One of the more mysterious elements of Christmas is the identity of the Wise Men. Over the years perhaps you have wondered, “Who are these guys?” We are fascinated by their presence and their presents. We are drawn to their fancy clothes and mysterious air. Usually we are left with more questions than answers. As a matter of fact, what we think we know about the wise men is the product of the greeting card industry and artists rather than from theologians. Many unfounded and even absurd traditions have crept their way into our Christmas celebrations concerning these mysterious visitors to the Lord’s house. Most people think they were three in number, a symbol of the fact that they might represent the families of Shem, Ham and Japheth – the sons of Noah. Thus, one of them is usually pictured as an Ethiopian. Tradition has given them the names Caspar, Belthazar and Melchior. Supposedly, in the twelfth century Rinald, Bishop of Cologne, discovered their skulls with their eyes still in their sockets facing toward Bethlehem. But all of this in purely conjecture. In all likelihood, this was a large contingent of Magi that arrived in Jerusalem. All we know for certain are the facts we find in Holy Scripture.
From what we can discern from history and Scripture we can conclude that the Wise Men were a priestly tribe of people that can be dated back to the time of Nebuchadnezzar in the Babylonian Empire. According to Jeremiah 39 and Daniel 4 they were consultants to kings. As a matter of fact, they were in many respects “king-makers,” meaning that they were consulted on who was to be made king. According to Daniel 4:9 Daniel had been made “chief of the magi” during the reign of Nebuchadnezzar. It is highly probable that Daniel, who was a faithful and loyal servant of Jehovah God, took the time to instruct these priestly Magi concerning the promises of almighty God. For the next 6 centuries they would anticipate the coming of the Promised One, the Messiah. As amazing as it might seem, these Magi came seeking the long-awaited King. In humility and with great sacrifice they came to worship Him and presented Him with gifts fit for a King (gold), a Priest (frankincense) and a Sacrifice (myrrh).
There is a two-fold message to the account of the Wise Men. The first lesson is that God is on control. What we find as we search through Scripture and see the presence of the Magi from six centuries before Christ was born is that God was sovereignly working behind the scenes to accomplish His purposes and plan. He picked out a man named Daniel and placed him in a position of leadership and authority so men would seek the Promised Messiah. God was working all this for His glory because history is His story. Don’t miss that this Christmas. This message is not a conglomeration of a bunch of historical facts; it is the culmination of God’s sovereign work.
This has great significance for you and me, dear ones. If God was so concerned that King-makers would show up at the cradle of His Son at just the right time in history, don’t you think He will do everything He can in order to bring you to His side through faith in Christ? God is in control and He is working to bring you to salvation in Christ.
The second lesson is that God loves all people. It is true that Jesus was born as King of the Jews. But the Jewish people rejected Him. John 1:11-12 tells us, “He came to that which was his own, but His own did not receive him. Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.” The message of the magi is that God is in control so that if the Jews would not acknowledge Christ as the Messiah-King then these king-makers from Persia would. God’s master plan is unfolding right before their eyes. In an amazing twist of grace the people who should have known missed it and the people from far-away, who should never have guessed it, showed up and worshipped the Savior. Paul reminds us that Jesus came to the Jew first, then to the Greek. Israel rejected Christ, so He reached out to Gentiles so that we could be grafted in, as Paul writes in Romans 11. One day people from every tribe, tongue and nation will gather before the throne of God in heaven.
My prayer for you this Christmas is that you would discover the wisdom of the Magi and offer genuine worship to Christ. The gift He desires most from you is a humbled heart that is bowed low before Him as King and Lord. Such worship and surrender will give you not only a Merry Christmas, but it will also give you eternal life and everlasting joy. If you’d like to know more about this marvelous Gift of grace, contact us. That’s why we’re here….
That You May Know
1 John 5:13
That You May Know Ministries 