¹ Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying,
² "Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we have seen his star in the East, and have come to worship him."
³ When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him;
⁴ and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.
⁵ They told him, "In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it is written by the prophet:
⁶ '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 govern my people Israel.'"
⁷ Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star appeared;
⁸ 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."
⁹ When they had heard the king they went their way; and lo, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came to rest over the place where the child was.
¹⁰ When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy;
¹¹ 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.
¹² And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way.

• Bethlehem is a small town six miles south of Jerusalem.
• Israel was ruled by the Romans and King Herod was the Roman appointed ruler of Palestine. He maintained law and order with cruelty. The Jews were waiting for a Savior to come.
• The ancients believed that each person was represented by a star at birth.
• The Magi belonged to a priestly caste in Persia where their principal task was to be intellectual and religious advisers to the Persian kings. They were trained in philosophy, medicine, and above all in astronomy.
• The meanings of the gifts:
  1. Gold: In the ancient time, gold was considered as a precious metal reserved only for the royalty. Gold is offered to infant Jesus as the king.
  2. Frankincense: Incense has always been a favorite part of religious ritual not only for its air-sweetening power but also because the rising plumes of smoke seems to be visible prayers bridging heaven and earth. The gift of frankincense adverts to Christ's priestly role.
  3. Myrrh: Myrrh is used to heal and embalm death body. The gift of myrrh implies the human nature of the infant Jesus and also announces his future death.

The visitation of the Persian Magi is regarded as the revelation of God to the world. God invites all, both Jews and Gentiles, to share equally the salvation brought by Christ.

1. What do I think about the Magi? What do they impress me most?
2. If the infant Christ is born today, what presents do I offer Him?
3. The infant Christ was born in the manger and revealed himself to the three Magi and to the uneducated shepherds. How do I "reveal" myself to others? How do I treat others?
4. After the encounter with God, the three Magi returned home via another route. Believe in God, which "path" do I take in my daily life?
5. God called for the Magi via a simple symbol, a star. This star was the main reason that attracted their attention. In my daily life, how do I recognize God's wills?
6. The three Magi recognized God through the image of an infant born in the manger. How does my daily life reflect the image of God?

Enter Reader's Response or View Reader's Response this week
A synthesis by the Vietnamese Christian Life (Dong Hanh) Community