Matthew 2:9-11 The First Noel
“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. When they saw the star, they were filled with joy! They entered the house and saw the child with his mother, Mary, and they bowed down and worshipped him. Then they opened their treasure chests and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh” (NLT).
“The First Noel probably began in the 1400’s as on oral song. Some believe that it began in England, while others claim a French beginning. It was not published in English until the 1800’s. This is another great example of God’s words being put on paper by some fortunate man or woman, and we have been blessed.
The song begins with an announcement to shepherds, but quickly, in the next verse, it turns to the wise men from the east and the star they followed. Verse by verse, from verse two through verse five, the song closely follows the Scripture quoted above.
What a wonder this is—kings from the east came to see the child who was born to be the king of the Jews. We are told that they traveled several years, leaving their own kingdoms to visit a baby. He was, even in their eyes, many years from becoming king, yet they travelled a great distance to see Him, who was born to be King of the Jews. They had to have known that Israel was ruled and held captive by Rome. How did they recognize that this strange. new star was the one that would lead them to the King of the Jews?
And the star led them to the very house where Jesus was. I can find my way across North America to visit someone on the other side of the country, but I have maps, and I know exactly where I am going, and I know personally the person I am going to see. They had a star, and they didn’t know where it would lead or how long it would take to get there. I need to have the faith of the wise men—belief that whatever God says,I must follow if I want to have blessings. The kings weren’t Jews. Jehovah was not their God. I wonder—did they continue to worship from afar after they left Bethlehem on their way home? Were they the first Gentiles to believe in Jesus?
We have an advantage that they probably never had, the New Testament, the writings of the apostles who lived with Jesus for several years. We can read what the apostles experienced while with our Lord and Savior, and we can read the very words spoken by Jesus. We know His message, His love, and His sacrifice, and we have the assurance that we can live with Him forever because of His message, His love, and His sacrifice. They saw Him for a very short time. I have wondered if these three wise men who visited Jesus at His birth ever got to hear of His life and message. I thank God that I got to hear it, and now I know Jesus personally even though I did not attend Him at His birth. Thank you, Father God. Thank you, Jesus.