Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him... When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshiped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh. -Matthew 2
It is officially Christmas time, my very favorite time of year. Over the next few weeks, there are many fun and festive events that we'll be participating in.
One of last year's events was a Nativity show.
I have my own small but growing collection of nativities. And for some reason, I am always drawn to the Wise Men.
No matter the nativity, the Wise Men are almost always my favorite part. Sometimes it's just that they're very richly detailed, but they're also among my favorite parts of the story.
I think a lot of it comes from the fact that these were great men of their time. Wealthy, successful, learned.
Today's society tends to veer towards the belief that education and wisdom mean a lack of belief in God. God and science, for example, cannot go hand in hand in the eyes of so many.
And yet here, in this story, we find that the wisest of their day were not only firm believers in God and the coming Messiah, but they were actively watching and waiting for the day Christ would come.
Far from being arrogant in their vast knowledge, they were humble and recognized that there was so much they still did not and could not know. The Wise Men chose God.
May we choose to be a Wise Man.
