Night 17 – The Magi Worship Him

In contrast to last night’s lesson about King Herod and his hatred of Jesus, we looked tonight at some who actually sought Jesus out to worship Him: the wise men, or magi. While it can certainly be said that Jesus’ birth wasn’t accompanied by any human fanfare, there were some from far-off lands in the east who wisely discerned the times and waited expectantly for the birth of a child they knew would be King of the Jews.

Having never really heard the term “magi,” we explained to the boys that these were men who studied the stars and used the information they gained to make predictions about future events and to interprets various circumstances, sometimes accurately and sometimes not. But we also explained that because these men came from far in the east, they may have come from the land in which Daniel had lived long before, the land of Babylon. If so, then these magi would have been familiar with the Hebrew Scriptures and may have used that knowledge to ascertain an approximate time for the arrival of this infant King. Following what they described as a star, they arrived in Jerusalem and sought out the help of the religious elite, who promptly conveyed to the magi that the Messiah would be found in Bethlehem. Feigning his own desire to worship this new King, Herod instructed the magi to find the Child and return back with news of His whereabouts.

What a contrast it must have been to have a band of traveling magi arrive at Jesus’ home with their caravan of animals and all that must be required for such a lengthy trip. And in such a lowly setting, royal gifts of gold and frankincense and myrrh must have seemed wildly extravagant. But whatever their beliefs were concerning the God of the Jews, these wise men knew that this young Child was the King. And they worshiped Him.

Tonight’s creations: a star and three magi