Wise Men Warned in a Dream

In the Gospel of Matthew, the Magi from the East followed a star to Bethlehem, where they visited the child Jesus after first consulting King Herod in Jerusalem about the newborn king of the Jews. Following their presentation of gifts, the wise men were divinely warned in a dream not to return to Herod, who had secretly intended to locate and destroy the infant as a perceived threat to his throne. They therefore returned home by another route, an event that enabled the Holy Family's flight to Egypt and illustrated God's providential protection while affirming the inclusion of Gentiles in the Messiah's revelation as foretold in Scripture.