12-12-13 Wise Men

"I shall see Him, but not now: I shall behold Him, but not nigh: there shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Sceptre shall rise out of Israel..."(Numbers 24;17- 1300 B.C. by Balaam)

Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, 2 saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.”

3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.

5 So they said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet: 6 ‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, Are not the least among the rulers of Judah; For out of you shall come a Ruler Who will shepherd My people Israel.’”

7 Then Herod, when he had secretly called the wise men, determined from them what time the star appeared. 8 And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the young Child, and when you have found Him, bring back word to me, that I may come and worship Him also.”

9 When they heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was. 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. 11 And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

12 Then, being divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed for their own country another way.

Thoughts: The wise men or Magi- were probably astronomers and pre-scientists from the east.  Some think Babylon (modern Iraq) or the Arabian area (like Qutar today).  Early traditions called these magi kings probably because of the kingly gifts offered to the baby King of kings.  Early tradition had three kings- because of the three gifts but we do not know how many came.  The amazing thing is they left their homes and traveled for months looking for the newborn king.  Their commitment and hope was amazing. 

Here are some explanations of "the start"

1) A conjunction of Saturn, Mars, and Jupiter in 7 B.C. 

2) A comet- the Chinese reported one in 5 B.C. 

3) A supernova- a temporary but brilliant star (probably in the Amdromeda galaxy).  Eusebius and the Protoevangelum of James (2nd century) point toward a surprisingly brilliant and unpredicted star.  Robert McIver points to Chinese and Korean astronomers pointing to a supernova about the time of Christ. He also points to Roman drawing of a supernova in about this time.  

Regardless, the Magi were convinced, and acted on their conviction.  They were not afraid to tell King Herod of a possible challenger to his throne.  They were not afraid to leave their home to travel afar.  We should seek their conviction and action. 

Prayer:  May I seek you and find you, Lord, this Christmas.