THREE OR FALSE !

Just been thinking of some of the ideas deeply embedded in our minds about Christmas in a bid to determine their veracity.

Is it really true that there were THREE Wise men? Did d Gospel account really say they were three? I'd ask anyone whose answer is in d affirmative, could d presence and inquiry of ONLY three Wise men have caused d whole of Jerusalem and Herod's palace to tremble? I don't think so!

But we've heard all our lives that there were three wise men. It just has to be 3. There can only be three wise men since no other number can suffice. "He whom d cap fits let him wear it."

Since "d cap and title of wise men" fits d three, let them wear it won't you say?

Nevertheless, what saith d Scriptures?

Matt2:1-2 "...behold there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, Saying, where is he that is born King of d Jews? For we have seen His star in d east and are come to worship Him..."

In the above scripture, the word "three" is conspicuously omitted as an adjective before the word "wise". So in essence, there were no "three wise men." The cap doesn't fit them afterall. If you know the history of King Herod, you'd know know that it'd take more than "three wise men" to trouble him along with all of Jerusalem. In my opinion, they may be as many as three hundred or three thousand so as to provoke such public interest in d city of Jerusalem.

"That can never be" you say. Wise men can never be so many.
Well,the Bible never told us how many they were. So let's not go beyond that which is written. If you choose to go for so few as 3, why won't I go for as many as 3,000.

Then to another most important question: why did they come in d first place? The Bible called them "Wise men" or magi's or as some scholars say, they were Star gazers. Some use this as a Biblical basis for d unbiblical practice of star-gazing, fortune telling and Astrology.

Nevertheless, what saith d Scriptures?

Is there any sound and reasonable Biblical basis why this fellows should come, and especially come worshipping?
They said they saw His star in d east, that means they were really on d look out for it. Is there any biblical basis for their expectation?

We may have to dig far into d Old Testament to find a clue to answer these questions.

We have a curious incident somewhere down there in d east recorded in d book of Numbers 23 and 24 which we must turn to. For brevity, I'd quote Num 24:17-19.

"I shall see him, but not now: I shall behold Him but not nigh: there shal come a Star out of Jacob, and a sceptre shall rise out of Israel,... Out of Jacob shall come He that shall have dominion..."

This is a prophecy given in d east more than a thousand years before Christ by Balaam in which he prophesied about Christ. Its paradoxical for him to claim that he'd see Christ though he knew it wouldn't be in d "Now". This would only make sense and connect if we imagine that these Wise men came from that same region of d World and could probably had been Balaam's descendants. Since the only way Balaam couldve seen Christ more than 1000yrs later was in & thru his descendants.

So these people preserved their grandfather's prophecy and kept looking out towards Isreal to their West expecting the kind of "Star" grand-Daddy described.

They faithfully passed on d prophecy and expectation from generation to generation for more than a thousand years. NO WONDER THE BIBLE called them WISE MEN!

Then suddenly one early morning, one young star-gazer saw a different kind of "Star" appear westward and had to call the oldest star-gazer in the clan to come have a look. Imagine what boundless joy was theirs as they concluded that "This is That" which d good-old Balaam saw but not 'nigh.'

I imagine that all grown up men in that line of Balaam's descendants would've fought for an opportunity to join that party down to see and worship dis special "Star" born King of d Jews. I'm not sure only "three wise men" would've been allowed to go.

Finally some call it an Eastern Star but that's not true. The wise men said " we saw his star in d east" or put it this way to undertand it "we saw in d east His Star" or "we in d east saw His Star." They were in d east when they saw His Star to their West. They followed it and came to Jerusalem. If the Star had appeared to their East from their vantage point, they'd have followed it and landed somewhere in India or China.

Just my humble opinion.

Merry Christmas!

Fun to speculate on these things, we will have to wait for the real answers.

I was told as a child that there were three wise men because there were three gifts, and that the entourage may have been a couple dozen associates and servants. This has worked so far for me, since no major doctrinal issues are involved. I assumed the gifts were of sufficient value to supply Joseph and Mary's travel needs and lodging expenses while they sojourned in Egypt, but we have no recorded receipts to verify that.

As for the inspiration for the trip of the Wise Men, I once heard a thrilling message explaining how the men were watching for celestial phenomena from the ancient writing/ prophecies of Daniel who of course was well known in the Babylonian region from whence we believe the Wise Men originated. I have not heard the idea that Balaam's prophecies might have been the original light on this.

Beyond that, I read somewhere that Chinese observers noted a very bright comet in the sky around 5 BC, that might have been in position to lead the men toward Bethlehem.

Another astronomer, a Christian professor from the University of Minnesota, calculated a clustering of Venus, Jupiter, and Mars around the time of The Birth noting how the bright star would also have been in a position for the Babylonians to make their way west toward Bethlehem.

I do not know, but something happened in the heavenlies to announce the great event, even as Caesar's decision to take the census scrambled the lives of pretty much the whole world just to be sure Mary and Joseph would be in Bethlehem for Christmas!

When God sends His Son to redeem the world, it would be understandable that the whole world would shake at the news.

Shook me up, too!

He does all things with maximum excellence, does He not??