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"When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. 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. So they said to him, 'In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet: '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.' '"
(Matthew 2:3-6)
This Christmas Season has been extra special to me: I have enjoyed the Christmas carols more than usual; Celine Dion's Oh Holy Night brought me to tears again. The Journey to Bethlehem was an entertaining movie that also helped me focus on Jesus. Our "Christmas at Great Hills" event was wonderful. Serving the Lord with our church family, riding the Christmas Story Express, and hearing all the Christmas music was such a blessing. While standing in line for the train, there was one song that I noticed resonated with lots of people, and it was Feliz Navidad!
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. During this Christmas Season, may these sage men inspire us to pursue Jesus with unity and bring our gifts to the King.
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."
I love God's people, the Church. Pursuing Jesus together like the wise men did is a blessed way to spend this time of year. Brothers and sisters in Christ loving Jesus and walking in unity... well, I know for sure that kind of behavior pleases our Lord.
More on the wise men tomorrow.
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