There is a difference between knowing a story and being awakened by it.
Most of us know the Christmas story. We can picture the manger, the angels, shepherds in the fields, and a star hanging over Bethlehem. But this year, as I sat with Matthew 2 and the story of the wisemen, something unexpected happened:
I realized that the difference in the story is not who knew the prophecy.
The difference is who woke up enough to respond.
The Wisemen: Awake to a Promise
“After Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of King Herod, wise men from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, ‘Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star at its rising and have come to worship him.’”
Matthew 2:1–2 (CSB)
The word used for these “wise men” is magoi, not just casual stargazers, but learned men from the East, likely scholars or astrologers who studied the skies and ancient texts. They had access to writings and prophecies that hinted at the coming of a great King. One important Old Testament echo is:
“A star will come from Jacob, and a scepter will arise from Israel.”
Numbers 24:17 (CSB)
They were not the first to read these prophecies.
They were not the only ones who studied such writings.
But when they saw the star, something inside them was awakened.
They responded with movement. They left home. They left security. They left the known because they believed God was doing something that was worth reorienting their entire lives around.
The word Matthew uses when they finally arrive to see Jesus is powerful:
“They knelt down and worshiped him.”
Matthew 2:11 (CSB)
The Greek word here is proskyneo, to bow down, to fall on one’s face, to show deep reverence. It is not casual. It is not a polite nod toward God. It is a posture that says:
“You are King. I am not.”
Their awakening led to worship. Their knowledge led to a journey. Their study led to surrender.
Herod: Awake, But to the Wrong Thing.
Herod also knew the prophecies.
When the wisemen show up in Jerusalem asking about the newborn King of the Jews, Herod immediately recognizes the implications. Matthew says:
“When King Herod heard this, he was deeply disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him.”
Matthew 2:3 (CSB)
The phrase deeply disturbed translates the Greek etarachthe, from tarasso, meaning to trouble, agitate, stir up, or unsettle. Herod was shaken, but not in a way that brought him to worship.
He gathers the chief priests and scribes, and they quote the prophecy of Micah 5:2:
“And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah, because out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.”
Matthew 2:6 (CSB, quoting Micah 5:2)
Herod knows the text. He hears the same Scripture that awakens faith in the wisemen. But instead of awakening faith, it awakens fear.
His fear does not drive him to God.
It drives him to control, manipulation, and violence.
Later in the chapter, we see the horror of his response:
“Then Herod, when he realized that he had been outwitted by the wise men, flew into a rage. He gave orders to massacre all the boys in and around Bethlehem who were two years old and under.”
Matthew 2:16 (CSB)
Same prophecy.
Same announcement of a King.
Same opportunity to respond.
Yet Herod’s awakening produces destruction instead of devotion.
Knowledge vs. Awakening
This tension forces a question:
How many times have I heard the truth but stayed unchanged?
Herod proves that you can know the right Scriptures and still miss the Savior standing in front of you.
The chief priests and scribes quote prophecy, yet they do not go with the wisemen to seek Jesus. Herod hears about the Messiah’s birth, yet he does not bow, he plots.
The wisemen, on the other hand, have less religious background and less access to temple worship, yet they are the ones who respond with movement and worship.
It is a reminder that:
God is not impressed by how much we know if it never changes how we live.
Familiarity with Scripture is not the same as surrender to the Author.
Awakening is not just about information. It is about transformation.
God’s Plan in the Middle of the Mess
It is here we hit a hard, honest question:
Why would God allow a story like this, with a paranoid king, a violent response, and deep pain, to sit inside the beauty of the Christmas narrative?
Matthew does not hide the darkness. He quotes Jeremiah 31:15.
“A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children; and she refused to be consoled, because they are no more.”
Matthew 2:18 (CSB)
Christmas is not just cozy scenes and soft lights.
It unfolds in real history, with real fear, real violence, and real grief.
Yet even here, God is not absent. He is not surprised by Herod. He is not derailed by evil.
