What happens when Christmas Day has come and gone? Matthew’s gospel 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)

John Killinger comments in Christmas Spoken Here:

The Magi almost slipped in and out of history without being noticed. They probably would have done so had it not been the Prince of Peace Himself they came to see. We know almost nothing at all about them. Legend treats them as three Wise Men, though the Gospel does not specify their number. Eventually they were promoted to kings and given the names Melchior, Gaspar, and Balthasar. In 1158 three bodies were discovered in the Church of Saint Eustorgio in Milan, and local politicians conspired to identify them as those of the three Magi.

Why did the writer of the Gospel bother to tell the story of their coming to the stable? He gave little real attention to it. What was his purpose in telling it at all?

For one thing, it emphasized the universal significance of Christ’s birth. Whether the Magi were kings or mere Wise Men, the fact that they journeyed all the way from the East suggested that the birth of the Savior had an importance that reached far beyond the boundaries of little Judah. And there was the matter of the star that brought them. The star meant that the heavens themselves, the whole natural order of the universe, were in concert with God to accomplish the salvation of the world.

I think Killinger has it right on all counts. Let me add, though, that these three were included in the Gospel account as Matthew wrote under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Their response to Jesus provides a model for us in these days after His birth:

They came to Jesus. Have you come to Jesus?

They worshiped Jesus. Have you bowed before Him?

They gave Him gifts that were precious. Well?

This is the time to come to Jesus. This is the time to worship Jesus. This is the time to give that which is precious to us.

I’m proud to be your pastor,

Jerry