The Wise Men

Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him.” After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way. (Matthew 2:7-12 ESV). Like so many other unnamed individuals God uses in His purpose, the Wise Men were outsiders, drawn to God’s land and God’s people by the news of something worth finding there. They came “from the ends of the earth” to find the One God had sent as His chosen King. It is interesting that we assume there were three men, or that they were kings. Actually the Bible doesn’t give us that information. There were three gifts presented; and, the gifts were extravagant, but we don’t know how many or what station they occupied in their culture. Yet they are there in Scripture as representatives of a vast multitude, with neither roots in Israel nor claims on Israel’s God, who are nonetheless drawn into Israel’s blessings. They have not even been the objects of anyone’s deliberate evangelistic efforts. It is interesting to consider why they came to Jesus. It should not be overlooked that though the Wise Men seem such colorful, exotic characters, it was simply in the course of their regular work that something had caught their attention and moved them to seek it out. They were astronomers. They made their life’s work to study certain phenomena in the stars and their alignment. One evening they saw something very unique and knew it would require their traveling to fully investigate its meaning. That quest led them to the savior. I find it of particular interest that this story can be repeated often both in the church and in our individual lives. Sometimes people turn up uninvited and unexpectedly in our lives. They may end up asking about Jesus. I wonder if we are always prepared to answer their questions. I have found those questions to be challenging at times. They challenge my ideas of what should or shouldn’t be considered “right.” Perhaps these guests may even threaten the status quo of our comfortable lifestyle. Herod certainly was uncomfortable in our reading today when these men came to him. His reaction denied the work of God completely. I fear we do the same at times. Our call is to be prepared to be caught up in God’s evangelistic plans, even if we have not been involved in making them. The Magi knew that. Maybe that’s why we call them “wise men.”