Traveling was a lengthy, wearying, and dangerous activity. They couldn’t just jump into a car or hop on a plane and set out and arrive later that day. Traveling at that time was far different than it is today. Although their background was very mysterious, we can learn much about them through their journey and in turn learn some principles we can follow about our own spiritual journeys. They were spiritually wise because they sought the truth and sought to know about the one true God. But these wise men, were wise for another reason. In the world’s eyes, they were the smartest and the wisest. This group was probably who was called upon by Nebuchadnezzar and other kings as counselors when there was a difficult problem/enigma to solve. They knew the sciences, religions, and history, and literature. From the world’s perspective they were full of knowledge. These men are often referred to as wise men, magicians, astrologers. Regardless of whether it was a result of Daniel’s influence or not, this shows us that there was knowledge of the God of the Jews and the coming Messiah at different parts around the world. This would certainly be a testament to Daniel’s influence. We can speculate that they were likely part of the Persian Kingdom and knew about the Jewish religion through the influence of Daniel, who lived 550 years before Jesus’ birth. We don’t know for sure how they knew about the coming of the Messiah or how they knew this specific star was a signal of his birth. We don’t know how long their journey took, although it is quite likely that it took a long time. This is possible, but not definite for sure as it is quite easy for a group to give a gift together. Many speculate three because there were three gifts. We don’t know for sure how many there were. We don’t know for sure where they came from, except that they were somewhere from the East.

Isaiah 55:12 – You shall go out with joy and be let forth in peace. Romans 15:13 – May the God of all hope fill you with all joy.ġ Peter 1:8 – Though you do not see Him, you believe in Him and rejoice with inexpressible joy. Luke 9:34 – Whoever loses his life for me will save it. Micah 5:2 – The Messiah would be born in Bethlehem.ġ Samuel 20:6 – David was from Bethlehem.

What reward will you receive after achieving what God has set in front of you? How will you feel? How did they feel when their journey was completed? Why were they so happy?Īre you willing to embark on a long, difficult journey to follow Jesus? How can a star stand over a place such as a house like we see in verse 9? If a normal star cannot do this, what can? What does their search for Jesus teach us? What principles can we learn from them? Why was Herod troubled (verse 3)? Why do you think he wanted to know where the Messiah would be born? Why did he want to know when the star appeared (verse 7)? What lessons can we learn from this about wolves in sheep’s clothing? What does it mean that they saw “His star?”ĭoes this star and their behavior show us that astrology is true? Why or why not? Why did Joseph and Mary go there (see Luke account)? What other famous people in the Bible are from Bethlehem? II.Jesus’ family flees to Egypt to escape Herod (13-23)

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