Then, being divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed for their own country another way. – Matthew 2: 12

One last time, we are going to dig into the treasure chest to see if we can pluck one more pearl of wisdom from the wise men. We already saw what they did when they sought Jesus. We watched what they did as they worshiped Jesus. Now, let us pick up some points from how they left Jesus.

They came to worship Him, and they did. However, at some point the wonder of worship had to come to an end. Like Peter, James and John who could not remain on the Mt. of Transfiguration, these wise men had to leave Jesus. They could not stay at the stable. They could not live at His feet. They had to go. What is most instructive, however, is that even though they had to leave Him, they did not leave Him the same way or in the same condition that they came to Him. In fact, when they left Him, they went home a different way.

1). They went a different direction. In spite of Herod’s request for them to come back to him and bring word of the Lord’s whereabouts, these men went home another way to avoid running into Herod or his men. When we leave Jesus, we can no longer go in the direction of wicked men with whom we once associated. We must go a different way.

2). They went with a different testimony. At first, they testified to Herod that they had seen His star in the east. Now, they could proclaim to the whole world that they had actually seen Him. There is no greater answer to the question: “How was church today?” than to be able to say: “I saw Him!”

3). They went away as different people. These men came to Jesus as wise men. They left Him as saved men. They knew He was the Savior. They accepted Him as the Christ. They went away with more than revelation. They left with salvation. Worshiping in the presence of Christ changes us. If we are saved, it draws us closer to His likeness. If we are not saved, it invites us to accept Him. No matter what, whenever we are truly in His presence, we always leave Him a different way.