“When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.” (Matthew 2:10-11)

There is a lot to be said about the Magi, or wise men, who visited Jesus in today’s verse. But the most notable is this, despite not being Godly men they still put their own lives on hold, to investigate what they thought were signs of the Jewish Messiah being born. With their well-trained skills of observation, they noted a unique marker in the sky, an optical signal which aligned with Jewish prophecy. The Magi went to the land and spoke with King Herod asking “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” – Matthew 2:2. After which King Herod called in the chief priests who confirmed the expected birthplace of our Lord Jesus. So, we must really take a good look at all the Magi have done, while remembering that they were not believers. First, they studied the stars and the world around them well enough to notice a new star (one that wasn’t seen previously.) The Magi must have studied the scriptures well enough to understand that this magnificent sign corresponded to the coming of the Messiah. They packed up a convoy and left their homes, with an expectation of finding (and worshiping) this new King. They stayed the course, found Jesus and presented Him and His family with gifts. These are the things non-believers have done when they saw the sign of the Messiah. Today, we know who Jesus is – we know what He has done, and what He has promised to do. So, the question is this, the Magi saw the sign; studied scripture; left their homes; found Jesus; and presented Him with gifts. How much more should we be doing for Christ Jesus?