God warns the wise men in a dream not to return to Herod (Matthew 2:12).
God warns Joseph and sends the family to Egypt (Matthew 2:13-15).
God weaves even the flight to Egypt into fulfillment of prophecy. “Out of Egypt I called my Son,” Hosea 11:1, fulfilled in Matthew 2:15.
Evil is real. Herod’s choices are wicked. The pain is not minimized or glossed over.
But even in the middle of it, God’s plan is not undone.
The Greek word for fulfilled that Matthew loves to use is pleroo, meaning to fill up, complete, or bring to fullness. Over and over he writes:
“This took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet.”
The message is clear:
Even when the world feels off the rails, even when power is abused and innocent people are hurt, God is still moving His purposes forward.
He does not cause the evil.
But He is never defeated by it.
Christmas is God entering the story as it is, not as we wish it was.
What Is God Awakening in Us This Christmas
The real question is not just what happened between the wisemen and Herod.
The real question is:
What is God trying to awaken in you this Christmas?
Some reflective questions to sit with:
Where am I more like Herod than I want to admit?
Are there areas where I feel threatened by Jesus being King instead of me?
Places where His leading makes me defensive, controlling, or fearful?
Where am I being invited to respond like the wisemen?
Is there a star God has put in my life, a nudge, a Scripture, an open door, that I have been noticing but not following?
What would it look like to move from studying to stepping?
What familiar truths have grown dull in my heart?
Have I heard the Christmas story so often that it no longer stirs anything in me?
What might God want to reawaken in me, whether awe, gratitude, trust, or obedience?
Where have I assumed that darkness means God is absent?
Are there painful chapters in my story where I have said, “God cannot be in this”?
How might the pattern of Matthew 2, God quietly guiding, speaking, and fulfilling, speak hope into those places?
A Moment To Remember: Do Not Lose The Awe Of God
Before the story moves to its close, there is a simple truth that presses on my heart:
Do not lose the awe of God.
The wisemen kept their awe. They allowed wonder to lead them. They followed God with open hearts and open hands. Herod lost his awe long before the star appeared. Once awe disappears, fear and control take its place.
A Christmas Awakening begins with recovering that awe. Awe humbles us. Awe moves us. Awe opens our hearts to the presence of Jesus. Awe is often the doorway to renewed faith.
If you want a Christmas Awakening, start by asking God to awaken awe again.
From Information to Surrender
If we go back to the wisemen, one more detail stands out:
“They were overwhelmed with joy. Entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and falling to their knees, they worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures.”
Matthew 2:10–11 (CSB)
Joy.
Worship.
Surrendered treasure.
They could have stayed where they were and simply added the prophecy to their intellectual collection. Instead, they stepped into a long, costly journey that ended in worship and generosity at the feet of Jesus.
This is what a Christmas Awakening truly looks like:
Not just hearing the story, but being moved by it.
Not just talking about Jesus, but coming to Him.
Not just admiring the idea of a Savior, but bowing to Him as King.
An Invitation to Live Awake
The Christmas season may have passed, but a Christmas Awakening is not meant to be confined to a single day or service. The same God who awakened the hearts of the wisemen is still at work today, still stirring hearts, still inviting us to respond.
If God has been stirring something in you as you read this, do not ignore it. Lean into it. Take time to reflect. Open Scripture again. Pay attention to the quiet nudges of the Holy Spirit. Awakening often begins in small, unseen moments before it ever changes something big.
This week, I want to encourage you to do two simple things:
First, ask yourself where God might be inviting you to move closer to Him. Not with pressure or performance, but with humility and openness.
Second, invite someone into the conversation. Share this post with a friend. Ask them how they are really doing. Create space for honest faith conversations that move beyond surface-level answers.
A Christmas Awakening does not end with the season. It becomes a way of living awake to the presence, direction, and purpose of God every day.
Do not lose the awe of God. He is still at work, and He is still drawing hearts to Himself
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