Ever since we were children, we have heard the story of the wise men bringing gifts to Jesus. We know very little about these wise men except that they came from the east of Judea. Justin Martyr about 150 A.D. writes that the wise men were from Arabia, and Hill points out that all three gifts were products of Arabia. Fausset thinks that the wise men were from Persia. Although wise men are seen throughout the courts of the Middle East as spiritual advisers, the term was used in many ways to simply mean possessors of special knowledge.

That the wise men may have been important and influential members of some eastern nation is possible considering their generous gifts. But these men were not heathens. They came to Israel to worship the coming King of the Jews, God’s chosen nation. They trusted in God in their journey and listened to his warning after they had seen the Christ Child. We usually remember the wise men by their three gifts. But I think they gave God far more than the three gifts recorded in scripture. They really gave God gifts of obedience, worship and sacrifice that had nothing to do with the earthly treasures they presented to Jesus. As we think of these anonymous men, we might want to ask ourselves what gifts we can bring!

When the wise men finally found the baby, we know they presented gold, frankincense, and myrrh as gifts to the Christ Child. Perhaps we cannot bring such treasures to him. But we can bring to God the far more important gifts that the wise men really brought - their actions, their willingness to learn, their faith, their joy, their worship, their offerings, and their obedience. If we do these things, then we will truly be ... wise men!