The Wise Men
I encourage you, please read the following passage in Matthew Chapter 2:
1 After Jesus wasborn in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi[a] 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 Herodheard 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.’[b]”
7 Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. 8He 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 wentahead 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 Lordappeared 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.”[c]
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 heardin Ramah,
weeping and great mourning,
Rachel weeping for her children
and refusing to be comforted,
because they are no more.”[d]
In this passage, we see two forms of "wise men." The first are the Magi. It is important to note that they received the name "wise men" not because of who they were before, but because of their response to Jesus. Historically, they were astrologers and dream interpreters who served the Persian king—the same group mentioned in the book of Daniel (Daniel 2:2). Though astrology is a form of divination forbidden in scripture (Deuteronomy 18:10-12), these men left what they were doing behind to worship the true King of kings. They exemplify their wisdom through their behavior: they worship Jesus and protect him by refusing to report back to Herod (Matthew 2:11-12).
The second group, the chief priests and teachers of the law, are considered wise by society, but not by the Lord. Despite their proximity to the scriptures concerning Jesus, they did not have nor seek a relationship with Jesus (Matthew 2:4). As Herod’s inner circle, they use their knowledge to assist a tyrant and earthly king rather than seek the King of kings (Revelation 19:16).
This creates a direct parallel to the Exodus. Just as historical tradition describes Pharaoh’s advisors warning of a coming deliverer, Herod’s advisors identify the birthplace of the child who threatens his power (Matthew 2:5-6). In both stories, the tyrants slaughter children to prevent the coming of the deliverer; Pharaoh commanded every newborn Hebrew boy be cast into the Nile (Exodus 1:22), and Herod killed every boy in Bethlehem aged two and under (Matthew 2:16).
The story comes full circle in a striking way: while Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt to escape bondage (Exodus 12:50-51), Joseph and Mary flee into Egypt to protect the one who would provide the final escape from sin and death (Matthew 2:13-14). While both Moses and Jesus are sent as deliverers, Moses was the temporary servant while Jesus is the final and ultimate Deliverer (Hebrews 3:5-6).
The challenge I wish for us all to consider is this: are we truly wise, or are we merely masquerading as wise? Are we dropping everything to please, follow, and worship Jesus, or are we seeking to please man and climb a social ladder that claims to be the correct path? Too often, we seek our own comfort more than we seek God. Our minds are frequently clouded by the world's "right way" of doing things, which often directly contradicts the Word of God. Even strong believers fall into this trap, justifying distractions as just "the way life goes." Instead, everything we do should be for and through God (Colossians 3:23). We are called to worship Him with our work, our families, our time, and our devotion, dedicating our prayers and our lives to supporting and reaching others for His sake. Don’t keep Jesus waiting any longer.
We place ourselves in a position of "later"—I’ll do that later, I’ll read the Bible later, I’ll give my life to Jesus fully when I’m ready. I know this struggle intimately because I was there, too. Maybe you’re right, maybe there will be a moment that you have that you fully surrender your life to Him later. But maybe that later is right now. Maybe this moment will never come again. What if this is the last moment that you receive? Will you be wise and take it?