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The One Year New Testament

January 3

Matthew 2:1-12

Matthew 2:1-12

Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, 2 saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” 3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; 4 and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. 5 They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet:

6 “‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for from you shall come a ruler
who will shepherd my people Israel.’”

7 Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared. 8 And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him.” 9 After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. 11 And going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. 12 And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way.

Reflection

The “wise men” would have been pagan astrologers from the areas east of Israel. They remind us that there is only one God, the Creator of the universe (Rom. 1:18–21; 3:30; 1 Cor. 8:6), and that he desires all people to worship him from the heart (John 4:23). Although God chose Abraham’s descendants as his special people, they were supposed to communicate God’s merciful and forgiving character to the rest of the world (Ex. 19:6). Here Matthew is showing us that the fulfillment of this blessing to the nations has begun.

As the church reaches out with the gospel to every culture and ethnic group, it continues to fulfill the plan of God to bring his blessing to the entire world (Eph. 3:7–10). The Wise Men who experienced an overwhelming joy in finding someone worthy of their worship (Matt. 2:10–11) are just a glimpse into God’s ongoing mission of making worshipers of Jesus from all the nations of the world.

Romans 1:16-17

Romans 1:16-17

16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”

Reflection

Paul speaks of the power of the good news of Jesus’ life, his saving death, and his resurrection. Through the proclamation of this message, Jesus’ words and work save “everyone who believes” (Rom. 1:16), regardless of their identity, social location, or ethnicity. In the gospel, “the righteousness of God” (God’s righteous judgment of our sin by putting Christ to death for us) “is revealed” to those who believe in Christ (v. 17). In Habakkuk 2:4, which is quoted here in Romans 1:17, the Old Testament Scripture foretold that God’s people would obtain life through faith.

Psalm 37:39

Psalm 37:39

39 The salvation of the righteous is from the Lord;
he is their stronghold in the time of trouble.

Thoughts For Prayer

Even though we can do nothing to earn our salvation, we have reason to hope. Offer your thanks and praise to God for providing his saving power to you through the gospel (Rom. 1:16).

Missions Prayer Requests More

  • January 3, 2026

    Supported Workers: Andrew & Angie James

    Country: Uruguay

    Andrew & Angie James, Uruguay Please pray for Andrew and Angie as they lead a short-term mission trip on a riverboat in the Bolivian Amazon with a group of young people from Montevideo until January 10. Pray for safe travels and that the journey would bear lasting fruit—both in the lives of those they encounter and in the hearts of the young people, deepening their passion for missions and evangelism.

    Republic of China, Taiwan, (Asia). Population: 23,112,793 Believers: 2.8%. Taiwan remains a stronghold of Buddhism and Taiwanese folk religion. Over 90% of Taiwanese follow some combination of Buddhism, Confucianism, Daoism, and traditional religions. Buddhism now grows strongly among educated professionals. Most traditional folk religions have many gods, and people pay offerings to ghosts or seek advice from the spirit world. Taiwan remains the only major Han Chinese population in the world without a significant spiritual breakthrough. Pray that this will change. From Operation World DVD-ROM 2010 and www.operationworld.org

The One Year New Testament Copyright Tyndale House Publishers, used by Permission. NIV Bible copyright International Bible Society.