After the Wise Men Left – January 6, 2023

When [the Wise Men] had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up,” he said, “take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.” So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: “Out of Egypt I called my son.”
Matthew 2:13-15

After the Wise Men Left

It’s the Twelfth Day of Christmas! On this day, often called Epiphany, many Christians celebrate the visit of the Wise Men to Jesus. That account is fairly well known. But less well known is what happened after the Wise Men left.

The visit of the Wise Men had alerted King Herod that a rival to his throne had been born. He did not understand that Jesus’ kingdom would not be of this world. Since he was a bloodthirsty man in this world, he arranged for all the young children around Jesus’ age and around Jesus’ birthplace to be slaughtered.

The Lord knew what would happen, so he arranged for Jesus’ parents—Mary and Joseph, to get out of that geographic area. They fled to Egypt, where Herod was not in charge. Egypt had played a large role in the history of the people of Israel before the birth of Jesus, so there was a lot of historical significance to staying in Egypt and eventually leaving Egypt. God knew what he was doing.

What can we learn from this account? God is in charge. Bad things still happen, but God protects people connected to Jesus. Wise Men may leave, but the source of all true wisdom remains.

Prayer:
Dear God, protect me from all threats, and bring me safely to my heavenly home through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.