Most of us have had to endure the often lamented “long car trip” with little children. The constant questioning of “are we there yet?” and “I need to use the bathroom”, … but “you said you didn’t”, … “yeah, but now I do."

I'm reminded of another long journey, and I imagine that the conversation went something like this: "Are we there yet? - I’m cold, hot, hungry, and tired - Are we there yet? - This looks like a dangerous route; let's go back! - Is this trip really worth it? - When will the star stop moving? - How will we know him? - Are we there yet?” Unfortunately, the Bible gives us no indication of the conversation among the wise men from the east as they travelled to Bethlehem. We might even ask why pagan men, albeit educated and searching, took such an arduous trip to follow a moving star.

The thing that puzzles me is that before leaving for their trip, they packed gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Why? What did they know? Again, the Bible doesn’t give us much information. Scholars have suggested that perhaps the testimony of Jewish exiles, Daniel among them, lived out their faith and encouraged others to search the Scriptures. It is possible that through the study of the Torah and other Old Testament Scriptures, these wise men came to understand what Proverbs 1:7 and 9:10 tell us; “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge and the beginning of wisdom.” Perhaps they followed the prophecies of a promised Messiah for all peoples. Possibly they saw something in Numbers 24:17 that states in part, “I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near: a star shall come out of Jacob, and a scepter shall rise out of Israel.”

The Bible does tell us that the wise men intentionally followed God’s sign. When the star stopped moving, they found God’s greatest gift. They “rejoiced exceedingly with great joy” (Matthew 2:10), and “they fell down and worshipped him and presented their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh" (vs. 11).

As our world moves further from believing the truth and as our culture becomes increasingly self-focused, let us, this Christmas, remember the faith of those wise men of long ago. Their culture held no belief in the religious fables of those exiles from a foreign land. Their culture worshipped a myriad of gods and goddesses. Yet, and I will speculate here, they had some knowledge of the truth that had to have come from the Jewish exiles themselves or the Scriptures, and they acted on that knowledge. They were truly wise!

This Christmas, may the truth of the promises of Scripture be a guide to us as we live out the promise fulfilled, "Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Savior, who is Christ the Lord" (Luke 2:10-11).

The Wise still follow HIM!

Rev. Bill Allan
AGC President

2022: Stay the Course! - The Wise still follow HIM!