Newsletter: January
Have you ever wondered what kind of men the three Magi were? In the folklore of our faith, they are given names--Caspar, Melchior and Balthasar. In some portrayals of the men they have distinctive racial features--Melchior, European; Balthasar, African; and Caspar, Asian. They represent people from all over the world coming to seek Jesus.
The three men have been characterized as kings. Obviously they were not lowly peasants. Herod and all of Jerusalem would not have been distressed if three peasants came seeking the newborn king. Matthew writes, “After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, ‘Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.’ When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him.” I doubt that three nobodies would have had such impact.
They have also been called Wise Men, of course. Certainly they were students of the stars. Astrologers, perhaps. They had seen a star, a star unlike any other star, and they followed it until it came to rest over the house where the young child lay.
It is a stirring drama. Magi, kings, wise men. European, African, Asian. We really don’t know much about these three men, but we do know three things.
They were men of action. They saw their star and they followed it. These are the people in every generation who contribute to the race’s advancement, people who see stars and follow them. Benjamin Disraeli once said, “The secret of success in life is for a person to be ready for opportunity when it comes.” H. Jackson Brown, Jr., put it like this: “Opportunity dances with those already on the dance floor.” These three men saw their star, and without delay, they mounted their camels and hit the road. Nothing happens in this world until someone sees a star and follows it. These three Magi were obviously men of action.
And they were men of determination. Theirs might have seemed to be a foolish adventure at times--following this star they had seen in the East. But they persevered until the star they followed came to rest over a house, and they knew their journey was complete. I love it when people follow through on a noble task and see it through until it is completed--whether the task is building a business, or a home, or a ministry, or whatever star they may be following.
The Magi were men of action, men of determination. They were “Yes, I will” people.
But more than anything else, the three Magi were men of faith. As they told King Herod, they were following their star that they might worship the one who had been born king of the Jews. The three wise men came with pure hearts. Their purpose was worship and praise. They came not to find gold, but to find God. Their purpose was to offer up gifts to their Savior and Redeemer.
The three Magi would certainly have seen the star, just as they did 2,000 years ago. Why? Because they were pure of heart. Because their priority was worship and praise. Because they were men of faith.
I wonder, if such a star should appear in the heavens this night, whether you and I might see it. Are our hearts pure enough? Is our faith real enough? Theologian John Calvin once said, “If the sight of the star had so powerful an effect on the Magi, woe to our insensibility, who, now that Christ the King has been revealed to us, are so cold in our inquiries after Him.”
Follow that star. People who make a difference in the world are not content to sit on the sidelines. They set their sights on a worthy star and they follow it with all their hearts. Of course, the most magnificent star that we can follow is the same today as it was in the time of the Magi. It is the star of Christ, himself. Bowing before him in adoration and praise and offering the gift of ourselves. As we begin this New Year ahead of us, I hope that we will offer the gift of ourselves to Christ. Let this be the year that we follow the bright and shining star and grow closer to Christ.
Blessings for the New Year