Wise Men Visit Jesus

Matthew 2:1-23

The Bible tells us about some wise men. They knew a lot about stars. These wise men lived far away from Bethlehem, where Jesus had been born. One night, they saw a very bright star. They knew that the star meant there was a new king. The wise men packed their things and followed the star. They wanted to see this new king.


The wise men followed the star to the city of Jerusalem.


In Jerusalem, the wise men went to visit King Herod. They told him they were looking for the new king.


Herod called for the Jewish teachers and asked them where the king was supposed to be born. They told Herod that Bethlehem would be the birth place of the king.


King Herod was so angry! He wanted to be the only king. But he didn't let the wise men know he was angry. Instead, he sent them to Bethlehem.

Before they left, Herod told the wise men, “After you find the king, come back and tell me where He is so I can worship Him.” But Herod didn’t want to worship the new king. He really wanted to hurt Jesus.


The wise men left Herod and followed the star to Bethlehem. The star stopped over the house where Jesus lived with Mary and Joseph. Jesus, God’s Son, was the new king!


The wise men went inside the house. They bowed down, worshiped Jesus, and gave Him special gifts. They gave Jesus gold, a very precious and valuable metal. They also gave Jesus frankincense, a sweet-smelling tree resin use in incense and perfume. And they gave Jesus myrrh, another sweet-smelling tree resin used in perfume and incense and as a medicine.


That night, an angel told the wise men, “Do not tell Herod where Jesus is.” So they went home a different way.


God also sent an angel to Joseph. The angel said, “Jesus is in danger. Herod wants to hurt Him. Get up and go to Egypt where Jesus will be safe.”

Joseph woke up and told Mary what the angel said. Mary and Joseph quickly packed, even though it was the middle of the night. They took Jesus to Egypt where He was safe.


After King Herod died, and angel told Joseph it was safe to go home to Nazareth.


God took care of Jesus by keeping Him safe from Herod. We can be happy that God took care of Jesus.


Bible Paraphrase: A Savior has been born. (Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is the Messiah, the Lord. Luke 2:11 NIV)

Text Truth: We are happy that God took care of Jesus.


Family Devotional

You may not be fleeing for your life, but you may have some situations that left you feeling frightened or vulnerable.

You aren’t alone in those situations. Just as God protected Jesus, He will also protect you.
You can trust in God’s protection in all areas of your life. In life’s scariest or most vulnerable moments, ask God to remind you of His protection and care. Pray this verse to Him.

You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance. -- Psalm 32:7


Activities You Can Do at Home


Go on a Trip
  • Talk about how you plan to take a trip, even if it’s just a short trip to the store. 
  • Let your child pack a little suitcase for a pretend or real trip. 
  • Remind your child of how God took care of Jesus.


Read Stories
  • Read books and talk about how God takes care of us. 
  • Tell your child about a time when God took care of you when you were a child.


Sing About the Special Star
  • Sing “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” but replace “little star” with “special star” so your song is about the special star the wise men followed to find Jesus. 
  • Look outside at night at all the stars in the sky. 
  • Say with your child the Bible paraphrase, "A Savior has been born." (Luke 2:11).


Act Out the Bible Story

Play the roles of the wise men, Mary, and Joseph as you pretend to take a trip on a camel and then a donkey. You might even want to use props from around the house such as blankets, boxes, and dress-up clothes. Remind your child of how God took care of Jesus.

Thank God for His Protection

  • Thank God for taking care of Jesus and taking care of your family, too. 
  • Thank Him for specific ways He takes care of you.


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Story illustrations are the copyright of Sweet Publishing and licensed by FreeBibleimages (http://freebibleimages.org) for free download under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Share-alike 3.0 unported licence.
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