Matthew 2:1-2

“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 saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”

These wise men were called “wise men” for a reason. What was their purpose in going to Jerusalem? What makes these men wise? Why are they so passionate about looking for baby Jesus?

These are the reasons:

They know the King of the Jews (Jesus Christ) was already born

They are called wise men because they waited for Jesus for a long time to be born. Waiting is patience, and patience is wisdom. It proves only that they are hopeful of this promised event – for the king of the Jews. Their character describes their knowledge about Jesus as not only accurate but also true.

They know that Jesus is the Christ that the Old Testament describes

They are called wise men because the baby Jesus that they are looking for is the One who will fulfill the prophesies of the scriptures, “… the ruler who will shepherd my people Israel” (see Micah 5:2; Matthew 2:6). Their knowledge is not from tradition or culture but from the word of God.

They understand that Jesus is the Son of God to be worshipped

Worship is rendered only to God and the King. The wise men are wise because they know who Jesus is. They believe that Jesus is God-King who will save His people. Even though they were far from the birthplace of Jesus, these wise men would go the distance just to offer and give worship to King Jesus, which fosters true and unwavering heart and wisdom for they do what is right and true.

They follow the right sign to locate Jesus

Wise men ask the right questions. They were not hitting the air. They did not depend on their own strength but on the signs that God gave them (the Star of Jesus), meaning they relied on God and remained zealous because they were sure that God was guiding them. God’s word is our clear guide if we want to be wise and see Jesus more.

The wisdom that they exhibited led them to honor and worship the baby Jesus Christ. True wisdom brought our knees in humility and awe to the giver of wisdom. It helps us to depend on God only and makes us zealous to do the will of God. The Magi or wise men were called wise because they worshiped the King, Jesus Christ.