Reflections on the Wise Men // 12 Days of Christmas Blog Party

I was recently reading the account of Christ's birth in the gospel of Matthew, and the journey of the wise men stood out to me. I think the wise men is a part pf the Christmas story that we seldom really think about.

Let's see what the Bible tells us about them.

"Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him."

So far we know that the wise men came from the East. That's... vast and vague. Still, we know they came from a good distance away. These men were obviously people who knew about God and the Messiah. And they were searching for the Messiah.

I'm going to read verses 7 & 16.

"Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, enquired of them diligently what time the star appeared. ... Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently enquired of the wise men."

According to these scriptures, it seems to me that the wise men were two years upon the road, because Jesus had been on earth for two years when they finally made it to Bethlehem. That's... a long time. More than likely, they journey through mountains and desert. It was inconvenient, hot, long, tiring, dangerous... not easy or fun. But they chose to do it--and stick to it, too.

I'm going to go back to verse 9 now.

"When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was."

I just love this verse. Because it tells us that God brought these men all the way from their country, all the way into Israel, all the way to the house in Bethlehem. He led them straight and exactly to where Christ was. They didn't have to worry or wonder. When we seek Christ, God always leads us to Him.

"And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh."

Now, I am not an expert in these things, but it's obvious that these are rich gifts and fit for a king. The wise men brought their best--their treasures.

Now I'm going on to verse 12.

"And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way."

 When God told them to do something, they obeyed Him. They didn't send a message to Herod; they didn't try to sneak past; they just changed their plans to obey God and avoid Herod.

I don't know about you, but these thoughts made me ponder. Am I willing to undergo trials to follow Jesus? Am I willing to undergo trials for a long time? Do I trust that God will lead me right where I need to be? Am I willing put aside and rearrange my plans arriving to what He says? Am I willing to bring Jesus my treasures and give them freely? Do I give Him my best?

This Christmas, let's ponder these things and keep them in our hearts for the coming years.

Head over to Faith's to see the rest of today's posts.