“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, 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. “

How easy it is to get caught up in the frenzy of Christmas. All the shopping the preparations and the rushing can steal the joy of the holiday’s real meaning. I read of a young woman who in all the excitement grabbed a box of cards to send out to friends. She quickly addressed and mailed them without even reading the verse inside. When the activities began to slow down a bit she picked up one of the cards and was shocked as she read, “Just a note to say, a little gift is on the way.” Oops, how swiftly things can go awry. In this well-known narrative of the wise men we do well to heed their example as our guidelines for Christmas.

Exactly who these wise men from the east were or how they knew which star to look for we don’t know. Some conjecture they were from Babylon and Balaam’s prophecy in (Num 24:17) “There shall come a Star out of Jacob” as their reason for looking at this sign. We can’t be certain but, it’s obvious they were aware a great event had taken place. What a contrast to the Jews who should have been the first ones to recognize the coming of the prophesied Messiah. The prophets had forecast His coming. Isaiah saying He would be born of a virgin (Isa 7:14). Micah saying He would be born in Bethlehem (Mic 5:2). The Jews knew these prophecies, but were they watching for the big event? It appears not. The Bible tells us that Jesus is coming again. Are you watching? Are you looking for His soon return? It will be in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye. Believers will be caught up into the clouds to be with Him and so shall we ever be with the Lord (1 Thes 4:13-17). Jesus Himself tells us, “Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.” (Mat 24:42). Certainly this is the first step in wisdom. Also,

It was not enough for the wise men to see the star, they wanted to see the one to whom the star was pointing. They desired a first hand knowledge. It was important enough for them to leave what they were doing and take a long, dangerous and difficult journey. They came following the star and when they reached the palace, and what was thought to be the end of their journey, the only thing they found was ignorance, apathy and hypocrisy. Herod had no idea of a king who was prophesied and only pretended to be interested in order to kill him. The Chief Priests and the Scribes Herod gathered together knew the place of the Messiah’s birth, but not one of them was interested in traveling only a few miles to see if the prophecy were fulfilled. Undeterred, these wise men continued their journey. Suddenly the star appeared once again to show the way and stopped over where the Young Child was born. The more interest we have in knowing the truths of God the more we can expect God to help us uncover them. While there are many who will hinder the way, it is well worth the effort to seek Him out. How much effort are you willing to take? Another truth we learn is

Here is found the reason for the wise men’s watching and journey. They came to worship, to present themselves and their gifts to the newborn King. It is noteworthy that they presented themselves first. God is interested in a people who willingly come and acknowledge who He is and His love for them. Have you given your life to the Lord Jesus Christ? Have you acknowledged as a sinner you need Him as Savior and presented yourself to Him? This is the gift the Lord Jesus wants and the gift that has eternal benefits. What better way could we celebrate Jesus’ birthday? This Christmas come afresh to the Lord Jesus and like these wise men let worship be your main goal. (vs 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.” Their focus was on the Lord Jesus Christ alone. Let that be our focus as well.

Someone wisely said, “Christmas living is the best kind of Christmas giving.” There is much we learn from these wise men. Their watchfulness as they looked for the star and the one to whom it pointed. Their willingness to seek out the One who was King of the Jews, the Messiah, and their worship as they presented themselves and then their gifts to the newborn King. Truly these are the characteristics of a genuine Christmas celebration. Let us be as wise as they. May this Christmas be a time we seek and submit ourselves to Jesus. Merry Christmas and God bless.