Chapter Four
Love in the In-Between

Lesson

“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, 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.’ When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. They told him, ‘In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet:  

‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,   are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;  for from you shall come a ruler   who will shepherd my people Israel.’ 

Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, ‘Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him.’ After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way.” Matthew 2:1-12 

There was a reason these Magi (Wise Men) came to visit Jesus. Something different was going on in Bethlehem, so they came.  

Who were these Magi? 

First of all, what are some of the songs we know about these Wise Men? “We Three Kings” is the biggest one. There is also “Three Wise Men Came Traveling” and “Wisemen Still Seek Him.” 

How many Wise Men are in your nativity scene at home or in the ones that you see in stores or at other people’s homes? (There is always someone who will say, “I don’t have one at my house.”) The answer is typically three.  

How many Wise Men does it say in Matthew that came from the East? It does not say the number. Just because there were three gifts does not mean that there are three kings!  

There may have been more. Affluent people from the East, Magi included, would travel with large amounts of people as they had people and possessions to protect as they traveled. A small army may have been the people Jesus had for company. Some of you may be looking forward to a small army this Christmas as well. 

Also, we sing about the star in “The First Noel” and say they look-ed up (why do we sing it that way?) and saw a star shining in the East beyond them. They were from the East! If they were from the East, what direction would they have to travel to get to Jesus in Bethlehem? West! Some translations include the star in the East; some do not. 

Sorry, I am messing everything up, huh? However, there is more. 

We do not know their names. Now, this may be a bit more obscure to most of us, but tradition tells us that their names were Melchior, Balthasar, and Gasper. Some reports say that one was Ethiopian, one was Indian, and one was Greek. Other accounts claim that they were all baptized by Thomas (he went to Asia to spread the Gospel after Jesus’ death), and a bishop in the 12th century even claimed to have found their skulls. (Weird, huh?) 

They were not necessarily kings. They were men that were wise (magi) and they knew that there would be a star in the East indicating that a new king had been born. They were affluent because we know the gifts they brought; gold, frankincense, and myrrh were not cheap!  

Finally, the wise men were not present at the birth of Jesus. What?! They do not belong in the nativity scene at all? Nope! In verse 11, where did they see Jesus for the first time? In a house. That is not a stable or a manger scene. (Those are not exactly correct either, but there is only so much we can handle in one sitting.) They probably arrived somewhere between a few months and two years after Jesus’ birth.  

Why do we know Jesus was probably less than two? It is because later Herod would kill male babies two years and younger in an attempt to secure his throne from this “King of the Jews.” Ultimately, we do not know any of this for sure as none of it is mentioned in the Scriptures. 

What we do know is:  

Why did they come? The obvious reason is they saw a star in the sky that had been foretold in ancient Jewish writings, but was that really it? I do not think so. 

They were looking for a coming King. They were looking for Him. So, they got on their camels, got all of their homies together, and went on a long journey. What they found when they arrived was more than they could have ever imagined. Love had come for them, too. 

Christmas is just around the corner, and odds are you are somewhere between frantically finishing everything you have to do, wishing you had things to do, or looking forward to all you have to do. Redirect your focus in these last days to the fact that love has come for you.  

Experiencing love in the in-between is possible and offered to you. Every person wants to be fully known and fully loved. God knows you completely because, well, He is God. You also need to know that you are loved. You are loved by God no matter how you feel about yourself or how you think others feel about you. You are loved.  

How do I know you are loved? There are two reasons. First, God came. He came and put skin on so that you could know Him and know how to have a relationship with Him. Second, God died. He died to make that relationship possible.  

Love has come.