No one know exactly how many wise men there were. There were three gifts, that's for sure, but how many men, Matthew doesn't tell us.
In the school nativity play the wise men arrive hot on the heels of the shepherds, but in the Bible the wise men's visit comes later, possibly much later
They come to see a 'child' not a 'babe lying in a manger.'
Perhaps by the time they arrive the baby is already a toddler? Who knows?
But one thing is certain the mysterious visitors from the East are a kind of foretaste of what is to come, as all across the world, and all through history, foreigners (people like us!) from distant lands, will come to worship Jesus.
The children's song, It was on a starry night, a favourite with the children in our school, gets it right when it says: 'a boy was born, king of all the world.'
No comments:
Post a Comment