The Day of the Wise Men

Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem — (Matthew 2:1).

Today is the day Christians celebrate the Epiphany, when wise men from the East bearing gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh, came to find and worship the child Jesus. It is the twelfth day of the song, The Twelve Days of Christmas. Christmas Day, December 25, is the first day. If you have not read the possible meanings of that song, you might enjoy looking them up.

In Ireland, this day is “Little Christmas” (Nollaig Bheag). It is also known as women’s Christmas. Women, if you’d like to read about this, let me tell you, the traditions sound pretty good to me. Do you remember the song, Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas?

Many people keep up their Christmas trees and decorations until January 5 and have a ceremony to take them down. Some Christian churches hold services on the eve of Epiphany.

Do you use or hear the term “had an epiphany“? The word itself has come to mean a moment of realization, as when the Wise Men found the Christ Child, realized their long journey had ended, and presented Him with their gifts.

Perhaps it is because only three gifts are mentioned in Scripture that we assume three wise men arrived on three camels but I’m wondering if more than three kings or magi came to Jesus? Could there have been a whole caravan of camels and more than three of the visitors from the East?

Have you ever thought it odd that Herod, who lived in Jerusalem, only six miles from Bethlehem, did not know about the King the Wise Men sought? Think about that a moment. The visitors had been watching the night skies. They knew a lot more prophecy and biblical truth than did King Herod. Their mission was to find and worship the King of the Jews.

Herod, of course, was worried. Was his throne threatened? Was he about to lose kingly power over the people? He reacted in a typically Herodian way: with evil. He had all the boy babies two years old and under killed, in a murderous effort to do away with any threat to his rule. I’ve wondered, as King Herod died a pretty gruesome death, if he associated his pain and suffering with divine retribution.

The Epiphany, January 6, is an important date in Christian worship. It begins the time of studying Scripture that points to who Jesus is. Today, let’s celebrate our Christian faith and the birth of Jesus. As we wrap up the Christmas season, may we take the realization of God’s great gift to us, Jesus, with us through the remainder of the year.