Jimbo's Jots

The reality is we don’t know how many “wise men” there were. It’s has been assumed and believed based on the number of gifts given, three, that there were three of them. But if they were kings, they wouldn’t not have traveled alone. So let’s just say there was a band of people.

Being astrologers, they would have studied ancient texts and recordings related to the stars. They would been very familiar even with the writings of the Israelites, though probably not fully understanding what they meant. Until one night, a star so bright and significant appeared and they traveled to find where the star set up. It was there they found the baby. There is some debate how long their trip would take. Most likely traveling “from the east” meant they may have been traveling from Persia, India or Mesopotamia.

The “time” of their arrival is also up for debate. According to tradition, they arrived on the 12th day after Jesus’ birth. But some believe that because of the their journey, it would have taken them a year and 12 days.

We do know “on coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him.” (Matthew 2:11) They were so filled with awe of the child that they began to worship. Offering up gifts to the God child.

Many say, “wise men still seek Him”. That may be true, but for it’s not just about the seeking, but also about the worship. And not just of the child born in Bethlehem. Our worship is based on this reason – the child born was for “our inescapable need for radical, personal, and moral rescue” (Come Let Us Adore Him, Dr. Paul David Tripp, p. 30).

Be blessed and be a blessing!