Christmas Musing #26 They Came from Afar Part 1

 ¹ 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, ² saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” Matthew 2:1-2 English Standard Version

               I like mysteries, particularly cozy-mystery novels. I came to this genre fairly late in life, while I was in graduate school. In case you’ve never heard of them, here is a decent working definition: Cozy mysteries are a sub-genre of crime fiction in which sex and violence occur offstage, the detective is an amateur sleuth, and the crime and detection take place in a small, socially-intimate community. Of course, there are many variations on the theme; however, this is a fairly good definition. I also enjoy well executed television mysteries. I suppose it is the sense of the mysterious that intrigues me, the feeling of important things unknown and needing discovery. Usually, after all is done for the day, I close things out reading a good mystery. I’m currently reading a series set in thirteenth century England. I’m on the third novel and enjoying it quite a bit. There is a long-running tangled knot slowly unraveling bit by shadowy bit. There are ten in the series. In an interesting twist, the protagonist is an actual historical character. Whatever the cause, I enjoy a good whodunit. Perhaps that is why I find the “wise-men” or Maji so intriguing.

               We know so little about these strangers from the East. The Greek word the ESV translates as wise men, could also be translated as a “Magian, an (Oriental) astrologer, by implication a magician Usage: a sorcerer, a magician, a wizard.” I copied this from Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance. They traveled from some location east of Palestine. They followed a star that they believed heralded the birth of a new King of the Jews. They stopped first in Jerusalem; where they stirred up Herod and generated significant angst and political intrigue. Once they gathered more intel, they moved on to Bethlehem. Upon finding Jesus they worshiped and gave gifts. They listened to a dream and returned to their shadowy place of origin without stopping in Jerusalem. After that, they disappear from the Biblical record. I have so many unanswered questions concerning the Wise-Men.

               They represent one of the great mysteries of the Bible. How did they know. Many assume, and this is reasonable, that they got their prophetic word through the Jewish Diaspora. We still wonder about the basis for their knowledge. Also, why did God reach out to them. After all, they did not belong to the children of Israel. But reach out He did, and this calling gives me great joy and hope. The Wise-Men remind me that God reaches out to all, Jew, and Gentile alike. Those who seek Him, respond. The Maji undertook a long journey. We surmise that they came from some ancient kingdom, perhaps Persia or the area of modern-day Saudi Arabia. We do not know where or why; we do know they came. They wanted to see and worship. They mystery surrounding these men satisfies me. It reminds me that God works in ways wonderous, and He does not always provide me all the details. As scripture says, His ways are not my ways. He calls me to trust Him in those moments of ambiguity. I do not need to know all about the wise men. I need to know that they saw the star, they traveled a long way, and they worshiped. Perhaps at Christmas, I can simplify my Advent celebrations in a like manner, I see, I journey, and I worship.