Matthew 2:1-12

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TALKS FOR GROWING CHRISTIANS

The Wise Men who Came from the East to Worship the True King

BACKGROUND NOTES



DOCTRINAL POINT(S)

  1. Some people know the Scriptures, but they don’t know the King.

  2. Some people hear the Scriptures, and they reject the King.

  3. Some people believe the Scriptures and they receive the King.

PRACTICAL APPLICATION

  1. Return home a different way.

QUESTIONS

  1. Did the wise men come to the stable to worship baby Jesus, as we often see in nativity scenes?

  2. Is the Christmas carol “We Three Kings” an accurate account of this passage?

  3. Does there have to be a natural explanation for the Star of Bethlehem?

  4. Who were the scribes mentioned in Matthew 2:4?

  5. Did the wise men remain in Bethlehem with the King?

ANSWERS

  1. No, the wise men came to the house of Joseph and Mary in Bethlehem, as many as two years after Jesus was born.

  2. No, the Bible does not say there were three wise men, although they did bring three gifts. Nor does the Bible say these wise men were kings.

  3. No. Although God might have used a natural astral event to lead the wise men, He could also have used a miracle star.

  4. The Scribes were the professional students of the day. They copied the scriptures, taught the scriptures, and were the official interpreters for the people. Although they knew the scriptures, they did not know the King.

  5. No, they went back to their homes, jobs, and friends. But they were changed men for life.

DISCUSS/CONSIDER

  1. In this lesson we saw three reactions to the announcement that the King was born according to the Scriptures. Review the three doctrinal points. Discuss the three reactions in the scripture passage. Also, discuss how people react these same ways today.

  2. The wise men from the East were not part of Gods chosen people, Israel. They were probably Gentiles from Babylon or Persia. Yet they believed God’s revelation in the Hebrew Scriptures. They followed the light God gave them, and they were brought to the Savior. “Those who seek will find” Matthew 7:7. Discuss how you personally were brought to the Savior.

CHALLENGE

  1. The wise men returned home as different men after they met the King. Have you been changed by an encounter with the King, the Lord Jesus? You too can return home a different way.

KEY VERSES

  • “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 2:2

  • “Then being divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed for their own country another way.” Matthew 2:12



Matthew, Talks, New TestamentDeb HarmsMatthew 2:1-12