A Journey to BethlehemSýnishorn

The Journey of the Magi

There were others besides Mary and Joseph, who made their own journey to Bethlehem. Some of them came from a long distance away, most likely from Persia (present-day Iran). In Matthew, chapter 2, they are called Magi, which was a title reserved for those revered for their great knowledge and wisdom. They were people of influence. One discipline they focused on was astronomy. And as they studied the stars, they discovered a new star that they discerned marked the birth of a great King. So certain and convinced of the great significance of this newborn King, they felt compelled to find Him and worship Him. Matthew tells us they traveled to Bethlehem as they followed the star, eventually finding Jesus. When they found Him, they presented not only their gifts but themselves to Him, as they bowed before the newborn King in worship.

This is always a great scene in the church Christmas pageant, but the scene of the Magi presenting their gifts to Jesus doesn’t begin to tell their whole story. Their journey to Bethlehem was a major undertaking. It was a long journey of perhaps a thousand miles or more. They would likely have traveled by camel and likely had much more uncertainty than certainty concerning their trip. They did not know exactly where they were going or who they were trying to find. They did not know how long it would take. Their travel was expensive, dangerous, difficult, and uncertain, but they still went. To them, this King they sought was a “pearl of great price” that was worth giving all to find. Finding Jesus was now the priority of their lives.

Everything about the story of the Magi should resonate with followers of Jesus. They were men of faith, believing in what they could not yet see. They were men of commitment, willing to risk everything for what they believed God had revealed to them. They were men of humility, recognizing who they were in relationship to the King before them. They were men of worship, who presented both what they had and who they were to the King they had found. They were men of “exceedingly great joy” because they found the One thing that matters most. That is what happens when we make the journey to Bethlehem, no matter the cost, and bow in surrender to The King.