Wise Men (people)

Matthew 2:11, 12 "And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way."

Wonderful scripture -- all scripture is wonderful for it is a Wonderful God who inspire men to write the exact words He wanted for us.

There are eight verbs in the above scripture that stand out; come, saw, fell down, worshipped opened, presented, warned, departed. These are verbs that describe the encounter of the wise men from the east with Jesus. Let's see how these verbs affect our lives with Him.

For the purpose of this post, I may change the form of the verb or exchange for another verb or phrase.

1. Came: The wise men from the east saw His star in the east and came to find Him. Jesus has given a great invitation to all, "Come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest". What will I do with such an invitation, ignore it, despise it, or receive it and come? The wise men at great expense and effort came!

2. Saw: The wise men with their physical eyes saw the physical form of Jesus with Mary his mother and his physical surroundings. They were led of God to the exact place where He was. We also are led of the Holy Spirit to come to Jesus and He gives us spiritual eyes to see Him as He is; Redeemer, Saviour, Lord, King, Counsellor, Friend, etc. What do I do with what I see?

3. Fell down: The wise men fell down before Him, an action acknowledging His superiority over them. They were in the presence of the Holy God. May I also fall on my face before Him, acknowledging His supremacy.

4. Worshipped: The wise men did to Him what only He should receive -- worshipped Him. Jesus the second member of the triune God deserves my worship (the entire Godhead is to be worhipped). In Isaiah, God says, I am God and beside me there is none else. May my whole life be an expression of worship to Him, not just Sunday morning.

5. Opened: The wise men opened their treasures. They did not open someone else's treasures, it was theirs. This verb and the next rather go together.

6. Presented: They having opened their treasures presented to Him gifts. Costly gifts fit for a King. I, too, must present to Him gifts but what can I give Him? I can't come into His physical presence. The Bible says my "righteousnesses" are as filthy rags - hardly fit for a king. All my money is not sufficient. My talents and wisdom and understanding fall short. The only thing I have is my heart. My heart is what He wants. He then cleanses it and perfects it for Himself. When I give Him my heart, I give Him my all, my everything.

7. Warned: God warned them in a dream. They heard him. I give Him my heart and now He desires to commune with me, to direct, encourage, instruct, reprove, rebuke, and bless me. Will I listen for and to His voice? Do I value His presence and fellowhip?

8. Departed another way: The wise men met the Lord Jesus and their life was changed: they departed into their own country another way. When we meet Jesus there is a transformation that takes place in our lives and we return to our responsibilities in this earthly life differently. Our outlook on life is different, our purpose, goals, attitudes are changed to reflect the Blessed Lord who has changed us.

My, what a wonderful passage of scripture, what a Wonderful Jesus to serve.

Keep looking up for He did come once and He is coming again!

Ron