Daily Devotion 06 January 2026

We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him. Matthew 2: 2

READING: Matthew 2: 1-12

Today is traditionally celebrated by the Christian Church as Epiphany, when we remember the wise men who travelled from far to see Jesus.

The “three kings” of popular Christmas cards and carols, were not mentioned in the Bible as being three in number, and they were probably not kings. They were wise men, seekers after the truth, possibly Magi, or Zoroastrian priests from Persia; certainly, they were astrologers who studied the stars, as they followed that special star to Bethlehem.

They were almost certainly not Jews, and to Matthew’s Jewish readers, they would have been viewed with deep suspicion: foreign, pagan and outside the covenant community.

What we do know is that they travelled fervently, long distance, asking and searching. And when they found Jesus, they recognised Him and “knelt down and paid him homage” (verse 11). These foreign scholars recognised Jesus’ divinity and kingship in a way that King Herod and the Jewish priests did not. From the very beginning, Jesus’ life was one of inclusion, embracing all people.

The Magi give Jesus three gifts. Gold has always held the image of highest value, frankincense was and still is a costly incense and myrrh was a prized perfume. These gifts were usually given to a king or a person with high status.

Christmas is sometimes reduced to the cuteness of a baby in a manger surrounded by sweet farm animals. We are reminded today, which we call Epiphany, that Jesus, even as a baby in a manger, was and is our King, before whom we should bow down in awe.

We should, like the Magi, put seeking the knowledge and understanding of Him first in our lives. We should be as observant as them for signs and symbols that beckon us closer to Him, we should 15be as fervent as the wise men in asking about Him and following Him, in worshipping Him and offering Him our most precious gifts.

Prayer

Lord God, may I always look for the star, the signs that You are working in the world; may I always look for the good news in unlikely places and among unlikely people, may I always offer back to You the precious gifts that You give me, may I always worship you in awe as my King and Lord. Amen.