Little Prayer Stories
Bible story for kids

The Three Wise Men

The Wise Men, or Magi, were wise men from the East who followed a star to Bethlehem to worship the newborn Jesus, bringing gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. The Church celebrates their visit at the Epiphany, traditionally January 6. Their story is in Matthew 2:1-12.

In the Bible: Matthew 2:1-12

Hear the start of Clara’s story
The three Wise Men in rich robes, carrying their gifts under the great star

The story

Far away in the East, some wise men who studied the sky saw a new, bright star. They knew it meant that a great king had been born, so they packed gifts and set out on a long journey to find him.

In Jerusalem they asked King Herod where the newborn king could be. Herod was worried, because he wanted to be the only king. His advisers said the prophets had named Bethlehem, so Herod sent the wise men there and asked them to come back and tell him where the child was.

The star went ahead of them and stopped over the place where Jesus was. Full of joy, the wise men went in, knelt down and worshiped him. They opened their treasures and gave him gold, frankincense and myrrh. Then, warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they went home another way.

Clara tells the whole story at bedtime, in the Little Prayer Stories app.Get the app →

Questions parents ask

Were there really three wise men?

The Bible doesn’t say how many there were. Christians have long said three because there were three gifts. Their names, Melchior, Caspar and Balthasar, come from later tradition.

What do gold, frankincense and myrrh mean?

An old Christian explanation says gold honors Jesus as a king, frankincense, burned in worship, honors him as God, and myrrh, a perfume used at burials, points to the day he would give his life for us.

How do families celebrate Día de Reyes?

In Mexico, Spain and many Latin American homes, children leave their shoes out on the night of January 5, sometimes with hay for the camels, and find gifts in the morning. Families share a rosca de reyes, a ring-shaped sweet bread with a tiny baby Jesus hidden inside.

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