The Wise Guys
When Jesus was born in the village of Bethlehem in Judea, Herod was king. During this time some wise men from the east came to Jerusalem and said, “Where is the child born to be king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.” When King Herod heard about this, he was worried, and so was everyone else in Jerusalem. Herod brought together the chief priests and the teachers of the Law of Moses and asked them, “Where will the Messiah be born?” They told him, “He will be born in Bethlehem, just as the prophet wrote, ‘Bethlehem in the land of Judea, you are very important among the towns of Judea. From your town will come a leader, who will be like a shepherd for my people Israel.’” Herod secretly called in the wise men and asked them when they had first seen the star. He told them, “Go to Bethlehem and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, let me know. I want to go and worship him too.” The wise men listened to what the king said and then left. And the star they had seen in the east went on ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. They were thrilled and excited to see the star. When the men went into the house and saw the child with Mary, his mother, they knelt down and worshiped him. They took out their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh and gave them to him. Later they were warned in a dream not to return to Herod, and they went back home by another road. (Matthew 2:1-12)
I think the story of the wise guys is kind of mysterious. Unfortunately, traditions, like party-poopers, have attempted to take all the mystery out of the encounter which is recorded only in the book of Matthew. For instance, these visitors are commonly referred to as either Magi, wise men or kings. But these guys were no kings. The word itself, magi, is the Latin version of the plural Greek word, magos, which is derived from an Old Persian word maguŝ which itself is taken from an even older eastern Iranian word, magâunô. The magâunô were a religious, priestly caste who paid very close attention to the stars and had gained an international reputation for astrology – a belief that by studying the stars (astronomy) you could predict the future and explain the present. At that time, astrology was huge – let’s call it following the science, at least as some “followed the science” back in the day. So, the magâunô’s religious practices, including their use of astrology, resulted in the term magi being used to describe the occult. Hence, the English word “magic.” That’s your etymology lesson for the day.
And the phrase from the East? Well, that’s the only information Matthew gives us about where these guys came from. Traditionally, the view developed that they were Babylonians, which is present day Turkey, or Persians – present day Iran – or Jewish men from Yemen. However, the majority of current scholars believe that they were probably from Babylon, which – at least at that time – was the center of astrology. Three gifts are also identified in Matthew, i.e., gold, frankincense and myrrh. Now, there’s a lot of theories about the meaning and symbolism of these gifts, but they’re generally lumped into two, major categories. The first grouping suggests that all three gifts were offerings and gifts that would, typically, have been given to a king: myrrh being commonly used as an anointing oil; frankincense as a perfume; and gold as a valuable.
The other line of thought suggests that the three gifts had a spiritual meaning: gold as a symbol of kingship on earth; frankincense as a symbol of the priesthood; and myrrh, which was an embalming oil, as a symbol of death. In fact, these spiritual interpretations are alluded to in the verses of the popular Christmas Carol, We Three Kings, circa 1857. Of course, it was 3 gifts not 3 kings because we don’t really know how many wise men actually showed up, and they weren’t kings. Regardless of your take on popular tradition, these guys were men of faith because what would prompt someone to leave the comfort of their own home to go on a dangerous trip? Romance? Maybe. Wealth? Probably. But faith? Remember, this was a journey of close to 900 miles which, in those days, might as well have been 9,000 miles, or 9,000,000 miles since traveling that kind of distance could have taken as long as a year.
Their question though, “Where is the child born to be king of the Jews?,” is very probing. There’s no doubt from their question that they believed that Jesus had been born. So, the real question was, “Where is he?” Better yet, these guys had seen a star and being the astrologers that they were this “sign” fascinated them and confirmed what they’d heard. So, their evidence was real. In other words, they had faith that the Christ child existed. Now, all they had to do was find him and, apparently, they were willing to risk everything to do just that. And speaking of risk, did you happen to catch the name of the guy to whom the wise guys asked their question? That’s right, good ol’ king Herod who was a real peach of a guy. He suffered from depression and paranoia, among other maladies, and saw a conspiracy around every corner and under every rug. And being the career politician that he was, he didn’t want to lose his job to some upstart, so he simply murdered his challengers. These “challengers” included his first wife, three of his sons, and one of his sons-in-law. He was a real charmer.
Also, this is the same guy who, when his kingdom was running a little short on cash, didn’t bother raising taxes or printing more money because Herod had a better idea – he simply went to the source and invited 45 of the country’s wealthiest families (all of whom were members of the Jewish Sanhedrin) to Jerusalem for the weekend and threw them a huge party. The guests had the time of their lives, which I guess is a good thing because Herod’s parting gift at this killer party was the ordering of their immediate execution and the seizure of their estates. Call it a “charitable” fundraiser. And as Herod’s life was drawing to a close, he became concerned that no one would really mourn his death. So, he commanded a large group of distinguished men to come to his palace in Jericho, at which time he ordered the men imprisoned and sentenced to death when Herod died. That way, Herod figured, there’d be plenty of grieving – if not for him, at least in general. Fortunately, Herod’s son, Archilaus, and his sister, Salome, didn’t carry out their father’s wishes.
