Matthew 2:1-12
Overcoming Our Advantages

Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of King Herod, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, "Where is he who is born King of the Jews? For we saw his star in the east, and have come to worship him." When King Herod heard it, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. Gathering together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he asked them where the Christ would be born. They said to him, "In Bethlehem of Judea, for this is written through the prophet,

'You Bethlehem, land of Judah,
        are in no way least among the princes of Judah:
For out of you shall come forth a governor,
        who shall shepherd my people, Israel.' "

Then Herod secretly called the wise men, and learned from them exactly what time the star appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem, and said, "Go and search diligently for the young child. When you have found him, bring me word, so that I also may come and worship him."

They, having heard the king, went their way; and behold, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, until it came and stood over where the young child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. They came into the house and saw the young child with Mary, his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Opening their treasures, they offered to him gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Being warned in a dream that they shouldn't return to Herod, they went back to their own country another way.

World English Bible

The wise men had it all!

From what little we know about them, we can be confident that they were some of the smartest people in their nation, both in the duty they performed in studying the heavens--and because they were known as "wise men". They must have been wealthy, both evidenced in the long journey they could afford to take, and in the expensive gifts that they brought for the Infant King. Most likely, they were well respected by their ruler, and we can speculate with some certainty that they were accompanied by soldiers of that nation. Travel was not safe in those days, and it would have been most prudent to send guards along with a band of the kingdom's brightest scholars.

But often, it is that same intelligence, wealth, and recognition that keeps us from Christ. Frequent stories in the life of Jesus tell of scholars rejecting the simple truth Jesus taught, rich men refusing to give up earthly wealth for heavenly treasure, and those honored on earth refusing to honor the King of Kings. Jesus even told his disciples that it was easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter heaven.

Fortunately, we have the wise men to show us how to overcome our earthly "advantages."

Notice how the wise men used their intelligence. They observed a sign, they discerned its meaning as a message from God--then they pursued the path of One wiser and smarter than they were. It was no gain to boast to others that they were the only scholars on the planet smart enough to recognize the sign, because it was God's favor that they wanted to gain.

Notice how the wise men used their wealth. They must have spent a fortune to travel for months, maybe even years, as a large group, and they faced the same return journey when they were done. All that money was spent so they could give lavish, deeply meaningful, and Godly gifts to Jesus. They recognized the value of their earthly possessions was small compared to the value of obeying what God had led them to do.

Notice how the wise men embraced humility. They arrived in Jerusalem, itself a small capital of an insignificant country, as representatives from a foreign country. They were within their rights to have made demands of Herod, the weak puppet king, but they humbly asked for knowledge. They accepted this knowledge, even when it was apparent that they knew more about the happenings in Israel than did the King! Then, when they left the palace, they faithfully continued to follow as the star led them to a small rural village, into the home of a common laborer. These men could have bought all of Bethlehem with their pocket change, but their humility led them to obey God's leading--to worship the young child of Joseph and Mary, to give the baby more wealth in those gifts than his father had earned in his lifetime, and to leave rejoicing because of what God had allowed them to do!

The story of the wise men tells us we can overcome our "advantages" and faithfully follow God. After all, with God, all things are possible.