Advent-The Wisemen

The winner of Fay Lamb's book, Because of Me is: (scroll down)

picture courtesy of visualbiblealive.com

Over time, Biblical scholars have learned a few things about the wise men.

First, we don't know how many actually visited baby Jesus.

Second, they did not come at Christmas time, most likely 1-2 years later.

The wise men most likely had quite a group of servants and perhaps others traveling with them. The long journey required many supplies and animals. This was no small parade. 

The grandeur impressed Herod enough to convince him to allow an audience with them. Herod's response to their question indicated he believed they came to worship a king.

myrrh, picture courtesy of
visualbiblealive.com

The wise men's gifts had great significance. They did not randomly choose gold, frankincense, and myrrh because it seemed like an appropriate gift for a king. God directed their choice. 

Some scholars say the gifts provided needed funds for the escape to Egypt. some say the myrrh was a foreshadowing of the perfume poured on Jesus' body after his death.

After spending time worshipping Jesus and leaving their gifts, the Bible says the wise men had a dream with a message indicating they should return to Herod. 

Is it not interesting that all the wise men had the same dream? We are not told only one wise man shared his dream with the others.

I would have loved to talk with them after they returned home. I would ask:

Was it easy to pick out the star during the entire trip?

Did you have any problems on the journey?

What did Herod say to you? 

What did the baby look like?

What did you say to the baby?

What did it feel like to look at the king?

What did Mary and Joseph say to you?

What happened to the star after you left? Could you still see it?

What other questions could we ask?

What else have you learned about the wise men?

The winner of Fay Lamb's book drawing last Friday on this website was Janice Garey. Congratulations, Janice.