Rendezvous With God

Well…I might as well start making pubic the task God has put before me. A couple of months ago, God spoke and told me that it’s about time a starting listening to Him about going to seminary. This Thursday, I’m visiting Seminary of the East, in Auburn, MA. It’s a Seminary program that caters to people who are working and trying to go to Seminary at the same time. So, in preparation and personal devotion, I decided to retake an assignment I had in college that I didn’t do so well in. In my New Testament class I had to write 100 essay question for 80% of the grade. I didn’t keep up and ended failing the class. However, since then I had vowed to do those questions. I e-mailed my old professor, Dr. Larry Poston of Nyack College and he sent me the updated questions. So, as a challenge, I will take the summer and finish those questions. Dr. Poston offered to grade them for me, and I will post my answers here each day. However, out of respect for my professor, I will not post the questions, just the answers. Here is number one:

1. Magi, more traditional called wise men, were some the first people to worship Jesus. In Matthew, it’s not stated how many there were, though traditionally there have always been an association with the number the Magi to the number of gifts presented to Jesus. The names of these men vary from culture to culture, however the bible never makes it clear the names of the magi. Their land of origin is also in question. The bible only says that they were from the east (verse 1). The mere fact that they were following a star suggests that they may have been astrologers. Astrology was considered a major science at the time of Christ’s birth along with mathematics and philosophy. Culturally, it was centered in Persia, east of Judea. Those who were verse in Astrology may also have had knowledge of multiple disciplines. If the Magi were indeed from Persia, that would also explain how they may have known Hebrew prophecies and texts. The Persian Empire had conquered Babylon in 539 B.C., Babylon held the Hebrew captive prior to the Persian liberating the Hebrews. This may have given the Magi accesses to the many prophecies the Hebrews had written to that date. Though, the bible does not
specifically indicate how the Magi may have known the prophecies, it is very probable that these men knew about those texts given the extent of knowledge across multiple disciplines. Let’s not also dismiss God’s intervention as He later spoke to the Magi in a dream. He may have also done this as a means of leading them onto the meaning of the star they were following.

A footnote to verse 2 in my bible says the phrase “saw his star in the east” may also say that “saw his star when it rose” makes more sense as to follow a star in the east suggests a star at a fix point in the sky. My question as I pondered the text was how did men from the east, follow a star in the east, end up at location in the west? So, seeing that they were following a star as it rose in the east moved across the sky and into the west would make more sense.

Personally, I feel the Magi tend to be sorely overlooked passage in the bible, lending it to pageants and Christmas specials. As “pagan” as these men were, they sought truth. They were led by God. They journeyed many miles to seek and worship
a God that was not their own. They are an example of men, different from your standard believer, who God can reach
despite the “sorcery” they believed. They worshiped Jesus.