“We have seen his star in the east, and have come to worship him.” Matt. 2:2
I don’t have to go very far to worship on Sunday mornings. Our house is one block away from our church. There are some people who drive an hour to come and worship with us on Sundays, but most are within the vicinity.
How far would I go to worship?
It was common for dignitaries to come and pay homage or bring a tribute from their foreign land to newly born royalty. But these wise men didn’t make the trip for the sole purpose of presenting gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. Their trek across the desert wasn’t to bring a message of congratulations from the Persian king. These travelers weren’t stopping in while on a sight-seeing tour.
The Magi came to worship.
What did they sacrifice in order to fulfill their desire to bow before Jesus? Time, money, energy? As soon as they found the child (not baby) at the house (not manger) of Joseph and Mary, “they returned to their country” (Matt. 2:11-12). Mission accomplished.
How long did they bow before the Christ child in worship?
What did they talk about with the carpenter and his young wife?
What did the neighbors think when they saw this entourage stop and enter Joseph’s house?
Were these visitors fully aware that this was God’s own Son, the Savior sent to die for their sins?
Or were they just being obedient to the call to follow that star?
How far would you go to worship Jesus?
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Good thoughts. So, were the Magi Buddhists? Hindi? Muslim? Astronomists? Jews in another land? Why would they come SO far? Should we all practice astrology so we can see the signs in the heavens, also?
More questions! I don’t believe Christians should be into astrology as it is defined today — using horoscopes and telling fortunes, that kind of stuff. Psalm 19 talks about God speaking through the skies and the heavens, so there may be something to that. Of course, the danger is in worshiping the stars instead of the One who made them. Deuteronomy 4:19 — “And when you look up to the sky and see the sun, the moon and the stars—all the heavenly array—do not be enticed into bowing down to them and worshiping things the Lord your God has apportioned to all the nations under heaven.”
I hope we get to meet the Magi in heaven someday!