This made the king so angry and furious that he ordered the execution of all the wise men of Babylon. Daniel 2:12

The account of the wisemen who arrived to confirm the birth of the new king of Israel in Matthew 2 has long been a curious source of mystery. They certainly add a casual source of elegance to the Nativity story. After all, who doesn’t like a well-dressed man riding a camel to grace their table top Nativity? Most Nativity displays include three characters from ’The East.’ Scripture doesn’t mention three. It doesn’t mention how they travelled or from what region in the East they were actually from—Far East, Near East, beyond the Jordan? Most often, one of the wisemen is ethnically different than the others. I think the inclusion of an ethnically diverse man of color may be the evolution of social inclusion into the birth story—but don’t quote me on that. This isn’t the first time we hear of wisemen. As a matter of fact, there is a salvation story that includes saving the very lives of these learned scholars that I would like to share with you.

Wisemen have been part of the biblical narrative for a long time. They are part of the epic story of God and the people of Israel. Wisemen are not Israelites. They are Gentiles. It was normal for great leaders of the ancient world to have their advisors. Their inner circles included people of power, wealth and influence. Very often a wide selection of wisemen was included within that inner circle. Pharaoh in Egypt had his wisemen (Exodus 7:11), Ahasuerus had his important men, (Esther 1:13-14) and King Nebuchadnezzar, the King of Babylon, (Daniel 1) had his wisemen to name a few. 

Here’s what I believe is relevant to the story of Jesus. 

The Israelites lost of their love of God and grew ambivalent about being His people. The relationship was fractured. Their actions sent them into Exile. It’s almost like God sent them away for safe-keeping. The Jewish religious items from their temple were stored in the holy place in Babylon. The royal family and religious leaders were sent to live in the land of deep darkness when the Babylonian Exile occurred (586-538 BC). The Jerusalem temple was destroyed. Jewish identity went through a serious crisis. You can read this in Daniel 1.

While in Exile, King Nebuchadnezzar, asked for some advisors from the Jewish royal family to be part of his advisory team—there would be three year on-boarding and training program. Daniel and three others were selected. Daniel and his trust in God would be tested. He would prove to be a trustworthy believer in God and he would also influence the three others we’ve come to know as Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. (Daniel 1:6-21) 

Kings are funny ducks. They do strange things. King Nebuchadnezzar set out an impossible challenge to his wisemen. If they could not deliver what the king was looking for…they would be ‘torn from limb to limb, and their houses will be turned into trash dumps.' (Daniel 2:5) The Chaldean wisemen instantly responded under the pressure of the challenge! None of the Chaldean wisemen could deliver what the king was asking. They prepared for the worst. The king exploded with rage and he ordered the Babylonian sages (wisemen) to be wiped out. Daniel and his friends were also hunted down and faced the same fate. (Daniel 2:12-13)

God works in wonderful and mysterious ways. 

King Nebuchadnezzar’s dreams were actually from God. It would take a Godly man to interpret their meaning for the king. The dream included a prophecy about an everlasting kingdom that would be indestructible. It’s rule would never pass to another people. It will stand forever.” (Daniel 2:44) God gave Daniel the supernatural ability to identify the dream and interpret it for this king. Then King Nebuchadnezzar bowed low and honored Daniel. The king offered him grain and incense. The king exalted Daniel and lavished gifts to him, making Daniel ruler over all the province of Babylon and chief minister over the Babylonian sages. (Daniel 2:48)

The wisemen from the East, from Babylon, came to confirm more than the fact that the new king was born. Herod was rightfully upset—and all of Jerusalem with him. The wisemen also confirmed the prophecy from God through Daniel as he interpreted King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream. The wisemen would all remember and tell their story of salvation—how Daniel saved their lives and how the prophecy would one day come to pass. Salvation would be for all who believe no matter how far away they may seem and the Kingdom without end would one day be established. Jesus is the true king. He would usher in His everlasting kingdom.

We all need to remember that sometimes God is at work behind the scenes. He includes the most unlikely characters into His salvation message. Who in your life needs to be included in God’s great salvation message? Pray for God to give you supernatural influence with those yet to hear. May you be amazed at the confirmation you receive.

They asked, “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We’ve seen his star in the east, and we’ve come to honor him. Matthew 2:2

Pastor Jen