Among the many wondrous aspects of the birth narratives of Jesus in Scripture, the record of the Magi coming from a distant land to seek, find, and worship him is far and away one of the most spiritually rich and instructive. The details surrounding it–though seemingly meager-–are full of lessons that serve to build God's people up in faith, while encouraging those who have never trusted in Him to do so. 

There is something mysterious about the account of the magi following the star to the place where the Lord Jesus lay in a manger. We know so very little about the star, the magi, or the manger. Many have raised speculations about the guiding star throughout the history of biblical interpretation. We are left with several questions about the star. Was it a single star or a cluster of stars? Was it a natural phenomenon set apart by God for a supernatural use, or was a supernatural manifestation of a newly created luminary to serve the purpose of leading the wisemen to Christ? Pastors and theologians have sought to answer these questions in varying ways. We may not be able to answer all question about this star with any degree of certainty. We can, however, conclude is that this star and its light served one purpose––to bring these Gentile sages to Jesus. In this way, the star served as a natural illustration of a spiritual reality. Charles Spurgeon, in his sermon, "The Star and the Wise Men," explained, 

"The star which God used was a star that stopped at Jesus; it went before the wise men till it brought them to Jesus, and then it stood still over the place where the young child was. . .It stood still, and so should the gracious mind. . .There is nothing beyond Christ which is worth a moment’s thought. " 

This was the great purpose of that wondrous star; it was a revelation of Christ to these Gentile sages. It did not exist so that the magi would find this luminary phenomenon to be anything other than a guide to Christ. Reflecting on the fact that this star existed to serve the purposes of revealing Christ, wrote, 

"Christ appeared as the Master with power over the star rather than as one subject to its influence, since the star did not hold to the shining course of the other constellations in the heavens, but, to the persons seeking Christ, pointed out the path which led directly to the place where He had been born. Wherefore, the star itself did not, in wondrous fashion, cause Christ to live, but Christ, in wondrous wise, caused the star to appear; the star did not determine the marvels of Christ’s birth, but Christ determined the appearance of the star among His other miracles." 

In the same way, ministers of the gospel exist to point men and women to where Christ may be found. He does not exist for them. Rather, they exist to exalt him and point to him. Whenever ministers proclaim the redemptive excellencies of Jesus, sinners are being guided by the light of the gospel to Christ. 

We know very little about the wise men. They were likely astronomers or astrologers from Mesopotamia or some other part of the Eastern world. Many scholars posit the theory that this group of astrologers would have most likely adhered to the principles and practices of Zoroastrianism coming out of what is today the regions of Iraq or Iran. Whatever the reality, these learned men were coming from a far off pagan land. Of this much we may be sure, they were far from the promises of God and from the God of promise, being alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenant promises. 

Additionally, we do not know how many of these sages made the long journey from a foreign land. It may have been a small number of magi or a great multitude. In any case, these Gentile astronomers were far from the people of God, and far from the promises of God. Nevertheless, God had chosen them and was calling them to come to the newborn Christ. They were, in some respects, the first-fruits of the Gentiles, for whose salvation Christ had come into the world. 

These wisemen had very little revelation about Christ. We can conclude that they have received some form of revelation. We do not know whether it was oral revelation or an immediate revelation from God. It might have been a mixture of the two. 

In his exceptional sermon, Seeking After Christ, Jonathan Edwards speculates that the magi had learned Messianic prophecies that had been passed down from the Hebrews' time of captivity in Babylon. He explained, 

"'Tis most probable that those wise men that came from the east were some that had received instruction from the holy writing of the Jews that had been carried into the east, first to Babylon, which was many hundred miles to the east of Judea, and afterwards to Shushan in Persia, which was yet a great deal further to the east. There was Daniel, that great prophet exalted to great dignity, and there was Nehemiah, and there was Elisha and Mordecai; and these had the prophecies of the Old Testament concerning Christ with them.

And Daniel himself, who was set over the wise men of the east as their master, was himself a great prophet and wrote one of those books of Old Testament prophecy— whose prophecy of Christ is in some respects more particular than [that] of any other prophets— and probably wrote it in Persia when he was in great dignity there, and doubtless left instructions among the great and wise men of that eastern part of the world, whose master he was, concerning Christ, and probably might leave his own prophecy and the other prophecies of Scripture concerning the Messiah in their hands."

