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Writer's picturePhillip Raimo

The Wise Men Visit Young Jesus and the Escape to Egypt


12-27-20



Wise Men from the East


Matthew 2

1 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem 2 and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” 3 When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. 5 “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written: 6 “ ‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;

for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.” 7 Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. 8 He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.” 9 After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 11 On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 12 And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route


The Escape to Egypt

13 When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up,” he said, “take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.” 14 So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night, and left for Egypt, 15 where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: “Out of Egypt I called my son.” 16 When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi. 17 Then what was said through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled:

18 “A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children

and refusing to be comforted because they are no more.


The Return to Nazareth

19 After Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt 20 and said, “Get up, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who were trying to take the child’s life are dead.” 21 So he got up, took the child and his mother, and went to the land of Israel. 22 But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning in Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. Having been warned in a dream, he withdrew to the district of Galilee, 23 and he went and lived in a town called Nazareth. So was fulfilled what was said through the prophets, that he would be called a Nazarene.


Last week!


LESSON TIME!


We will learn today that the just will live by faith.

In other words, we need to live our lives in complete confidence that Jesus will do everything in our lives that He says He will do. Putting our faith in Him makes us “just” or “right” before Him.


To be justified means “to be made right”; in other words, to be made “just as if I never sinned.”

Christians are made right before God because we believe in Jesus who lived a sinless life, died for our sins, and rose again.


In God’s eyes, when we believe in Him, it is just like we have never sinned. This is just the beginning of the life of faith. We continue to “walk” and “live” by faith. The way we live our life (the things we do) will prove we have a relationship of faith with Him.


We can have faith in Him because He is faithful!


Today we are going to look at the famous story of the wise men that came to visit Jesus. When they saw the star it took a lot of faith in God for them to leave their homes to come and worship Jesus.


We find that they had to live their lives by faith


1 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem.


Jesus was already born of Mary, but in verse 8, Jesus is referred to as “the young child.” He was most likely not a newborn baby when the wise men came to worship Him.


The word used to describe these wise men is “Magi” which literally means wise men or astrologers.


We know they brought three gifts, but it does not say how many wise men came. The Bible says that these wise men came from the East.


They traveled a long distance to see Jesus.

Why do you think they came to see Jesus?


2 and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”


The wise men eagerly wanted to see God's promised Messiah, “the King of the Jews,” so they could worship Him.


How did these men know that the promised Messiah was close by?


They were men of science, and they knew the star they saw in the East was the sign of something miraculous. They also probably knew about the scripture that foretold the Child that was to come and save mankind from sin and death.


They must have been familiar with some of the Old Testament scriptures.


When they realized that the Messiah had come they had a desire to go and to meet Him. They stepped out in faith to find the Messiah, Jesus.


They believed so firmly that the Messiah had come they sought Jesus over great distances when they saw the sign of His coming.


They had faith in God and they acted on His word.


God, who created the heavens and earth, made a special star to announce the coming of his only begotten Son, Jesus Christ.


3 When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. 5 “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written: 6 “ ‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.”


After the wise men told the people that they had come to Jerusalem to worship the “King of the Jews,” King Herod became very angry. He was extremely jealous that these wise men would come and worship a king other than himself.


Herod was a king that only wanted attention for himself.


The Bible tells us not to seek things for ourselves but rather to encourage others and give them our attention.


Herod wanted to know where the Messiah was to be born.


He called the chief priests and scribes to find out where the Messiah would come from. Herod was afraid he would lose his kingdom;


he was determined to find out where this “King of the Jews” was. The scribes told Herod that scripture prophesied the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem. They knew the scriptures.


7 Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. 8 He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”


Herod was very interested in finding the Child the wise men sought. He said he wanted to worship Jesus, he wanted to find the Child so that he could destroy Him and insure his rule as king.


But no man, not even a king, can stand in the way of God’s plan.


9 After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were overjoyed.


After the wise men met with the king, they journeyed to Bethlehem to see the Child. They trusted God’s Word as they followed the special star.


The star was God’s sign that His only Son had come to the world. It actually hung over the place where the young Jesus lived. The Magi were wise because they believed the Lord, trusted in Him and knew His word. The wise men sought Jesus by faith.


Gifts Fit For A King


Ask the children what they got for Christmas?

Ask what do you think Baby Jesus got?


11 On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 12 And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route


The wise men went into the house.


Notice that the Bible says “house” not “manger.” Jesus is probably a little older now; He is called a “child,” and his parents have settled down in a “house” in Bethlehem.


The wise men fell down, humbled themselves, and worshipped Jesus.


They presented gifts to Jesus, but these were not just any gifts. These were gifts worthy of a king. Some believe these gifts were symbolic of Jesus’ life and death.

For example:

1) Gold represents purity and deity.

2) Frankincense represents the fragrance of His perfect life.

3) Myrrh, a spice used in burial, represents His sacrificial death for our sins


After they spent their time worshipping and honoring Jesus, the wise men are warned in a dream not to return to Herod.


Rather, they were to go home a different way. They obeyed God.


It pleases God when we have the faith to obey and follow Him, even when we do not know where. It pleases God when we trust His hand to lead us.


Faith Walk

Talk about faith.

How do we have faith? TRUST GOD!

Explain that the just will live by faith.


Read verses 13-21

The Escape to Egypt


13 When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up,” he said, “take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.” 14 So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night, and left for Egypt, 15 where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: “Out of Egypt I called my son.” 16 When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi. 17 Then what was said through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled:

18 “A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children

and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more.


The Return to Nazareth

19 After Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt 20 and said, “Get up, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who were trying to take the child’s life are dead.” 21 So he got up, took the child and his mother, and went to the land of Israel. 22 But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning in Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. Having been warned in a dream, he withdrew to the district of Galilee, 23 and he went and lived in a town called Nazareth. So was fulfilled what was said through the prophets, that he would be called a Nazarene.


Pray


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