Finding Purpose, Hope and Joy Through Jesus’ BirthSample

Day 20 – The Joy of the Magi

God brought the message of Jesus’ birth to a group of Gentiles who lived 800-900 miles away. They journeyed many months or maybe even years from Mesopotamia to Jerusalem, to get to Jesus. The wise men were guided to look for the King of the Jews by a miraculous stellar event. When they arrived in Jerusalem, they asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews?”

King Herod was disturbed by their question and wanted to use the Magi to discover the exact location of the new king. He didn’t want to join in their worship; instead he wanted to eliminate future competition.

The magi did find Jesus and they expressed great joy! They worshiped Jesus and gave Him gifts—gold, frankincense and myrrh. Gold was a valuable commodity. Perhaps this gift financed Jesus’ family in their upcoming trek to Egypt. Gold is also a symbol of divinity, so there may be significance in that as well. Frankincense is a white resin or gum that was often used as a fragrant offering to God. It is also a symbol of holiness. Myrrh is a spice used for embalming or in a drink. Myrrh symbolizes suffering. Perhaps the magi were foretelling the purpose for Jesus’ coming.

Instead of going back to King Herod, the magi went home another way. Obedience to God was more important to them than obeying an earthly leader.

The magi’s visit shows us that Jesus came for the entire world, not just the Jewish people. Like the magi, we can express great joy that Jesus’ gift applies to the entire earth. Like them, we can be “overjoyed!”