOUGHT: In seeking to find God, we must beware of hindrances and misleadings of people and the devices of Satan, which are intent upon keeping us from finding Him.

LESSON BACKGROUND

There was probably a lapse of time between the birth of Jesus and the visit of the wise men from the east. In that period of time, according to Luke’s account, they had taken the infant Jesus to Jerusalem to be consecrated to the Lord, as all firstborn males were. They had returned to Bethlehem, and, for some reason, had tarried there longer than probably they had expected.

In the meantime, far to the east (probably in the land of Persia) some astrologers, while studying the heavens, were excited to behold a new and wondrous star. There are many fanciful and exciting tales that could be imagined about these men. It is generally supposed that there were three; however, the Scripture does not give a number. It does not say that the star led them to Jerusalem. It was revealed to them by the appearance of the star that the King of the Jews had been born, so they no doubt supposed that in Jerusalem they would find Him since Jerusalem was the capital of Israel.

Great was their surprise when they saw that their tidings were troubling the city and the ruler, King Herod. They were probably very unaware of Herod’s inner feelings which were full of anger and resentment at the thought of another King. Innocently they took the king’s advice and turned their way toward Bethlehem to continue their search for the infant. It was then that they saw the star again, this time going before them and guiding them to the very spot where the young child was. They fell down and worshipped Him, giving Him gifts from their treasures.

So ought we to recognize the King of kings, and Lord of lords, and bow down before Him in worship and homage today! Let us open the treasures of our hearts: our love, affection, devotion, servitude, and honor.

—Bro. Leslie Busbee

QUESTIONS

1. Why did the wise men come to Jerusalem?
2. What was their real purpose on their journey?
3. Why should we worship and serve the King of kings, and Lord of lords?
4. In what treasures of our hearts would this great King be interested?
5. Why was the small city of Bethlehem not the least among the princes of Judah?
6. Why did Herod want to locate the child?
7. How did the wise men feel when they saw the star going before them to Bethlehem?
8. What power would seek to destroy Jesus out of our lives today, and how can we keep this from happening?

COMMENTS AND APPLICATION

The men from the east came a long way to pay homage and worship to Him who was to be the King of glory. The queen of Sheba came a long distance to behold the wisdom of Solomon. “…Behold, a greater than Solomon is here” (Luke 11:31). People today need to be enlightened to the great importance, value, and worth of Jesus Christ who came from glory to the manger. When they hear the gospel and the story of Jesus, men and women need to go to seeking to find this One who is so wonderful and great!

But, sad to say, there are so many indifferent and disinterested people in the world. Jesus spoke about the men of His generation being like children sitting in the marketplace, not responding to any kind of suggestion for sport that their fellows offered. It did not matter what was suggested, they did not want to go along with it; like small children when they are cross and irritable. Nothing appeases or satisfies them.

God knows that people are prone to be that way. He has brought forth His Son in such a way that will appeal to the open-minded and honest of heart, but there will always be those who will have closed hearts and minds to the message from heaven.

Wise people still seek the King of kings and Lord of lords. They come from afar—from the deep and dark pits of sin and ignorance. They recognize the great power and benefit that Christ affords. How thankful we are that we responded to the gospel call and began to pray and seek the Lord! Surely we have found Him precious and dear to our souls and He is becoming more dear every day. We give Him our all, opening our hearts to His love and giving our best to the Master.

The light of the gospel is that star divine today, guiding us away from the vanities of this present world to the blessed reality of the Lord Jesus Christ and His wonderful grace.

—Bro. Leslie Busbee

REFLECTIONS

People around the world have always been fascinated with royalty, and that is still true today, even in our modern cultures. Here in the 21st century, many nations are no longer ruled by kings or queens. Yet in America, for instance, the tabloids are full of gossip and rumors regarding various royal families, and tickets to exclusive royal events in other nations are cherished by celebrities the world over. I have even heard of people who are willing to part with huge sums of money and travel halfway around the world just to be on the outskirts of some big royal event, even though they aren’t invited guests, all to catch a glimpse of some king, queen, prince, or princess that lasts for just a few seconds. Imagine if all that energy to rub shoulders with the “somebodies” of the world was instead expended in coming to know, and then bowing to worship, the King of kings!

I am impressed by the diligence with which the wise men looked for this “King of the Jews.” Perhaps they had access to the prophecies in scripture, such as those in Daniel, which spoke to the arising of this kingdom. Whether they were intentionally seeking for this King or not, when God revealed to them a new star that would lead them to the Daystar, they were willing to go to great lengths to find and worship Him, and bestow Him with as much of their treasure as they could carry.

The good news is those in today’s world that are still willing to seek the King of Glory will still find Him! And the even better news is as we present ourselves—our hearts, our bodies, our all—to Him, He bestows on us the power to reign as kings and priests with Him! As we enter a new year, may we continue to seek Him, and in doing so continue to reign with Him. After all, what attraction is there to earthly royalty when we ourselves are chosen royalty of the Kingdom of Heaven!

—Bro. Fari Matthews