Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.

When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.
Matthew 2:1-2, 9-11

The last group of people to be considered, and the last to arrive to acknowledge the birth of Christ, are the wise men from the east. Yes, I know there was probably not just three of them. I know magi is a more accurate word and I know that they didn’t show up while Jesus was in the manger. Now that the intelligent stuff is out of the way, we can consider unhindered the praise of Christ offered by these great men. These men came specifically for the purpose of worshiping the Christ. Though we don’t know exactly who they were, it seems very likely that these men were men of power and influence within a foreign government. They were probably men of notoriety and honor. They traveled to Jerusalem for the sole purpose of worshiping the new born baby. They clearly recognized the importance and worth of the child they were seeking. It seems as if they recognized more than just His worth as a future political leader. It appears they recognized His incredible glory as the Messiah, the Son of God. With that recognition was also rejoicing. They rejoiced at finding the child. They rejoiced at the opportunity to worship Him. They rejoiced in presenting to Him their their treasures. These men, though they were not Israelites, knew this child was the promised Son of God. They recognized Him as such and rejoiced in His coming. As we celebrate Christmas tomorrow, we can do no less than these wise men.