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"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, 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.'"
(Matthew 2:1-2)
Wise men in the East made the effort to follow the star to see the Christ Child. Their intentional journey focused on the star that led them to Jesus. With Christmas only a couple of weeks away, may these sage men inspire us to likewise pursue the King and bring our gifts to Him.
One of my favorite Bible commentaries is The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures. Here is a helpful explanation from this commentary (Vol. 2, pp. 20–21) regarding the Magi:
"The exact identity of the Magi is impossible to determine, though several ideas have been suggested. . . . More likely they were Gentiles of high position from a country, perhaps Parthia, northeast of Babylon, who were given a special revelation by God of the birth of the King of the Jews. This special revelation may simply have been in the sky, as might be indicated by their title 'Magi' (specialists in astronomy) and by the fact they referred to a star which they saw. Or this revelation could have come through some contact with Jewish scholars who had migrated to the East with copies of Old Testament manuscripts. Many feel the Magi's comments reflected a knowledge of Balaam's prophecy concerning the 'star' that would 'come out of Jacob' (Num. 24:17). Whatever the source, they came to Jerusalem to worship the newborn King of the Jews."
Matthew 2:9-11 states, "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. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. 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."
These wise men from the east traveled west to see the Child born in Bethlehem. I love how intentional and proactive they were. They left their homelands, made the long journey, entered the house where Jesus was, fell down before Him, worshiped Him, and presented their gifts to Him. May their example inspire us to do the same. May we be intentional this Christmas Season and make the efforts necessary to truly focus on, worship, and bring gifts to the King, Jesus Christ.
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