God’s Plan: Gentile Seekers Found the King
Daily Scripture
Matthew 2:1-6
1 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in the territory of Judea during the rule of King Herod, magi came from the east to Jerusalem. 2 They asked, “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We’ve seen his star in the east, and we’ve come to honor him.”
3 When King Herod heard this, he was troubled, and everyone in Jerusalem was troubled with him. 4 He gathered all the chief priests and the legal experts and asked them where the Christ was to be born. 5 They said, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for this is what the prophet wrote:
6 You, Bethlehem, land of Judah,
by no means are you least among the rulers of Judah,
because from you will come one who governs,
who will shepherd my people Israel.” [Micah 5:2; 2 Samuel 5:2]
Daily Reflection & Prayer
It’s appropriate that Epiphany comes later than December 25, because Matthew 2’s events occurred sometime after Jesus’ birth. Matthew specified that these visitors—likely from the area of Persia (modern Iran)—arrived an unspecified amount of time “after Jesus was born.” Judea was a minor Roman province. No one expected non-Hebrew scholars to travel far to see, much less worship, even a “king of the Jews.” No one, that is, except God, who drew them by a star.
- The magi’s arrival was deeply important. Scholar N. T. Wright noted: “The arrival of the ‘Magi’ introduces us to something Matthew wants us to be clear about from the start. If Jesus is in some sense king of the Jews, that doesn’t mean his rule is limited to the Jewish people. At the heart of many prophecies about the coming king, the Messiah, there were predictions that his rule would bring God’s justice and peace to the whole world (e.g. Psalm 72; Isaiah 11.1–10).” * By including these “foreigners” in Jesus’ story, what did Matthew tell you about the reach of God’s saving love?
- The eastern astronomers may have spent up to 18 to 24 months following the star. We know this because after their visit, murderous Herod ordered the death of every child two years old and younger based on the time he learned from the magi (Matthew 2:16). Did you need to make a lengthy journey in life to find Jesus, or was he “right there” for you as a child? Either way, how have you learned to value and worship him as the magi did?
Prayer
Prayer: Lord of the whole world, you didn’t limit the message of Jesus’ birth to only people with “correct” theology. Thank you for the inclusive love that reached far beyond any one people group to share that joy. Amen.
GPS Insights
Lisa Wilt
Lisa Wilt, who serves as a member and greeter at Resurrection’s Blue Springs campus, wrote today's Insights. She is a retired pharmacist who once dispensed meds but now dispenses encouragement as an Abingdon author, inspirational speaker, podcaster and daily radio devotional host. Lisa is a small town gal with God sized dreams, a mom to four, a GiGi to two, and a wife to one–-David. Her family will tell you that her singing is dreadful, but her banana bread is delightful.
The Day Jesus Broke–and Love Held
Time fell still when the ceramic figure of baby Jesus slipped from my toddler’s hands. Years ago, my two‑year‑old daughter “kidnapped” baby Jesus from our nativity set. Even at that age, Alyssa understood that Jesus was the heart of the story. So when she was finally tall enough to stretch her pudgy little hand into the manger–though she knew she was only supposed to look, not touch–the excitement of holding Jesus was simply more than her little heart could resist.
Like any wannabe momma, sweet Alyssa wanted to rock her baby. So she dragged her tiny rocking chair from her carpeted bedroom into the tiled kitchen. It was a special chair with a music box built into the curved rocker–one that only played lullabies when rocked on a hard surface.
Everything was perfect… until the unthinkable happened. When she saw Jesus was broken, she wailed, sending me racing to her side. As she looked up at me with big camel-like tears rolling down her cheeks, I knew she was sorry. Yes, she had disobeyed. And yes, Jesus was broken. But even in the frustration of her disobedience, I saw the deeper message.
Jesus came to earth to be broken for people like Alyssa, you, and me–people whose desires for something off‑limits sometimes get the best of us. If Jesus were standing beside me in my kitchen, I believe He would have compassion and would have been moved by Alyssa’s tender love.
The figurine of Jesus has become a small, tangible reminder of the price He paid out of love.
Our nativity scene now carries Alyssa’s fingerprints, and in a quiet way, it carries our story too… the story of a Savior who steps into our brokenness and makes it beautiful.
As I begin packing away Christmas décor, I ponder my own brokenness and pray for the Holy Spirit’s help in 2026. None of us like brokenness, but it is part of our journey—just as more brokenness has become part of our family’s nativity story.
Today our nativity includes a camel mysteriously missing a chunk of his hind end. As I wrap him in paper, doing my best to protect what’s left, I’m reminded of the Magi who traveled from afar to worship–probably rolling in with a whole caravan of camel drivers, servants, guards, scribes, interpreters, guides, and of course the unsung heroes who kept everyone fed.
While our nativity has three camels and three wise men, Scripture never tells us there were only three. Tradition eventually gave them names—Casper, Melchior, and Balthazar—and paired them neatly with their three gifts: three reminders of who Jesus is. The gold reminds us that Jesus is King. The frankincense reminds us that Jesus is God. And the myrrh reminds us that Jesus is our Savior.
Three reasons to pause and wonder.
The wise men—however many there were—remind us that God often invites us on journeys. While you and I may never have been led by a star, sometimes we receive a glimmer, a sense that something holy is up ahead. And like them, we get to choose whether we’ll pack our gifts of time, our offering of worship, and our willingness to follow.
While the wise men’s long journey may have taken nearly two years, I’ve heard it said that the longest distance for our faith is the distance from our head to our heart. I think this is true. Even though you and I may be packing away our nativity scenes this week, the most important question is, “Will we keep Jesus in our hearts every moment of this new year”?
© 2026 Resurrection: A United Methodist Church. All Rights Reserved.
Scripture quotations are taken from The Common English Bible ©2011. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
References
* Wright, N. T., Matthew for Everyone, Part 1: Chapters 1-15 (The New Testament for Everyone) (p. 11). Westminster John Knox Press. Kindle Edition.