So, you can imagine Herod’s response when the wise guys asked, “Where is the child born to be king of the Jews?,” especially when Herod considered himself a Jew. So, here’s Herod, a crazed, conspiracy-theorist who’s asked, “Where’s the King, king?” by a bunch of smart aleck foreigners. Given the wise guys that they were, they probably quit asking questions and called a Lyft for the six mile drive to Bethlehem. But now you can see why Herod had no problem ordering that all male children under two (2) years old be killed. For Herod, it was all in a day’s work. Herod was a real piece of work, and that’s why the wise men went home another way, and Joseph, Mary and Jesus took a train to Egypt.
So, can you imagine the neighbor’s reaction when the wise men were getting ready to head out and go to Jerusalem? It may have gone something like the following. “Hey, John, looks like you’re gettin’ ready to go on a trip somewhere.” “Yeah, I am.” “Cool. Where ya goin’?” “I’m not really sure.” “OK, well how far are you gonna go on your trip? I mean, are you going across-town or are you going cross-country?” “Well, I really don’t know the answer to that one, either.” “Hmmmmm. Alright then, but do you know how long you’ll be gone?” “Unfortunately, I’m not too sure about that one as well.” “You know, John, for a wise guy you don’t know much, do you?”
Of course, this wouldn’t be the first time that people questioned an act of faith. For instance, people must have said some pretty similar things to Abraham when he left his home and family for a place that God would eventually show him. (Acts 7:2-3) But God’s journeys always involve faith. In fact, the Hebrew writer says in Hebrews 11:6 that “It’s impossible to please God apart from faith. And why? Because anyone who wants to approach God must believe both that he exists and that he cares enough to respond to those who seek him.” The Bible is full of stories of people of faith who have been willing to respond to the challenges of the unknown, like Noah and his wife and kids to name a few.
Interestingly, journeys of faith always produce worship. In our story, the wise men’s journey was for the express purpose of worship. They brought gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh and these gifts had a worshipful purpose. Gold represented wealth – a gift fit for the King of kings. Frankincense was the sap of a tree that had been dried, hardened and used as incense to worship God – a fitting gift for the Son of God, our High Priest. Myrrh is a fragrant perfume that was used to anoint and embalm Jesus – the sacrificial Lamb of God. But there’s more to worship than gift giving like presents of gold, frankincense and myrrh. Worship also involves sacrifice, and these men had devoted themselves to go on a journey to an unknown location, at an unknown distance, for an unknown period of time. And don’t forget, travel in those days was not very comfortable and could be downright dangerous. Nevertheless, the wise men sacrificed their own comfort and safety to find the King and to worship him.
So, how about you? What gifts will you bring? “But I don’t have anything to give him,” you say. Well, that’s not altogether true. For instance, where were you last Sunday, or maybe mid-week? Maybe at church or a small group Bible study? If so, then you’ve given him something of yourself haven’t you? You’ve given your time. For instance, last Sunday maybe you prepared for worship by getting up (you could have slept in), getting dressed (you could have stayed home in your robe and slippers) and got ready to seek a King (you could have decided to go without a shower, a shave or even makeup). So, you got in your car, used your gas and went to worship, even as the COVID pandemic continues to loom in its now-too-numerous Greek variants.
See, when you come, you come as a living sacrifice even though you may not see it that way. Maybe you didn’t even realize it. The effort you make to worship God is a part of your sacrifice to him. But what God wants most of all, more than your sacrifice, is you. He wants your heart. He wants your attention. He wants your dependence on him. So the question becomes, “What are you willing to give him?” Are you willing to give God your best? Are you willing to go on a spiritual journey to worship him? Are you willing to give up your comfort zone to follow Christ? The wise men were. But along with the journey, and the worship and the sacrifice, a wise man’s journey is also one of change. Isn’t it interesting that after the wise men worshiped Jesus they couldn’t go back the same way they came? That’s true even today. Once you’ve met God you’ll never be the same. An encounter with God changes things – it changes you. It’s always been that way.
And that’s what happens when we walk into the presence of God. We’re changed. That’s what happened to the wise men when they encountered Christ – they were changed. And that’s what happens when we encounter Christ – things become different. So as we hear the story of the wise men this season consider that maybe, just maybe, they were wise because they had faith; they were wise because they worshiped and, as a result, their lives were changed forever. All because of a child.
Are you looking for a change in your life? Find Christ this Christmas and you’ll be changed; things will be different. Step out in faith and seek him as the wise guys did. It’s the wisest decision any man or woman will ever make.
Grace,
Randy
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