Wisdom of the Wise Men

Epiphany is the day set aside to remember the journey of the wise men to worship Jesus. There’s some time and distance between Christmas and Epiphany, and that’s by design. The clues that are given in Matthew’s gospel lead us to believe that the wise men arrived after the immediate events of Jesus’ birth. One of those clues is the fact that Matthew tells us the wise men found the Holy Family in a house, not a stable, so we assume a little bit of time had passed; rooms had opened up; and they had upgraded from the stable. So if you’ve ever wondered why the Church waits to mention the mysterious Magi, that’s why. A little time passes between shepherds and wise men.

Have you ever wondered who these wise men really were? Where were they from—besides “the East”? What was it about the star that caused them to undertake such an expensive journey? Matthew keeps the details to a minimum, and where Scripture is silent, people love to fill in the blanks.

For example, there’s the old Epiphany standard, “We Three Kings of Orient Are.” Dr. Paul Maier points out in his book “The First Christmas” that in just the opening line of that song, three assumptions are made. Let’s examine them. First is the number three. “We Three Kings.” The three wise men…it is simply assumed that three magi came to worship the newly-born King of Israel. But does Scripture support that? Not necessarily. A close reading of Matthew 2 reveals that Matthew never mentions a number in connection with the wise men. The only grouping of three we are told about is the three gifts given to Jesus; and from that the assumption was made: three gifts, three givers; one gift per wise man. Now that’s possible—but it’s also possible that there were two or twelve. Matthew never says.

Next, there’s the “Kings” of the title, which is in the right neighborhood, but probably says too much. Historical research tells us that magi were not kings per se, but would likely serve as top advisers to heads of state in the ancient world. The name says a lot: Magi were both magistrates and magicians. They were part college professor; part doctor; part astrologer; part fortune teller. Today they might be called “futurists.” But whatever they were, they were not Chief Executives—more like cabinet members.

Then there’s the “Orient” of the title. That’s probably going a little too far east, given what we know about the Magi of Babylon and Persia (which correspond to modern-day Iraq and Iran). Located east of Israel, the histories of those cultures provide us with most of what we know about Magi, and in the case of Babylon, there would have been direct interaction between Israelites and Magi during the exiles, which may explain why the Magi were interested in this particular star in the first place.

All of which is to say that the Magi are mysterious figures when you really go digging for information.

But there is no mystery as to why they made the journey. It was to worship the Child. It was to present their gifts to the King. God had met them where they were at, right there in their astronomy charts, and told them, the world-changer has come. About that Matthew leaves no doubt.

Even little children know the gifts that they brought: gold, frankincense and myrrh, and much has been said about the significance of those gifts. Today I just want to bring the story of the mysterious Magi down to a simple level. Here’s a review of the facts we know: some non-Jewish, extremely well-educated individuals went through a lot of personal and political trouble to bring their gifts; their worship; to Jesus. On a global level, this signifies that Jesus is for everyone, regardless of ethnicity, gender, or social standing. Much closer to home, we see the wise men bring Jesus their gifts and their worship…giving us the chance to ask ourselves, “What gift do I have for Jesus? What gift can I bring the King of creation?”

After all, he is the greatest gift, born into the world to help the helpless—to save us from eternal darkness—to bathe us in the life-giving light of his forgiveness. His birth and perfect life—his suffering and death—his own resurrection and ascension into heaven to rule over everything—all is pure gift. Jesus is God’s gift to us sinners, who would be spiraling downward to destruction if He were not given to us. But Jesus was given—God, in flesh and blood, came to rescue you and me—and Jesus is given—that same flesh and blood is offered in His Church through wine and bread for the forgiveness of your sins. He’s come to promise you eternal joy in heaven. There’s no other gift like this.

So as we kneel alongside the Magi, I ask you again, what gift will you bring to Jesus? We can learn a lot from our children, you know. I once asked a group of four and five-year-olds that same question: “What gift will you bring to Jesus?” and do you know what one little girl said immediately? She said, “My heart.” I’m not sure a better  answer could be given to that question. “My heart is the gift I will bring.”

What else would Jesus really want? He wants your heart—as broken or scarred or corrupt as it might be. He wants the very heart of you; He wants you to turn away from sin and to turn to Him. He wants you to stop placing your trust in the wisdom of the world, and wants you to place your trust in Him instead. He wants your heart so he can cleanse it and remake it to resemble His own. He wants you to believe His Word, and in so doing, to enjoy the unexpected gifts of forgiveness, wholeness, and new life.

Here is true wisdom, available to all. Jesus: God in flesh and blood—our rescuer. Lay your gifts before Him and worship your King.