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What could possibly have motivated the wise men to leave their homes and undertake a long, hard desert journey?
What did they think was so special about the “newborn king of the Jews” (Matthew 2:12)? Everyone knew that the people of Israel lived under Roman occupation and had no political power or prestige. Any “king” they had would be merely a puppet of the Roman emperor. So why, when they saw the rising star and discerned its message, were the magi attracted by this birth announcement of a powerless monarch in a faraway land?
Isn’t it possible that the Holy Spirit was moving in them, giving them a sense that this was an event of extraordinary significance? Perhaps the Spirit touched on a sense of longing and hope in the magi and compelled them to investigate.
And do you think that when they found the Holy Family, the wise men simply presented their gifts and then hurried back…
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