After Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of King Herod, wise men from the east arrived unexpectedly in Jerusalem, saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.” Matthew 2:1-2 HCSB
I served a church in Houston, Texas, pastored by a compassionate servant of God, Paul Rutledge. He and his wife invited the church staff over to their house one night for dinner. I remember going into their den where each wall had rich brown shelves from floor to ceiling. Each shelf was filled with books. I jokingly asked Paul, “Have you read all of these?” His reply amazed me when he said, “Yes.” I came to find that Paul was a “wise man”. He was one of the most intelligent men I have ever known. He was very knowledgable and pursued his doctorate degree in Cultural Anthropology, then taught in several universities. He believed that if we as Christians were to reach the world with the message of Jesus Christ, we must understand the cultures of the many people around the world. I am sorry to say that Paul’s life was cut short by cancer.
The Scriptures refer to these men as “wise men” or “Magi”. They were likely astrologers and educated men. We do not know exactly their country of origin. Some speculate that they could have been from Babylon and would have had access to copies of the Old Testament from the time when the Jews were in exile in the country. They could have studied the Scriptures and known of the coming “Messiah” or “King of the Jews”. The special star could have been a conjunction of several planets coming together or the God who created the heavens and earth could have placed a special star in the heavens to celebrate the birth of His Son Jesus Christ.
Challenge: We have heard the phrase, “Wise Men Still Seek Him”. Hopefully, you are like the wise men of old and you are seeking Christ: seeking to make Him Lord of your life; seeking to become a better disciple of Jesus. Pray that God will guide your search as you seek Jesus each day.