Additionally, Edwards surmised that these learned men from the east very well might have been recipients of the prophecy of Balaam in Numbers 24. He observed,

"They were probably instructed [in] one of the prophecies of the Old Testament concerning the star that should arise out of Jacob. This they probably had from Balaam's prophecy. Num. 24:17, 'I shall see him, but not now: I shall behold him, but not nigh: there shall come a star out of Jacob, and a scepter shall arise out of Israel, that shall smite the corners of Moab, and destroy all the children of Sheth.' Balaam himself, who prophesied thus, came out of the east and, it may be, from the same country that those wise men came from, and there might leave his prophecy." 

Edwards again noted that the magi had "many parts of the Old Testament in their hands and have had ’em delivered down from their forefathers for a great many ages. And it is supposed that they received ’em from the Jews that were carried captive, and particularly from Daniel." 

Despite the sparsity of revelation they may have had, these Gentile astronomers and sages made a long and arduous journey to find Christ. We cannot be sure of the precise length of the journey, but given the area of the world from which they came, it is altogether probable that such a journey would have taken them upwards of two entire years. A journey as long and arduous as this one would have been would have been quite costly. There is every reason to believe that the wise men leveraged their own material goods for this journey. We know that they went to such lengths as to bring with them the costly gifts of gold, frankincense, and myhrr,  

By way of contrast, the chief priests and scribes had much revelation about Christ. In fact, they had the entire Old Testament revelation. When the wise men asked Herod--the non-Hebrew king of Israel, where the Christ was to be born, the priests and scribes immediately pointed to the Bethlehem prophecy in Micah 5:2. The faith of the wise men is set in stark contrast to the unbelief of the religious leaders in Israel. The Christ had come into the world and the religious leaders were unmoved and undesirous of seeking for Him.

In fact, Herod was enraged by the threat that it posed to His power and rule. The religious leaders knew exactly where they were to find Him but did not exert one ounce of energy in doing so. The Magi, however, spent much of their own time, money, and efforts in finding the Savior of the world. This contrast teaches us several important points. 

First, it teaches that someone can know the Scriptures--even those specific Scriptures about the birth of the Messiah, while having no gracious working in their souls. J.C. Ryle explained, "there may be knowledge of Scripture in the head, while there is no grace in the heart." These leaders of the Old Covenant church knew the Scriptures but had no interest in the Savior.

Second, the Magi were examples of those who had great saving faith. Ryle again observed,

"They saw no miracles to convince them...They beheld no signs of divinity and greatness to overawe them. They saw nothing but a new-born infant, helpless and weak...And yet when they saw that infant, they believed that they saw the divine Savior of the world.

Then he noted,

"They believed in Christ when they had never seen Him...They believed in Him when the Scribes and Pharisees were unbelieving...They believed in Him when they saw Him a little infant on Mary’s knee, and worshipped Him as a king."

These wealthy and learned pagan astrologers joyfully humbled themselves and worshiped the infant Jesus--who appeared to be nothing other than a poor beggar baby. They were eager to present Him with costly gifts they had brought from distant lands. In this, they teach us that when we have saving faith in Christ we will readily and generously give of our resources in the service of the King--even when accompanied by unspectacular circumstances. Many are willing to give to things that have an outward show and appearance. True faith moves believers to give themselves and their resources to the advancement of His kingdom regardless of outward pomp. 

At the close of his sermon, "The Star and the Wise Men," Edwars drew out this pointed application: 

"There is a kind of infinite power in the light of this heavenly star to fill the heart with gladness and rejoicing. Its light in the soul is holiness and happiness itself. Let not any seek or expect to see a star in their imaginations, as though we saw something up in the air shining with an outward light. The star that I speak [of] is Christ as held forth in the doctrine [of the] Word of God, and in the glorious gospel, which is to be seen, not with bodily eyes, not in the imagination, but in the understanding and sense of the heart.

If you find this star, then will you come out of darkness into marvelous light. You’ll find the brightest light in the universe. You will find the pleasantest and sweetest light that is to be seen in heaven itself, the most beautiful object that ever the eyes of angels beheld."

As we consider anew the divine activity in the lives of the wise men, we are met with the reality of God's sovereign grace to those who were once far off from God. We are reminded of the way in which God chooses and calls pagans to trust in His Son. We are warned that we can have a deep knowledge of the Scriptures yet no grace in our hearts. We are motivated to believe in Christ despite any visible miracles or outward displays of glory. We are taught to trust in Jesus even when others around us show deep disinterest. And we are encouraged to give of our time, possessions, and persons to the King of Kings and the advancement of His kingdom--especially when the work of His kingdom seems to be lacking in outward impressiveness. May we learn from the Magi during this season of Advent, and may we like them seek, find, and worship the Christ!