We don鈥檛 really know that there were three of them. The Christmas carol refers to 鈥淭hree Kings of Orient鈥� (although they weren鈥檛 kings, either); other lore bases it on the number of precious gifts they brought; the British comedians, Peter Cook and Dudley Moore referred to 鈥淭hree blokes, calling themselves 鈥楳aggie鈥�,鈥�( From their sketch, 鈥淭he Gospel Truth鈥�, which has some funny lines 鈥� like that one, and the notion that it鈥檚 an interview between Arthur Shepherd and Matthew, a reporter from the Bethlehem Star 鈥� but on the whole, not something I would endorse.)
But there could have been any number of Wise Men who came to worship the newborn King that day in Bethlehem.
There is a very important message that I take from the account of the Wise Men coming to worship the Baby Jesus, namely, that Jesus came not just for people of any particular religion, but for everyone, everywhere. I see it in the way that God notified these Wise Men.
They are advisors to kings, and have been trained-up to study and interpret signs in the heavens. I imagine that they came from separate countries (the Bible simply tells us they came from 鈥渆ast of Jerusalem鈥�, which doesn鈥檛 really narrow it down). Each had seen that giant, bright star that had never appeared before, and like Richard Dreyfuss, playing with his mashed potatoes in Close Encounters of the Third Kind, they looked at the star and said to themselves, 鈥淭his means something鈥�. Perhaps they consulted holy books and learned about the prophecy that the star would herald the birth of the King of the Jews; perhaps they already knew what it meant: whatever the case, the star told them something BIG was going down, and they wanted to be there to see it.
In my overly-dramatic imagination, I see them saddling up and riding from all over, converging on the road to Jerusalem 鈥� maybe just outside the city. They meet up and learn that they all had seen the star and read that same message in it. That confirmation would have made them so convinced of what they were about to witness, that they wouldn鈥檛 have been fazed by the fact that no one in Jerusalem knew what they were talking about when they asked where 鈥渢he King鈥� was born. They might have been puzzled by the fact that King Herod wanted them to tell him in secret where the Baby was, and that their Jerusalem counterparts 鈥� the scholars Herod asked 鈥� didn鈥檛 catch on and get excited that the long-awaited Messiah had finally arrived.
No matter: The Magicould still see the star and it led them to that tumble-down stable outside an over-crowded inn.
Now, if you鈥檝e ever had a Holy Ghost experience, you鈥檒l have an idea what happened next. Scripture tells us that the Wise Men fell (Matthew 2:11). They didn鈥檛 bow; they didn鈥檛 kneel: they fell. They had come into the presence of Jesus, and when that happens to someone, it鈥檚 impossible to remain upright.
They presented their gifts, worshipped the Baby, and then retired for the night. It鈥檚 then, Matthew tells us, that they were warned by the Holy Spirit not to report back to Herod, but to take another way out of town.
The star is never mentioned again.
That鈥檚 significant. These wise men made their living by observing and interpreting signs in the heavens. The children of Israel were expressly forbidden to engage in 鈥渟orcery or divination鈥� (Leviticus 19:26), but here, God announced the birth of the Messiah using those same forbidden means. Evidently, this message was for those not counted as 鈥淕od鈥檚 People鈥�.
But while the star had brought them to Jesus, once they had met Him, it was the Holy Spirit that gave them that warning. They arrived as observers of signs 鈥� they left, hearing directly from God.
This triptych, 鈥淭he Adoration of the Magi鈥� by the 15th-Century painter, Hieronymus Bosch, gives us a lot to contemplate.
In the distance, Jerusalem appears to be 鈥渂usiness as usual鈥�, but already, there鈥檚 a battle about to take place in the near background. Could this be the battle 鈥渋n the heavenlies鈥� of God鈥檚 forces versus the enemy, coming to a head with the birth of Jesus?
In the foreground, peasants and shepherds strain to get a look at the Baby: some peer around the stable; some are on the roof; another peers through a hole in the wall.
The religious leaders look on in horror: they appear to be imprisoned in the stable where Jesus had been born and already, their world is being rocked. Their clothing is falling off; their pretense, coming to pieces as their nakedness is revealed to the world 鈥� a job that the Baby would continue in years to come.
And look at the Magi. Talk about diversity! One is black and it鈥檚 safe to assume that the other two are of different ethnicities.
It reinforces the idea, that Jesus has come for all. Race means nothing to God: what matters is one鈥檚 relationship with Him, and skin colour is a non-starter. The whole idea of Jesus is to bring us together and create what Peter later called 鈥渁 peculiar people鈥�. One鈥檚 past deeds and religious practices are of no consequence. What matters is how one goes forward.
One more thing. What鈥檚 that in the distance, in the middle of the landscape, right under the star?聽
It鈥檚 a windmill 鈥� symbol of Bosch鈥檚 homeland. Perhaps it鈥檚 his way of saying, 鈥淗e came for us, too.鈥�
Something important to keep in mind is that the Magi saw the star because they were constantly looking for something. They were seeking. It鈥檚 possible the scribes and scholars Herod asked about the birthplace of the Messiah figured they knew the lot and had stopped seeking 鈥� and they certainly weren鈥檛 going to listen to these foreigners 鈥� soothsayers, to boot.
If we keep seeking, it鈥檚 written that we will find, and God will use whatever means necessary to communicate to us, so we can hear and understand. It could be the pagan symbol of the Christmas tree 鈥� evergreen, rooted to the spot, reaching to Heaven with branches spreading out to shelter anyone who comes; at the same time, foreshadowing Jesus鈥� death. For that matter, it could be the celebration of Christmas around the winter solstice, celebrating the arrival of the true Light in the world. Maybe it鈥檚 St Patrick using a shamrock to explain the Trinity; or Larry Norman writing rock 鈥榥鈥� roll 鈥淛esus songs鈥�; or a sign in the heavens to attract people who made a living out of observing signs in the heavens: God talks to us in our language, so we will understand and draw closer to Him 鈥� so He can draw closer to us.
Drew Snider聽is a writer, pastor and former broadcaster. He spent a decade ministering at Gospel Mission on Vancouver's Downtown East Side and has been a guest preacher at churches including Westshore Alliance in Langford, Westpointe in Vancouver, The Oasis in Duncan and Port McNeill Full Gospel.聽
You can read more articles from our interfaith blog, Spiritually Speaking,聽
