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Wise Men Visited JesusDear Parents,
Merry Christmas to you! Thank you for entrusting your child to us throughout this year. We celebrate with you and your family the joy of Jesus’ birth. This week’s story in The Gospel Project for Kids was all about Jesus’ birth. When God sent Jesus to earth, He was born of a virgin, fulfilling Isaiah’s prophecy. As you celebrate, recount for your kids the joyous news the shepherds shared. Help your kids understand the importance of sharing that wonderful news with others. Talk about the humble beginnings of our Savior, Jesus. Pray with your family, thanking God for sending His Son, Jesus, to be the Savior of the world. |
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Wise Men Visited Jesus
Matthew 2:1-21
A long time ago, God promised the Jewish people that He would send a king to save them from their enemies. The people were still waiting for their king, but the time had finally come. Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea at the same time Herod was king. Was Herod the king God promised? No! Herod was an evil king.
God sent a star to show the wise men that Jesus had been born. The wise men traveled to find Him. They came to King Herod. “Where is the king of the Jews?” they asked. “We saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.”
A new king? Herod was king! King Herod was very angry. He assembled all the chief priests and scribes. They looked at what the prophets had written to figure out where Jesus had been born.
“And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the leaders of Judah: because out of you will come a leader who will shepherd My people Israel,” the chief priests and scribes quoted the prophet Micah.
Herod took the wise men aside. He asked them when the star appeared. Then he spoke to them in private. “Go and search carefully for the child. When you find Him, report back to me so that I too can go and worship Him.” But Herod was lying. He didn’t want to worship the new king; he wanted to kill Him!
The wise men followed the star until it led them to Jesus. When they saw the star, they were filled with joy! The wise men went into the house where Jesus was with His mother Mary. They fell to their knees and worshiped Jesus. Then they gave Jesus gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. When it was time for the wise men to go home, God warned them in a dream not to tell Herod where Jesus was. So they took a different way home.
After the wise men were gone, an angel appeared to Joseph, Mary’s husband, in a dream. The angel said, “Get up! Take the child and His mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you. For Herod is about to search for the child to destroy Him.” So in the middle of the night, Joseph got up and took Mary and Jesus to Egypt where they would be safe.
King Herod was so mad! The wise men didn’t tell him where Jesus was!
He was so angry that he killed all the boys in Bethlehem under two years old. He wanted to make sure he killed Jesus, but he didn’t know Jesus had escaped.
A while later when Herod died, an angel spoke to Joseph again in a dream. “Get up! Take the child and His mother and go to the land of Israel, because those who sought the child’s life are dead.” So Joseph did what the angel said. He got up and took Mary and Jesus to the land of Israel.
Christ Connection: The wise men came to worship Jesus as King. Jesus is the King who will rule forever, as God promised to King David in
2 Samuel 7. Jesus is the true King who is worthy of all our worship.