And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way.
– Matthew 2:12
Having encountered the Child, worshiped him, and offered their gifts, the wise men do not simply return via their previous route. To go back to Herod would be to re-enter the old order that is defined by anxiety over power, manipulation, and violence disguised as political prudence. Herod represents the world as it organises itself without submission to God. It is a system that preserves control at all costs and treats truth as a tool rather than a reality to be obeyed. To return to Herod would be to collude, however unintentionally, with that order.
Instead, the wise men returned home “by another way.” Encountering the true King necessarily alters one’s direction. The wise men cannot retrace their steps, because the assumptions that brought them to Jerusalem in the first place have been dismantled. Power is no longer located in palaces but in a Child; kingship is no longer expressed through domination but through humility. Encountering Christ calls for reorientation of one’s course. One either returns to the familiar tracks shaped by worldly wisdom or sets out on a new way—the way of the Lord. The wise men choose the latter, and in doing so, embody the truth that Christmas is not complete until the King redirects our path.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, having encountered you, do not allow me to return to my old ways. Give me discernment to recognise paths shaped by worldly wisdom and courage to walk the way of obedience you set before me. Lead me home by another way. Amen.
Meditation
In what specific ways might following Christ require me to break with old patterns, alliances, or assumptions that belong to the world I am leaving behind?