“Epiphany” or “Theophany” remembers the magi and marks the end of the Christmas season. This was a piece I wrote for our women’s ministry, but I edited it to post here as I feel the Lord has a call in it for the year ahead. 
Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” Matthew 2:1-2 (ESV)
In high school, I attended a ladies’ Christmas craft event at our church. We made hanging signs with a mix of wire and wood then painted quippy sayings on their surfaces. The piece I created for my mom read, “Wise Men Still Seek Him.” I only recall this because it graced her wall, day and night, for decades. In fact, I think it was in a pile I relegated to the donation center when Dad sold the house this year. It was a piece only a mother would love let alone keep as a staple in her decor. The saying though, in or out of season as it hovered in the hallway, always drew my thoughts. “Wise men still seek Him…” The wise men or magi in Jesus’ advent story always seem the most mysterious and foreign to me. Even in my nativity scene, they seem out of place near the humility of the baby Savior. And so they are, but this year, in studying Daniel, I feel like God has drawn them nearer to my heart as brothers, fellow worshippers, and even mentors for my faith.
History
If you are unfamiliar with Daniel beyond the stories of dreams, dens, and death by furnace, I would encourage you to check it out. It’s a bit weird, for sure. Most of the prophetic books are outside the realm of your comfy, fireside reading. But it is so full of the beauty of God’s mystery and heartbeat in bringing the Messiah to humanity!
Over 400 years before the birth of Jesus, Daniel was taken to Babylon as a captive in the 70-year exile of Israel. He was a young royal designated to serve the newly throned Nebuchadnezzar, but even surrounded by the opulence of a pagan conqueror, Daniel resolved to be a godly man. Because of his faithfulness, God gave him powerful influence in the reigns of at least 4 kings during his lifetime.
He was so trusted by the various rulers that he was again and again placed as one of the top officials in the nation, overseeing other government leaders including… the trusted battalions of wise men, also known as magicians. (Daniel 2:8; 5:29; 6:1-3)
In the second half of his book, we are brought in on the prophetic visions God gave Daniel of the Messiah’s first advent as well as His second coming, victory, and rule over the power of darkness.
It is believed by many scholars that Daniel’s influence over the wise men of Babylon and Medo-Persia led to his teachings, writings, and prophetic timelines carrying on in their traditions during the 400-plus years until Jesus’ birth. Because they were also students of the stars, it is believed they would have incorporated the various timelines and the sky into their recognition of the coming Messiah. Thus the phrase, “We saw His star when it rose and have come to worship Him.”
Eternity
In addition to the amazing ways God moved through foreign powers hundreds of years in advance to orchestrate the coming of His Chosen One, Daniel also shows us hints of eternity. The angel who interprets Daniel’s visions is Gabriel. Gabriel is also the messenger who informs Mary that she will bear the Christ child. Can you imagine? How profound it would be to cross time and eternity to bear witness of God’s redemptive plan and the Savior himself!
When the wise men came, they brought three gifts. This is the major fuel for the misinformation that there were three wise men. Biblical accounts give no number of men who came. However, the three gifts they brought bore eternal significance.
Gold acknowledged his status as King of the Jews, but Daniel’s prophecy also recognized Him as a King of a Kingdom that would fill the whole earth. (Daniel 2:44-45)
Frankincense indicated Jesus’ status as High Priest and deity as this herb was burned in the Old Testament temple as an offering to God. (Exodus 30:34-37)
Myrrh relayed Jesus’ place as complete man and prophet who would, like so many prophets before Him, be God’s mouthpiece to His people. More than all others, He would reflect God’s heart in bodily form to the people, and even still, they would reject and despise Him. His full humanity would suffer and die to cover our sins and give us access again to eternity with God the Father. Myrrh would be used to prepare his body for burial. (John 19:39)
The wise men also expressed eternity in their mere identity. These were not Jewish men. These were foreigners from a still-pagan Persia, gentiles who had put their faith in a God and a King not of their fathers. They, like many types before them, were a picture of God’s heart to bring all of his human creation back into relationship with Himself through the coming of Christ.
Yes, they were strange and out of place. And so are we. Yet Jesus whispered to us all, “Come to me…”
You and Me
So, as I pack my nativity away for another year, I ask myself, “Am I being a wise woman? Am I still seeking Him?”
The Bible has so many things to say about wisdom, it’s worth, and how to gain it. James tells us what wisdom from heaven looks like (chapters 1 and 3). Proverbs 2 says the beginning of wisdom is the fear or awe of the Lord. Proverbs 9 says that the Lord gives wisdom and understanding comes from His mouth. Am I, are you, like the wise men, seeking the wisdom of God in all the ways and moments He is revealing Himself?
And are we still seeking? His Word is both ancient and alive, just like Gabriel was sharing with Daniel in exile and with Mary 400 years later. Am I willing to follow the wisdom God gives and journey to seek Him, whether it is traversing across miles or bringing forth life in my hometown?
God is not hiding Himself from His people. He paints the sky every morning in breathtaking arrays to herald His presence, creativity, and love. He blueprints eternity in the stars. His very breath of life enables our existence. And He has given us His Word, in scripture, and His Holy Spirit in us, if we are His.
What response does such a gift compel? Without question, to seek the Giver! “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart,” He beckons (Jeremiah 29:13).
I admonish you, as I admonish myself as we head out of the Christmas season and into another year, fix your eyes on the horizons where God has revealed Himself so that in every season, we can say with our wise brothers, “We saw His star as it rose, and have come to worship Him.”
May you find Him as you seek Him with all your heart!