And yet they were among the first to kneel before the King.
Contrary to your grandmother’s nativity set on the mantle, the Magi were not three kings wearing jeweled robes. They were more likely to be astronomer-scholars from Persia or Babylon, men who studied the skies and sought meaning in the stars and symbols.
They may have known of Jewish prophecy through the influence of Daniel, who had once served in the courts of Babylon.
They had held onto one strange ancient prophecy: “A star shall come out of Jacob, and a scepter shall rise out of Israel” (Numbers 24:17).
One night, something new appeared in the sky.
Whether it was a blazing supernatural light, a rare planetary conjunction, or an angelic radiance cloaked in mystery, they understood it was more than cosmic beauty.
It was an invitation. It pulled them into a journey that would cross deserts and kingdoms.
When they arrived in Jerusalem, they did not go to the palace to be impressed. They went to ask, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews?” (Matthew 2:2).
This question shook the city. It stirred Herod to paranoia and forced scholars to open scrolls and remember that the promised one would be born in Bethlehem.
So the Magi kept going.
When they found the child, they didn’t question the simplicity of His surroundings. They bowed. (Matthew 2:11).
These were men of science and wealth, but they knew when they were in the presence of something greater.
Then came the gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
They were rich symbols: gold for a king, frankincense for a priest, myrrh for burial.
Strange gifts for a baby, unless you know how the story ends.
And more than that, they were provisions. God used these treasures to sustain the family during their escape to Egypt, when they would become refugees.
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The Magi had come a long way.
They had searched the skies, crossed foreign lands, and faced real danger.
But when they left Bethlehem, they didn’t go back the same way. “They returned to their own country by another route.” (Matthew 2:12)
That wasn’t only a change in direction. It was a change in them.
Because anyone who truly seeks Jesus steps onto a demanding road.
And no one walks away unchanged.
