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Matthew 2:4-5 - The Wise Men And The Star.

Matthew 2:4-5 (NLT) He called a meeting of 
the leading priests and teachers of religious 
law and asked, Where is the Messiah supposed 
to be born? 5 In Bethlehem in Judea, 
they said, for this is what the prophet wrote: 
 

COMMENTARY PEARL

   Matthew loved the magi. He gave their 
story more text than he gave the narrative of the 
birth of Jesus. He never mentions the shepherds or 
the manger, but he didn't want us to miss the 
star and the seekers. It's easy to see why. Their 
story is our story. We're all travelers. In order 
to find Jesus, every one of us needs direction. 
God gives it. The story of the wise men shows us 
how.  
   God uses the natural world to get our 
attention. "The heavens declare the glory of God" 
(Psalm 19:1 NKJV). God led the wise men to 
Jerusalem with a star. But to lead them to Jesus, he 
used something else: "And you, O Bethlehem in the 
land of Judah, are not least among the ruling 
cities of Judah, for a ruler will come from you who 
will be the shepherd for my people Israel" 
(Matthew 2:6 NLT). 
   The star sign was enough to lead the magi 
to Jerusalem. But it took Scripture to lead 
them to Jesus. [You Can Count On God by Max 
Lucado] 

COMMENTARY

Forget Something?
   Imagine for a moment that you are living 
in first-century Israel. You hear mysterious 
visitors from the east speak of a star that has been 
leading them. Now, dont you think it might be a 
good idea to make the short journey of about five 
miles from Bethlehem to Jerusalem to check it 
out? 
   Herod was right in expecting an answer 
from the chief priests and scribes as to where 
the Messiah would be born, and they interpreted 
the writings of Micah properly. Yet they should 
have known better. 
   These men were the theological scholars 
of their day and knew the Scriptures inside and 
out. It was their job to study the Scriptures and 
number the letters and lines to ensure careful 
copying. They knew the Scriptures so well, but they 
cared so little. They knew where the Messiah would 
be born, but they didnt care about a baby 
king as much as an adult monarch who could line 
their pockets with gold. They were too busy to 
bother with Him. 
   Do you know one thing that can keep you 
from Christ more than anything else? Its 
religious pride. When you say, I already know 
that or Ive already heard that, it could 
actually dull your spiritual senses to the Word of 
God. 
   Sometimes when you hear the Word of God 
again and again, you can essentially enter into a 
place of complacency, a place of apathy. You might 
even find yourself asleep. I find it interesting 
that many of the Bibles warnings about waking 
up are actually addressed to believers. 
Believers can be asleep like these religious scholars 
who missed out on that epic event. 
   Even at Christmas, with all our 
celebrating of the birth of Christ, we can forget about 
Christ and fail to give Him a passing thought. [By 
Greg Laurie from Harvest Ministries; 
https://www.harvestdaily.com] 

LINK FOR FURTHER STUDY 

Matthew 2:11 - Christmas Present for Jesus.

http://www.abible.com/devotions/2021/20211214-0904.html 

YOUR COMMENTS

If anyone has a paraphrase, commentary or 
testimony on this passage of Scripture, either 
personal or otherwise, I would be interested in 
hearing from you.  Thanks in advance and let's keep 
uplifting Jesus that all might be drawn to Him. Fred 
Gibbs  

LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT

https://abible.com/links/