Who was in Bethlehem? (Much later)

Matthew 2:1-3, 9-11

What nativity set would be complete without the 3 wisemen holding their gifts? Actually, all of them. The wise men did not arrive for the birth of Jesus. It was weeks later, if not more than a year, when they arrived. I don't want to get too far ahead of the scripture, but many of us have a misimpression of what the night Jesus was born was like because of a figurines. It is important that we actually read what God's Word has to say about the birth of His Son.

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Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.” When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born...When they heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy.  And when they had 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 gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

Matthew 2:1-3, 9-11

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There are several things to note about the timing of the arrival of the wise men. First, the scriptures call him a "young child" instead of a "babe" like in Luke 2. These are two different Greek words. Luke uses a word that means infant or newborn. Matthew using a word that means small child, like a toddler. It does not take long for babies to start growing and becoming more mobile. Can you imagine Jesus getting into stuff as He began exploring this world as a human baby?

Another clue the passage gives us is that they were in a house. Mary and Joseph had found somewhere to live since the birth of Jesus. Finding somewhere and getting established probably did not happen overnight. We have to remember that they lost two days with having to carry Jesus to Jerusalem for his Bris. They would have to walk 5 miles to Jerusalem, have the ceremony, and then walk the five miles back. This would have occurred on the 8th day after the birth, and Mary probably still was not up to moving very fast, let alone setting up a new house.

When they did arrive, they no doubt made a scene. I do not mean because they were obnoxious or raucous. I'm amazed that the wisemen are often the comic relief in tellings of the Christmas story. These would have been dignified men, accustomed to being in the presence of kings, and they were wealthy. I should also note that they probably were not kings themselves, and there were probably more than 3 of them. It was probably a combination of who these men were and how many of them there were that caused Herod and Jerusalem to be troubled (v. 3)

No doubt these events also perplexed Mary and Joseph as well. Who were they to entertain such well-to-do guests? And then there was the matter of the gifts they received. Gold was self-explanatory as expensive. Frankincense and myrrh were both expensive resins used for aromatics. They were not for everyday use for the average household.

Finally, there was the symbolism of the gifts. Gold represented the royalty of Jesus. He is the King of Kings and gold foretold this. Frankincense was used in the temple. It was sprinkled on the bread of the presence and was also used in the incense used inside the Holy Place. It speaks of Jesus being our High Priest. Finally there was myrrh. It was used in preparing a body for burial. It spoke of Jesus being the Lamb of God that would take away the sins of the world. He would die for our salvation. The life and ministry of Jesus were foreshadowed in these gifts.

These men were not incompetent. They did not get lost, nor were they late for the party. They were right on time, God's time. They arrived exactly when God wanted them to so that Mary and Joseph would have to move to Egypt. Had they arrived too early (like at the manger), Mary would not have been able to make the journey. God had the plan worked out with everyone involved.

Father, what a peace it brings us to know that You are working in every detail of our lives. There is nothing that happens that catches You off guard. You never play catch-up. Herod tried to kill Jesus, but You were already ahead of him. You led Your people to move right on time.