Joy To Your World - Children's Advent DevotionalSample

The Gospel of Matthew is the only record we have of the magi. Matthew wrote his gospel to the Jewish population, hoping to prove to them that Jesus was their longawaited Messiah. That goal caused Matthew to include a lot of the stories, like the story of the magi, that fulfilled an Old Testament prophecy.

The word magi means “wise men.” The group may have come from Arabia but were more likely from Persia. But why would these important men care about the birth of a king in Israel? Many people who study the Bible think that the visit of the magi was inspired by the teaching and preaching of Daniel during his years of captivity in Babylon. Daniel was known as a wise, powerful, and influential man in the Babylonian culture. People continued to study and value his words long after his death. Daniel had said a Messiah would come. These Persian kings wanted to know Him.

The journey from Persia to Jerusalem is about nine hundred miles. It would have taken the men months to make the trip. When the unusual group of kings arrived in Jerusalem, they asked, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him” (Matthew 2:2).

Most of the time, the magi are pictured as three men traveling on camels, but the group was probably much larger. This was probably a group of important men, traveling with expensive treasure. There were probably many servants who traveled with them. So, when the magi arrived in Jerusalem, they would have created quite a commotion. The Bible says that when Herod heard about them, “he was troubled and all Jerusalem with him” (Matthew 2:3).

Herod asked the chief priest and scribes where they thought the Messiah king would be born. These men told Herod about something the prophet Micah had written. Micah said, “But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days” (Micah 5:2). So, Herod sent the magi to Bethlehem but asked them to come back and inform him about what they found.

Matthew writes, “After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy” (Matthew 2:9–10). God had brought a group of wealthy men, from a country that had once enslaved the Jewish people, to the small town of Bethlehem.

These men went to great efforts to search for Jesus. They rejoiced when the star appeared that had led them to Bethlehem. After a very long trip, they were about to worship a king. And now you can share the joy of the magi each time you worship Christ as your king.