Advent - Day 11

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).

So much is to be gained in this next part of the Christmas story from Matthew’s account. I know it is not the next thing to happen chronologically, but it makes sense from Matthew’s perspective. We’ll look at these verses for the next few days in our preparation for Christmas Day. It probably took place three years after Jesus’ actual birth, though we are not sure about the timing. So, sometime after Jesus was born, “Wise Men” came to look for Him, probably from an area which is now in either Iraq, Iran, Saudi Arabia or the Yemen. Although they are often called the “Three Kings,” the Bible does not say how many there were, or that they were kings. One theory is that they might have been Kings of the Yemen, as during this time the Kings of Yemen were Jews. “Three” is only a guess because they brought with them three gifts; however, there may have many more in their entourage. They were definitely men of learning. They were certainly men of great learning. The word Magi comes from the Greek word μάγος (where the English word “magic” comes from). Magos itself comes from the old Persian word “magupati.” This was the title given to priests in a sect of the ancient Persian religions such as Zoroastrianism. Today we'd called them astrologers. Back then astronomy and astrology were part of the same overall studies and science, going hand in hand with each other. The magi would have followed the patterns of the stars religiously. They would have also probably been very rich and held high esteem in their own society and by people who weren't from their country or religion. They had seen an unusual new star in the sky, and knew that it told of the birth of a special king. We’ll look more at this unusual event later, though we can say that no one really knows what the new star in the sky was. There are many theories including comets, supernovas, a conjunctions of planets, or something supernatural. That part they got right. It was supernatural. God was leading them to a very important place. It should not slip by us that this journey was undertaken with a courageous commitment to follow the star regardless of their not knowing the precise directions. That is a wonderful principle for us today as well. Sometimes God gives us merely “the next step” in our journey. It is not important for us to know all the steps, merely the next one! What might be your next step?