The shepherds were the first to take notice of the newborn infant in Bethlehem. The angels had announced His birth to those shepherds as they tended their sheep on the Judean hillside. Immediately after their appearance they said one to another: Let us now go even unto Bethlehem and see this thing which is come to pass.
The next recorded group to take notice of the incarnate Christ would have been the dwellers in the Temple. The law required that 33 days after a boy was born he was to be presented in the Temple, along with the sacrifice for the purification of the mother.
Simeon, a just and devout man, who awaited the consolation of Israel, and Anna, a prophetess, who served the Lord with fastings and prayers night and day were both there present when they arrived. These two individuals rejoiced in seeing the Messiah.
Sometime after this the wise men of the East come to visit the Saviour. It is interesting to notice that He no longer is termed a ‘babe' when they do so, but a ‘young child'. Evidently, He is now somewhat older than before. From Herod's violent reaction it could be anything up to two years after his birth, v7.
Consider these wise men worshipping Christ |
