Do you have a manger scene at your house? I hope you do. Setting out a manger scene—or nativity—is a great reminder for kids and adults of the joy of Jesus’ birth. Most manger scenes have Jesus, Mary, Joseph, shepherds, an angel, sheep, a donkey or cow or two, the Wise Men, camels… But there’s a problem with that. Know what it is? The Wise Men weren’t there. As popular as it is for the Wise Men to be part of the Christmas scene, they didn’t visit Jesus at Christmas. So when did the Wise Men come?
The Bible tells us, “After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, ‘Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him’” (Matthew 2:1-2). We don’t know how many Wise Men there were. We don’t know if they rode on camels. All we know is that they came “from the east.”
So where’s the “east”? Well, “Magi” were wise men in ancient Persia. The Persian Empire covered areas like Iraq and Iran today. In the Bible, people like Daniel sound a lot like the Magi. Daniel was a wise man in both the Babylonian and Persian empires. So, the Wise Men in Jesus day had to travel a long way to worship him. How long? In the Bible, Jewish exiles in Babylon were allowed to return to Israel. We’re told that the group traveling with Ezra took four months to make it to Jerusalem (Ezra 7:9). A long time!
That’s fits with what we hear about the Wise Men’s visit in the Bible. We’re told that, “On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him” (Matthew 2:11). Catch something interesting in that verse? “The house.” By the time the Wise Men got there, Jesus wasn’t lying in a manger. He and his family were living in a house in Bethlehem. They were probably waiting for Jesus to get older and stronger before traveling back to Nazareth. So there at the house, the Wise Men bowed down and worshipped Jesus with their special gifts.
So, when you set up your manger scene, put the Wise Men off in another room. They were still traveling! More importantly, remember this: Jesus came to be the Savior of all nations. That’s great news for you and me. We’re not Jewish by birth. Our homes are even farther away from Bethlehem than Babylon or Persia were. But Jesus came to save us from our sins and bring us God’s salvation. It’s worth it to travel to worship him. Just like the Wise Men, oh come let us adore him, Christ the Lord!
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