The Wise Men Worship Jesus (Matt. 2:1-12)

Prepared and preached by Pastor Steve Rhodes for and at Bethel Friends Church in Poland, OH on Sunday, January 4, 2026

With everything, there are truth statements, and there are also myths that arise. When something major happens, this is even more true.  The movie Braveheart is about William Wallace, who leads a grassroots Scottish revolt against England and almost succeeds. He is indeed a real historical figure, but we are unsure of the details of his life. In the movie, Mel Gibson plays William Wallace. There is a scene in the middle of the movie when someone says something like, “You can’t be William Wallace, he is 7 feet tall!” Following that, Mel Gibson as William Wallace jokes with that comment that “if he were here, he would shoot you with fireballs…” So, legend versus the truth. We have legends about George Washington, don’t we? Unfortunately, we also have legends, or not entirely true stories, about Jesus’s birth.

For example:

How many wise men were there? We cannot know. 

How many kings were there? These were the same. They may call them kings because of their wealth or wisdom.

How old was Jesus when the wise men came to visit Him? Why do our manger scenes show the wise men? Some time must have passed. Jesus was in a house (Matt. 2:11). In Matt. 2:16 Herod had the children two years old or younger killed, so Jesus was probably around this age when the wise men visited Him. In a minute, we are going to look at the part of Jesus’s birth dealing with the wise men. I hope to show you that, as the wise men worshipped Jesus, so should we.

That is my theme:

The wise men worship Jesus and so must we.

Also, as the wise men saw Jesus as worthy of worship, so should we; as the wise men brought their gifts to Jesus, so should we bring ours. As the wise men saw Jesus worthy of their time, energy, and gifts, He is still worthy of our time, energy, and expense. 

We see the Wise men in Matthew chapter 2, and only there. Matthew was a tax collector. It is well known that Matthew’s Gospel uses numbers frequently. This is probably because he, being a tax collector, dealt with numbers in his occupation. In the first two chapters of Matthew, there are five dreams, five places where it says Jesus is the Christ, and 5 Old Testament quotations:

Dream                                    Jesus is the Christ                        O.T. quotations

1:20	1:1	1:23
2:12	1:16	2:6
2:13	1:17	2:15
2:19-20	1:18	2:18
2:22	2:4 (I think)	2:23

 

Let me read Matthew 2:1-12: (New American Standard Bible)

Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, ² “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.”³ When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. ⁴ Gathering together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. ⁵ They said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for this is what has been written by the prophet:

⁶ ‘And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah,
Are by no means least among the leaders of Judah;
For out of you shall come forth a Ruler
Who will shepherd My people Israel.’”

⁷ Then Herod secretly called the magi and determined from them the exact time the star appeared. ⁸ And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the Child; and when you have found Him, report to me, so that I too may come and worship Him.” ⁹ After hearing the king, they went their way; and the star, which they had seen in the east, went on before them until it came and stood over the place where the Child was. ¹⁰ When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. ¹¹ After coming into the house they saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell to the ground and worshiped Him. Then, opening their treasures, they presented to Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. ¹² And having been warned by God in a dream not to return to Herod, the magi left for their own country by another way.

Now, this section can be broken into two smaller sections:

