Wise Men Seek Jesus

Text:  Matthew 2:1-12 International Children’s Bible

Scripture Reading: 

Wise Men Come to Visit Jesus

2 Jesus was born in the town of Bethlehem in Judea during the time when Herod was king. After Jesus was born, some wise men from the east came to Jerusalem. 2 They asked, “Where is the baby who was born to be the king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east. We came to worship him.”

3 When King Herod heard about this new king of the Jews, he was troubled. And all the people in Jerusalem were worried too. 4 Herod called a meeting of all the leading priests and teachers of the law. He asked them where the Christ would be born. 5 They answered, “In the town of Bethlehem in Judea. The prophet wrote about this in the Scriptures:

6 ‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,

    you are important among the rulers of Judah.

A ruler will come from you.

    He will be like a shepherd for my people, the Israelites.’” Micah 5:2

7 Then Herod had a secret meeting with the wise men from the east. He learned from them the exact time they first saw the star. 8 Then Herod sent the wise men to Bethlehem. He said to them, “Go and look carefully to find the child. When you find him, come tell me. Then I can go worship him too.”

9 The wise men heard the king and then left. They saw the same star they had seen in the east. It went before them until it stopped above the place where the child was. 10 When the wise men saw the star, they were filled with joy. 11 They went to the house where the child was and saw him with his mother, Mary. They bowed down and worshiped the child. They opened the gifts they brought for him. They gave him treasures of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 12 But God warned the wise men in a dream not to go back to Herod. So they went home to their own country by a different way.

Reflection: Did you know that Jesus was not a baby anymore by the time that the wise men found him? Things changed between the manger scene and the arrival of the wise men. Mary and Joseph had been raising Jesus for years before the wise men showed up, presented gifts, and worshiped Jesus. I like to think of the wise mens’ visit as a reminder to Mary and Joseph that Jesus was the child of God while they were dealing with the terrible twos or threes. 

Prayer: 

Hi God! Thank you for the wise men and their story. It is a good reminder that Jesus is important to people all over the world. Amen.

Focus for the Day: Wise Men Seek Jesus

Author: Rachel Dudley, Director of Children’s Ministry