Who Were These Guys?
Matthew 2:10-15 NKJV
10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. 11 And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell downand worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
12 Then, being divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed for their own country another way.
13 Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, “Arise, take the young Child and His mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I bring you word; for Herod will seek the young Child to destroy Him.”
14 When he arose, he took the young Child and His mother by night and departed for Egypt, 15 and was there until the death of Herod, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, “Out of Egypt I called My Son.”
These guys are fascinating. They were the wise men from the east. They saw a star and determined that it was the star signifying the birth of the King of the Jews. How in the world did they know that?
Not only did they discern the birth of a king, they were willing to embark on a journey that could not have been easy. To travel in those days was at the least risky and at the most treacherous. Robbers and raiding parties ruled the roads. These men were wealthy, so they most likely had an entourage of soldiers with them.
They were men of faith. The star evidently disappeared from their sight, which is why they came into Jerusalem with questions. So they continued a dangerous journey even though they couldn’t see the star. Then they accepted the words of a prophet that were hundreds of years old and launched out for Bethlehem. The star reappeared and they were thrilled.
This star stopped right over the house where Jesus and His family lived. Notice it was not a stable but a house. And they found a child, not a baby, wrapped in swaddling cloths. Much to the chagrin of Christmas cards and carols, the wise men were about two years after Jesus was born.
When they saw the child, Jesus, in a modest home, they fell down and worshipped Him. These guys had some kind of revelation. Not only did they show reverence, but they also brought gifts with great monetary value. Then God warned them in a dream to avoid going back to Herod and they obeyed. Who were these guys?
Their gifts made it possible for Joseph to move his young family to Egypt and stay until Herod died. Whoever these guys were, they were important from two aspects. One, they were a witness that a king was born in Bethlehem. Years later, when the Pharisees doubted Jesus, some had to have remembered hearing of wise men who came to Jerusalem looking for the King of the Jews. And secondly, the wise men provided the resources for Jesus and His family to live in a foreign country until the danger had passed.
Application
The story of these wise men is just another reminder that God has ways of taking care of His people. That He has creative ways to make things happen. Sending three men on a journey with gifts is an amazing story, but that’s our God! I hope these three men are in heaven. I would love to sit with them and hear the rest of the story.