Wise Men and the Nativity

One of the essential visuals of Christmas is the nativity scene; the baby

Jesus in the manger surrounded by his mom and dad, the shepherds, the animals, and

of course the three wise men. We see them everywhere. In fact, I remember donning

the shepherd's bathrobe with the head towel and rope in one of my first Church

Christmas programs. You can only imagine how stunned and disappointed I was to

learn years later that the wise men were not present on that first Christmas. Yeah,

really!

In Christmases since, I have downplayed the presence of the wise men at the

nativity, setting them as far away from the manger as possible. However, this Christmas

season I have taken on a new appreciation for the wise men.

Matthew’s gospel (Matthew 2) indicates that the Magi arrived up to two years

after Jesus was born. Their journey took them to Jerusalem to inquire of king Herod.

They explained to him that they had been following the star since his birth. On receiving

further instructions they continued on their way and entered a “house.” Also, when the

Magi returned home without telling Herod the location of this new “king”, Herod had all

the male children under two years of age killed.

I discovered a new appreciation for the wise men in a sentence I read this week.

“Wise men follow a star when they believe the destination is worth the journey.”

As we consider the current journey of our own life, can we name it? Where is it

leading? Is it worth the time, energy, and hours spent in it’s pursuit?