1. So, let’s talk about the Wise Men, or magi, and their plan to visit Jesus (Matt. 2:1-6).
   1. Verse 1 says, After Jesus was born in Bethlehem… So, we know that what is about to happen was after Jesus’s birth. You are likely thinking, “Good, I already knew that.”
   2. The verse continues In the days of Herod the king… We must realize that this is the first time these facts have been mentioned in Matthew’s Gospel. The original readers and/or listeners have not yet been told that Jesus was born in Bethlehem. They also have not been told that Herod was the king. These are important facts for them. Later in this section, verse 6 quotes Micah 5:2 about Bethlehem: ‘And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah,
      Are by no means least among the leaders of Judah;
      For out of you shall come forth a Ruler
      Who willshepherd My people Israel.’”
   3. This passage from Malachi is very important. The people reading Matthew’s Gospel were likely familiar with the Old Testament Scriptures. They knew the prophecies about the Messiah, and Matthew needed to show how Jesus fulfilled these prophecies. Jesus was the prophesied Messiah.
   4. The Magi (wise men) came from Babylon. They would have known the Jewish prophecies about the Messiah, which helped them reach the area of Bethlehem.
   5. Micah prophesied between 700 and 650 B.C. How would the people of Babylon have heard the Jewish prophesies of Micah? Between 605 and 586 B.C., there were at least three deportations of Jewish people to Babylon. But when the Jewish people were taken to Babylon, they would have taken their Jewish culture and Scriptures with them. So, now close to 600 years later, these magi could have studied the Scriptures of ancient Israel and known that they were expecting a Messianic King.
   6. In verse 2, they say, Where is He who has been born King of the Jews…. They continue by talking about some star in the east, and they are there to worship Him. Isn’t that just awesome! Here they are to worship Jesus.
   7. Interesting I read that the ancients thought comets and falling stars predicted the fall of rulers; some emperors even banished from Rome astrologers who issued such predictions. By this period, many Jewish people accepted the idea that the stars could accurately predict the future. Even though these Magi were pagans, God had chosen to reveal Himself to them.
   8. Further, many rulers feared astrological signs of their demise; the Emperor Nero later reportedly slaughtered many nobles in the hope that their deaths (rather than his own) would fulfill the prediction of a comet. Jerusalem was an important trade center; the Magi must have come with quite an entourage for the whole city to notice them. Then again, many people resented Herod’s rule, and rumors could have circulated quickly. King Herod, who was aware of broad currents of thought in the Roman Empire and sponsored pagan temples among Gentile cities in his realm, might have been especially apt to consider the Magi’s mission significant.^[1]
   9. Numbers 24:17 is a good reference and references this star ¹⁷ “I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near; A star shall come forth from Jacob, A scepter shall rise from Israel, And shall crush through the forehead of Moab, And tear down all the sons of Sheth.
   10. In verse 3, the Bible says that this troubled Herod. But it also troubled all those with him. Herod gathered all the religious leaders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and he wanted to find out where the Messiah was to be born. That is where they quote this passage from Micah.
   11. That is interesting. Why are others troubled? People like things as they are. These could also be people who worked for Herod.
   12. The chief priests and the scribes knew where Christ was to be born, yet none of them is recorded as going to see the baby Jesus.
2. In verses 7-12, we see what happens.
   1. Herod called the magi and wanted to find out exactly when the star appeared. Can you see the plot happening in this narrative? The Bible says he did this in secret. Interesting, he likely did not want people to know that he was giving any credit to the magi.
   2. Also know that the magi were not simply three men, as we often think. They likely had a long entourage and a very long journey. They would have been noticed as they entered Jerusalem with their caravan.
   3. Herod told them to report to him where this child was born so that he could worship them. We all know that Herod is not going to worship Jesus.
   4. If this were a movie, I would be thinking, “Oh no!” I must imagine how this was for the first readers and listeners. They must have had some prior knowledge of Herod, and they must be wondering what is going to happen. How is this Jesus going to get past this? They may even know about the slaughter of the babies that is about to happen.
   5. The star stood over the place where the child was born. That is what the term means is to stand. Something I read says about this:
   6. IVP Bible Backgrounds Commentary
   7. The text might imply only that the star appeared to move due to the Magi’s own movement. Even had the object been close enough to earth to calculate its relation to Bethlehem, Bethlehem was so close to Jerusalem that any distance would have been negligible unless the object was only a mile high. But the description of God’s leading of the Magi by a moving, supernatural sign may recall how God had led his own people by the fire and cloud in the wilderness (Ex 13:21–22).^[2]
   8. Verse 11: Jesus is in a house, and the family is very hospitable.
   9. They worshipped the baby.
   10. Remember, Jesus was God then, too.
   11. The wise men left another way because of a dream.
3. What can we take and apply from this passage?

1. We must be obedient to the Lord as the wise men were (verse 12).
2. We must worship the Lord as the wise men did (verse 2 and verse 11).
3. We must use our gifts and give joyfully to the Lord as the wise men did (verse 11).
4. We must sacrifice for Jesus as the wise men did. Considering they traveled for some time and incurred expenses. This means an expense of time, energy, and money.

The Wise men gave gifts to Jesus. Listen to this that someone wrote:

It’s Always Time for Gifts
by Charles R. Swindoll

Where is it written in the Bible that holidays are the only time to give gifts? I’m of the firm belief that it’s always a good time to give away some gifts.

Let me give you some ideas. Here are thirty-two suggestions; take your choice: Mend a quarrel. Seek out a forgotten friend. Dismiss suspicion. Write a long overdue love note. Hug someone tightly and whisper, “I love you.” Forgive an enemy. Be gentle and patient with an angry person. Express appreciation. Gladden the heart of a child. Find the time to keep a promise. Make or bake something for someone else—anonymously. Release a grudge. Listen. Speak kindly to a stranger. Enter into another’s sorrow. Smile. Laugh a little. Laugh a little more. Take a walk with a friend. Kneel down and stroke a dog. Read a poem to your mate or friend. Lessen your demands on others. Play some beautiful music during supper. Apologize if you were wrong. Talk together with the television and cell phone off. Treat someone to an ice cream cone (frozen yogurt would be fine). Do the dishes for the family. Pray for someone who helped you when you hurt. Fix breakfast on Saturday morning. Give a soft answer even though you feel strongly. Encourage an older person. Point out one thing you appreciate most about someone you work with or live near. Offer to babysit for a weary mother. Give your teacher a break—be especially cooperative.

Let’s make this season one long, extended gift of ourselves to others. Unselfishly. Without announcement. Or obligation. Or reservation. Or hypocrisy. That is Christianity, isn’t it?[3]

pray

^[1]Keener, C. S., & InterVarsity Press. (1993). The IVP Bible background commentary : New Testament (Mt 2:2-3). Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press.

^[2]Keener, C. S., & InterVarsity Press. (1993). The IVP Bible background commentary : New Testament (Mt 2:9). Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press.

[3] Adapted from Hear Me When I Call. Copyright © 2013 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. (Worthy Publishing). All rights reserved worldwide. Used by permission.