Matthew 2:1: “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”

Matthew 2:2: “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.“

The Magi’s Victory to Jesus is one of the most popular Christmas stories ever told. Due to its commonness and frequent retelling, one might lose the lessons God in the story, which made the writer include it in his book.

There are several lessons which we can learn from the Magi’s story. I will be highlighting only a few, which I feel, are needed in a time as this.

I would to God, that you take time out to study the events relating to the Conception and birth of Jesus, in your private hour.

GLEANING FROM THE MAGI’S STORY

PERSEVERANCE:

In the first verse, we are told that these men came all the way from The East, unto Jerusalem. In the Bible days, the East was used to refer to countries like Saudi Arabia, Persia (present day Iran) and Babylon.

These men travelled all the way from one of these places, on foot, in the desert, seeking to worship an unseen Baby-King.

All they saw was the Star. They did not have the prophecies of the King’s birth like the Scribes. They were not Israelites who were desperately in need of a King, to save them from the tyranny of Herod.

But when they saw the star in the sky, they left all they had. They left their businesses, friends and families, and set out to seek the one to whom the star belonged.

They were not satisfied merely gazing at the star. They were not satisfied with merely knowledge of what the star signified. They followed the star in search of the King.

Do not settle for less in your Pursuit of the King. The star was beautiful, glorious and outstanding, but it wasn’t the object of their Worship. It was only a guide to lead them unto the King.

Going to Church. Observing the Sabbath. Observing the communion. These things are significant and unique Christian sacraments which must be taken with utmost sacredness. Yet, you must not end your piety in them.

You must journey from merely going to church out of habit, to going to church out of love for God.

You must journey from merely keeping the Sabbath, to having a personal knowledge of the Lord of the Sabbath.

You must journey from taking the communion with Reverence, to having intimate, reverential relationship with the one whose flesh and blood we feed on at the communion table.

The Wise Men saw the star, and they journeyed to Jerusalem, seeking for the King who had been born.

They went to Jerusalem, because they felt that was where kings were born. But, when they inquired there, they found out that the Israelites had no idea whether a King had been born.

They knew a king would be born. They wanted the King to be born, to deliver them from Herod’s government. But when he was born, none of them were aware of it.

Even when they had the prophecy of Daniel’s weeks to help them know the exact time and location of the King’s birth, they were unaware of his birth.

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Isn’t this the plight of many Christians, cry out for God’s move, but when His Move comes, they are caught unawares and unprepared.

But the Unpreparedness and ignorance of the Jews did not quench the zeal of the wise men in finding the king.

The lacklustre service of other saints should not be a reason for you to slack in zeal and fervency.

News of the Magi’s inquiry got to Herod’s palace. He sent for the scholars of the law, and from the scriptures, they were able to tell the exact location of the Newly born King.

No matter how zealous a saint is in pursuing the things of God, he must be careful not to pursue them in ignorance, else we’ll find ourselves before the palace of evil men such as Herod.

We must serve the Lord with knowledge and Understanding. In our walk with Him, His Word must be the lamp to illuminate our darkness; the star to guide us to the King and the anchor to hold unto in the storm.

After hearing from the scholars, the Magi continued on their journey towards the saviour. They never stopped until they found Him and worshipped Him.

May we not be wearied before we step our feet on the finished line!

May we be unrelenting and unflinching until we have accomplished the task the Lord has given us!

The Magi had the option of giving their Gifts to someone to give to the saviour on their behalf.

But their minds were made up.

‘We rest not return until we see the saviour with our own eyes’

May we conform to the perseverance of these wise men.

The Saint must not rest until the day when He sees His King face to face.

He must not stop praying. He must not stop reading his Bible. He must not stop observing the Sabbath. He must not stop giving his offerings and preaching the Gospel, until the day, when He shall meet with the Saviour vis-a-vis.

And even as he is on Earth, he must not settle for anything less than a personal acquaintance with the Lord.

Job 22:21 (NISV) “Get to know God, and you’ll be at peace with him, and then prosperity will come to you.”


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Many are celebrating Christmas, but only a few know the CHRIST in the Christmas.

Many are celebrating the Season, but the Lord knows the few who actually know the reason for the season.

As we draw nearer to Christmas, take a personal decision, like those wise men, that from henceforth, you will seek to God with all your heart, your soul and your body.

God bless you.

Merry Christmas!