The Wise Men

Matthew 2:4-6 (NLT)

4 He called a meeting of the leading priests and teachers of religious law and asked, “Where is the Messiah supposed to be born?” 5 “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they said, “for this is what the prophet wrote: 6 ‘And you, O Bethlehem in the land of Judah, are not least among the ruling cities of Judah, for a ruler will come from you who will be the shepherd for my people Israel.’”

In their search, wise men from the east stopped to ask Kind Herod where the newborn king of the Jews was located. They assumed a king would know the location of another king. This worried Herod that there would be mention of another king so he called together religious leaders to inquire where the child would be.  

Not much is known about the wise men that came to visit Jesus. While many manger scenes depict three wise men standing near Jesus at the manger, even the number of wise men is not accounted for. Some have assumed there were three, because there were three gifts. However we don’t know the true number. Also, the wise men did not visit the manger. The only ones present after the birth of Jesus in the manger were Joseph and Mary, local shepherds and the animals that were present.  The wise men went to the home of Mary and Joseph where Jesus was a toddler. The wise men worshiped Jesus there and presented the gifts they carried.

What is important is that kings came to visit The King of Kings and they brought gifts that recognized who He was. Gold was traditionally offered to a king as a gift. Frankincense was used as a specialize incense at the temple and therefore recognized the deity of Jesus. Myrrh was another fragrance and was used for burials, so this foreshowed the coming death of Jesus. Some even believe the myrrh used on the body of Jesus came from this gift.

As we celebrate Christmas, put aside for a while all the commercialism. Remember we are celebrating the birth of Jesus who came to free us from sin. Remember that even as a child he was born to die for our sins. Give thanks and praise for the birth of the Son of God this holiday season.