A Place for the Wise Men

After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh. Matthew 2:9-11

It appears the wise men actually arrived long after the birth of Jesus. He was not a swaddled babe in a manger, but a child in a house. They have a place in the early history of Jesus' earthly life. We put them in our nativity scenes because their arrival was chronologically closer to Jesus' birth than his entry into ministry (around age 30). Don't fret their presence in the manger, the truths they remind us of are more important than the timing of their arrival.

Matthew 2:16 leads us to believe that Jesus was nearly two when the Wise Men (Magi) arrived in Jerusalem looking for the king of the Jews. Mary and Joseph had probably settled into life in Bethlehem shortly after the birth of Jesus. The words of the angels and the shepherds had probably been forgotten.

But in Bethlehem the King was being groomed. The arrival of the Magi from the East reminded his family of that truth. In that little town, the King would rule the nations grew up in obscurity. His renown could not be hidden. The stars knew their maker, and they pointed the way for the Magi. Pagan priests/scholars from the East came to worship and bless the King of kings and Lord of lords.

The Wise Men remind us that there is a place for all those who seek King Jesus. He will welcome us, and receive the gifts we offer. But more importantly, he will give us the greater gift the salvation of our souls.