When the Wise Men Came to Life
Cuando los Reyes Magos Parecieron Vivos
by
Mary Hunt Webb
Posted Wednesday, November 30, 2022
Long before the Internet made it possible to announce a birth in a distant land, three Wise Men, also known as Magi, learned of the birth of the king of the Jews in Israel so that they traveled a long way to see him and worship him. [Photographer: Jeffrey Jacobs. Photo courtesy of Pixabay.com.]
Most of us cannot picture in our minds the actual events that surrounded the birth of Jesus in Israel more than 2,000 years ago. We can't imagine the humble surroundings into which he entered this world. Nor can we imagine how the shepherds and the wise men learned of his birth in very disparate locations. Yet, the Bible tells us those things happened.
In order to help us picture those things, many churches arrange in December to present a Living Nativity during which church members volunteer to portray the characters that were involved in the Nativity story. In so doing, they bring the story of the birth of Jesus to life for members of their communities.
Years ago, I became involved in such an event when I taught an International Sunday School class for people from all over the world. My students came from the Middle East, Asia, Europe, and Latin America and included mature adults, college students, teenagers, and even two children.
Because our large urban church was near a busy intersection, it was in a strategic location to present the Living Nativity every December. Weeks in advance, various Sunday School classes, including ours, were enlisted to provide volunteers to portray Mary, Joseph, the angel, the shepherds, and the Wise Men for half-hour segments for three evenings prior to Christmas.
It takes hundreds of volunteers, like those in this photo, sacrificing their time during the busy Christmas season each year to bring the Nativity to life for their communities. [Photographer: Michelle Scott. Photo courtesy of Pixabay.com.]
As the teacher for our class, I encouraged our class members to choose a role to portray. When they signed up, I didn't look closely to see which roles they chose. Since ours was a small class, I only looked to see if our class members had signed up to portray each of the biblical characters: Joseph, Mary, the angel, the shepherds, and the wise men. When I saw that there was no one to portray a shepherd, I persuaded my husband to take that role.
My job was to hold the coats and purses of our class members while they slipped into colorful robes or gowns and put on false beards and headdresses.
It wasn't until my class members were dressed for their roles in the Living Nativity that I noticed that the Wise Men actually were from the East! Two were Chinese while a third was Japanese. The angel was a Chinese college student because he was the only one that was willing and able to climb the ladder to perch above the stable.
While the Bible doesn't specify where in the east the Wise Men originated, they could have come from anywhere in Asia! Although we think of the Wise Men as riding on camels, we really don't have any information as to how they traveled.
Although tradition has it that the Wise Men traveled on camels to see Jesus, the Bible doesn't give us that information. [Photographer: Gerd Altman. Photo courtesy of Pixabay.com.]
The Bible only tells us, "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." Matthew 2:1 (KJV)
The idea that the Wise Men could have come from as far away as China and Japan had never occurred to me until I saw my class members wearing beards and full costumes.
Our Living Nativity was meant to bring the miracle of Jesus' birth alive to our community, but it brought it to life for me in a way that I could never have imagined! Although I was the teacher, I was the one that learned something that evening!
BIBLE VERSES USED IN THIS POSTING
Matthew 2:1 — 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. (KJV)
Mateo 2:1 — Cuando Jesús nació en Belén de Judaea en días del rey Herodes, vinieron del oriente a Jerusalén unos magos (Reina-Valera 1960)
Christmas began with a birth announcement. [Photographer: Cindy Parks. Photo courtesy of Pixabay.com.]
