As I listened to a message recently, live-streamed from Pathway Church in Wichita, the Pastor discussed the Magi. You know, the three wise men of Christmas fame.
Have you ever wondered how it was decided there were three? It doesn’t actually say that anywhere. Myself, I actually think there were more than three. The idea of three seems to come from the fact we are told in the ancient writings that there were three gifts. But I think the Magi all went in on the gifts. Much like your family does for Aunt Matilda and Uncle Frank at Christmas. Just putting that out there.
Probably only three went in to see “The child with his mother.” (Matt 2.11 ESV) because we know it was a small space. My guess it was the guy who first figured it out about the star, and then the guy who first actually saw it. The third guy was probably the Magi president. The rest of them went in later. It’s sort of like the waiting room at the hospital where only one or two can go in.
They had come a considerable distance, probably eight or nine hundred miles, over a considerable period of time. Camels don’t move particularly fast.
They had come with a question “where is the One?” Back home in the East, (Persia) their studies had told them about “the One.” They had plenty of time to study, social media as you and I know it hadn’t been invented yet. They were readers, they studied the old writings. They studied the stars. They were the really smart guys, the MIT grads of their day.
The Bible, in Matthew Chapter 2 tells us the Magi when asked by King Herod about how they knew where to go said, “We saw His star when it rose.” Today we might say they saw the light.
And did you see that? When King Herod asked “where was the Christ to be born” they quoted Micah the prophet! How cool is that. Micah is obscure today, he certainly would have been back in those days, especially to a bunch of guys from “the east.” I told you they were readers and studiers.
This then is how would they know about “His” star? They would have been reading and studying and watching. They would have been doing this for a considerable period of time to know this particular star was new. (Have you looked at the stars lately? Any of them look new to you?) They had to know something to know that the one in question was “His star.”
Today we have better access to ancient writings than the Magi. What those writings told them about “the One,” also tell us about “the One.”
The Magi had a sign, a lighted sign.
I have a good friend in the sign business. He says the lighted ones are the most effective.
We have signs as well. They are all around us. We, like the Magi, should be trying to understand them.
The Magi left to follow the sign.
You see it wasn’t just their sign, it was yours and my sign as well.
They went looking for Him.
So should we.
The Magi saw the light…and followed it up with action.
So should we.
Spend some time this Christmas season in a world that seems to be tearing itself apart…looking for the star. His star!