“Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, ‘Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.’”
Matthew 2:1-2
American Presbyterian minister, J. R. Miller, 1840-1912:
“[The wise men] came hundreds of miles to find the newborn King. The journey was long, difficult, perilous, and costly…. Surprisingly, this greatest event of history made little stir in the world….
“The Jews had been looking for their Messiah but did not recognize Him …. Herod could not answer [the wise men’s] question, but he could easily learn what the Jewish books said about where the Christ would be born, so he called the priests and scribes and asked them…. It did not take them long to give the answer. They knew their Bible well…. yet made no use of their knowledge. They could tell the wise men where the Christ was to be born, but they had not themselves taken one step toward Bethlehem to seek for Him….
“We must be careful not to repeat the mistake of these ancient teachers…. Think of how much more we know about the Christ than they did. We see Him in all His glory of His life, death, resurrection, and ascension…. Shall we be behind the wise men in our adoration?”
“[The wise men] came hundreds of miles to find the newborn King. The journey was long, difficult, perilous, and costly…. Surprisingly, this greatest event of history made little stir in the world….
“The Jews had been looking for their Messiah but did not recognize Him …. Herod could not answer [the wise men’s] question, but he could easily learn what the Jewish books said about where the Christ would be born, so he called the priests and scribes and asked them…. It did not take them long to give the answer. They knew their Bible well…. yet made no use of their knowledge. They could tell the wise men where the Christ was to be born, but they had not themselves taken one step toward Bethlehem to seek for Him….
“We must be careful not to repeat the mistake of these ancient teachers…. Think of how much more we know about the Christ than they did. We see Him in all His glory of His life, death, resurrection, and ascension…. Shall we be behind the wise men in our adoration?”
Scripture Focus
Matthew 2:1-20
Insight
“So bring Him incense, gold, and myrrh,/ Come, peasant, king to own Him.” (William C. Dix, 1861)
Bible In A Year
- Habakkuk 1-3
- Proverbs 25
- Revelation 6-7