This example of the wise men [being directed to Bethlehem from a quote out of Micah] serves us Gentiles well also [that is, in addition to the Jews]. For it occurred and was recorded so that there might be no confusion for us concerning this event; if we w
ant to seek and find this child, we must believe the Word, stick to it, and not allow ourselves to be diverted from it. If we disregard the Word, the offense has already occurred. For the child is so humble and wretched to look at that it is impossible for one to approach by one’s reason, apart from the Word. Reason and worldly wisdom cannot comprehend or believe that this child, who can find no room where he might be born, is a King and a Lord, a King so great that he is the world’s Saviour. It is meant to be preached through the Word and comprehended in the Word, and to enter our hearts so that we believe it. And as his birth is poor and wretched, so his entire life is likewise nothing but poverty, privation, suffering, misery, shame, and disgrace. The one who loses the Word and merely with human eyes regards him lying in the manger, in the stable, and so on, has already lost him.
Martin Luther Sermons of Martin Luther: The House Postils, v. 1 “Epiphany, First Sermon” 198 (edited by Eugene F. A. Klug)