Matthew 2
1 Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judæa in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem,
2 Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.
4 And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born.
6 And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel.
7 Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, inquired of them diligently what time the star appeared.
8 And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search diligently for the young child; and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also.
9 When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was.
11 And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.
12 And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way.
How often have we pondered on the wise men, and the lessons they have to teach us. I think most of us would agree with the following:
(1) They weren't acquainted with Herod, after all, they originally believed him that he wished to worship Jesus.
(2) They were important men. After all, they request a presence with Herod, and are granted one in which they can simply speak with him. I imagine that wasn't a luxury afforded to most people of the time, especially ones who Herod didn't know personally.
(3) They were probably quite busy, and had a lot to do. Most men don't end up with "gold" they can spare without working quite hard and diligently for it. And most wise men, keep themselves occupied with important tasks.
(4) They traveled far to come see Jesus, shown by their lack of knowledge of Herod.
It intrigues me that these "wise" men left their worldly responsibilities, for probably quite some time, in order to make the journey to worship a small child, and present him with gifts. How often are we "too busy" to take time to leave our world behind? How often do we use our "busy lives" as an excuse not to serve those in need? How many of us would be willing to pack our treasures, and leave simply for the opportunity to serve our Savior in even the smallest of ways?
I know I personally need to grow in this area of "wisdom", and hopefully during this holiday season, when I look upon my nativities, I can remember to work on having wisdom guide me through out my life, and share the love of the Savior with all whom enter my life.
