Wise Men Still Seek Him

"After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him. ... After they heard from the king, they went on thier way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, incense, and of myrrh."

~Matthew 2:1-2 ; 9-12"

Ah, the wisemen or were they kings and were there actually three of them? These questions have been asked by both laymen and theologians alike.

The men who went in search of the true meaning of Christmas were astrologers. This explains why they took notice of the star in the east. The greek word here is "magoi" -- magi. It's a Persian word for men expert in the study of the stars. There is no evidence they were kings or that there were three of them. the star that signaled Jesus' birth aroused their interest and they journeyed to Judea to seek the newborn king.

However, their journey was long and they arrived many months, if not years after His birth. Therefore, they did not show up at the manger. The text makes it clear that they came to the "house". By the time these wisemen got to Jesus, he had grown and was probably about 2 years old.

There is one unquestionable characteristic about these seekers of the king of Israel. They were wise. How do we know? The text gives us a picture of their wisdom that is so simple it may be missed. These men knew the birth of the baby in Bethlehem was a very special event. They spent a great deal of time searching for Him. The expense of which might have been great, but it was a sacrifice they knew they had to make. The undeniable wisdom of these men was that they came to "worship him". They didn't travel to Bethlehem for the accolades, or to be front page news. No, they came to worship the one and only true God.

Knowledge comes from books, but wisdom comes from God. Wise men still seek Him. How wise are you?

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