Who were these guys? I don’t have a clue in terms of their homeland or ethnicity. They show up and they depart; kind of a guest appearance you might say. We don’t even know how many there were; not really.
Perhaps the gold, frankincense, and myrrh were house warming gifts? “Jesus, welcome to your new home, a tabernacle of flesh, a human body; here are some gifts that might help you and your parents out.”
These wise men, whoever they were, were looking for the One born King of the Jews. The wise men, whoever they were, were seeking Jesus to worship Him; and when they found Him they fell down and worshipped Him. They were on their faces, prostrate before Jesus Christ; after which they opened their treasures and presented gifts to Him. First they gave themselves; then they gave their possessions.
Of course Jesus was likely no longer in Bethlehem by the time the wise men arrived, and Jesus was not the newborn that the shepherds found, so I think we can be assured that the wise men didn’t ooh and aah over baby Jesus, or even infant Jesus, or even toddler Jesus; no, the wise men worshipped Jesus.
Worship is what is called for when we encounter the Christ of Christmas; I’m not sure that oohs and aahs are in order; but worship, yes, I think worship is the telling factor – are we looking at a baby, an infant, a toddler; or do we see the living God?
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