10 Life-Changing Minutes
The Magi Christmas Story
Welcome to the Magi Christmas Story family devotional. This story follows the journey of a group of Magi, also known as wise men, in search of the promised King. One night, as they were gazing out into the night sky, they witnessed the brightest star they had ever seen!
Convinced it was the announcement of the birth of the King, they had been waiting for, they set off on a journey to find Him. Their adventure took them to Jerusalem, into the presence of the wicked king, Herod, and finally to Jesus, Himself! When at last they saw the long awaited Messiah, they fell on their faces and worshiped Him!
1 Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod. About that time, some wise men from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem, asking, 2 “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star as it rose, and we have come to worship him.”
3 King Herod was deeply disturbed when he heard this, as was everyone in Jerusalem. 4 He called a meeting of the leading priests and teachers of religious law and asked, “Where is the Messiah supposed to be born?”
5 “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they said, “for this is what the prophet wrote:
6 ‘And you, O Bethlehem in the land of Judah,
are not least among the ruling cities of Judah,
for a ruler will come from you
who will be the shepherd for my people Israel.’”
7 Then Herod called for a private meeting with the wise men, and he learned from them the time when the star first appeared. 8 Then he told them, “Go to Bethlehem and search carefully for the child. And when you find him, come back and tell me so that I can go and worship him, too!”
9 After this interview the wise men went their way. And the star they had seen in the east guided them to Bethlehem. It went ahead of them and stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were filled with joy! 11 They entered the house and saw the child with his mother, Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasure chests and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
12 When it was time to leave, they returned to their own country by another route, for God had warned them in a dream not to return to Herod.
After you have watched the Bible video and completed your family Bible reading discuss the following questions. Use the drop down icons for additional insights.
1. How long do you think it took the Wise Men to get to Jerusalem?
The Magi likely came from the far away land of Babylon. Some think their journey to see Jesus may have taken up to two years! We should all pursue Jesus with the same determination!
2. What gifts did the Wise Men give Jesus?
Gold, frankincense and myrrh. Each of these gifts was a treasure and carried special meaning. Gold for the King of Kings, frankincense for the Priest of all priests and myrrh for the greatest of all sacrifices.
3. What gifts can we give Jesus during Christmas?
There are lots of gifts we can bring God, like thankfulness, praise and worship. But the greatest gift is to give our whole life back to God (Romans 12:1), just as He gave the life of His Son Jesus to us.
Dear Lord Jesus, thank You for the promise that when we seek You, we will find You! Help us each day to see how valuable You really are, and the treasure that is Your Kingdom! We ask these things in Jesus’ name, Amen.