Now, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.”  Matthew 2:1-2 NKJV

These Wise Men travelled a far distance in search of baby Jesus. When it tells us they traveled from the East, this means they probably came from Persia or Babylon. This could have been 400-700 miles. This journey could have taken several weeks on camels or a couple of months on foot. They speak of following a star, which could have meant they were travelling at night.

They stopped to ask King Herod if he knew where this baby was. King Herod claimed to want to worship Jesus, but secretly wanted to kill Him. He didn’t understand that this was the Messiah, not a rival for his crown.

These wise men went through a great deal to finally come to baby Jesus. From what we read in Matthew chapter 2, we know that Jesus was older when the wise men found Him. In verse 11, it says he was in a house. And we know that King Herod issued an order to kill all baby boys two and younger.

Their response when they found Jesus was to fall down and worship Him (Matthew 2:11). They brought Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

They were called the wise men and were considered Magi. If you have read the book of Daniel, you know that wise men held high positions as they were advisors to the king. What made them truly wise is that they went through a great deal to seek Jesus.

The Bible has a lot to say about fools. Proverbs 18:2 says, “A fool takes no pleasure in understanding, but only in expressing his opinion.” Proverbs 29:11 says, “A fool gives full vent to his spirit, but a wise man quietly holds back.” Proverbs 18:7 says, “A fool’s mouth is his ruin, and his lips are a snare to his soul.”

Foolish people are deceived into relying on their own fallible knowledge. They don’t believe in God and make no effort to seek Him or to trust in and obey Him. Psalm 14:1 says, “A fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God.’ They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds; none does good.”

How do we obtain wisdom? Well, it’s simple, actually, according to James 1:5, if we lack wisdom, we need only ask. God graciously and liberally gives wisdom to those who ask. He does it without reproach. But we are told in verse 6 that we must ask in faith without doubting.

Lastly, the wise men were warned in a dream not to go back by way of King Herod, as Herod had asked them to do. They heeded God’s warning.

For us to be wise, we must seek Jesus, we must pray for wisdom and discernment, and we must turn away from evil. So, I ask you today whether you are wise? Do you seek Him with all your heart? Are you willing to go to great lengths for Him? Do you worship Him? Do you gift Him with your offerings and your service? And, do you turn from evil to maintain a close relationship with Him?

If you answered no to any of those questions, it’s time to wise up. Get to know Him. I promise, once you do, you can’t help but love Him, and then you will hunger for His constant presence in your life.

Have a great day!