A Visit from the Wisemen

        After the wise men heard the king, they left. The star that they had seen in the east went before them until it stopped above the place where the child was. When the wise men saw the star, they were filled with joy. They came to the house where the child was and saw him with his mother, Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. They opened their gifts and gave him treasures of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. (Matthew 2:9-11, New Century Version)

In the Christian church, January 6 commemorates the visit of the Wisemen.

We always picture these men arriving on camels and wearing exotic clothing and robes. There’s always three of them, and they show up at the stable along with the shepherds.

Bible scholars pretty much agree that the Magi didn’t arrive at the time of Jesus’ birth. It could have been anywhere from a few weeks to a few years before they showed up. They had followed that star all the way from somewhere in the East and who knows how long that took them.

Everyone assumes that because they brought three gifts, there must have been three of them. There could have been twelve wise guys coming to visit Jesus, or only two. It doesn’t matter. What matters is that they brought gifts and bowed down to worship the young Christ child.

Since the Wisemen were not Jewish, their visit is more important than just the gifts they brought to the Savior. They represent the Gentiles – the non-Jews – so they signify that Jesus came to save everyone, not just the Jewish people.