Religious tradition names the three "Magi of Bethlehem" as Balthasar of Arabia, Melchior of Persia, and Gaspar of India. Magi comes from the ancient Latin “magus” and ancient Greek “magos” which comes from ancient Persian meaning priestly class of Zoroastrianism.
The ancient Persian term would have related to someone who practiced Zoroastrianism and attempted to read the stars to make sense of current events or to tell the future. The Magi from Matthew were elevated to kings by the Catholic religion probably around 500 BC because it was assumed only kings could afford to give such lavish gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
By naming them Balthasar, Melchior, and Gaspar, and giving them kingly titles, we make them more real and thus makes their
visit to the baby Jesus bigger than life. We have kings, bringing gifts fit for a king, to a future king.
We can imagine Balthasar the King of Arabia bowing down and humbly placing the gold in front of Jesus’s cradle. Then we see Gaspar, the king of India, present the frankincense to be burned as incense worthy of a deity. Finally, Melchior, the king of Persia, offers the myrrh to be used as to anoint Jesus in recognition of his kingly rule.
On that night of honor the Magi celebrate Jesus as the future king but we know that he had to go through trial and tribulation before his role as our Savior King would be recognized by all humankind.
Last Sunday was the First Sunday After Epiphany and we often talk about the 3 Wisemen as the end of the Christmas story but don't the let Christmas end! Don't let Christmas slip away just because retail America has stopped playing Christmas themed commercials and put all of their Christmas items on price markdowns!
Strive to bring peace and good will to all humankind every day.
Carry the light of the world, Jesus' light, with you wherever you go!
(Compilation of various online and written sources used to write this blog. Contact me for exact references if interested. Image from Shutterstock #1980408092)
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