by Pastor Rich Carlson

“We three kings of Orient are…”

We don’t know for sure how many there were. Tradition says there were three because there were three gifts. And the “Orient” back then was considered North Arabia, Syria, and Mesopotamia so the trip could have been very far—as many as 400 miles over unfriendly terrain. That trip could take two to four weeks, one way!

But what I noticed from this text that blessed me was not how many wise men there were or how far they trekked, but the contrast between them and the shepherds. Shepherds were probably not highly noted scholars or influential people in their community. They probably did not hold high offices or attract society’s positive attention. They were just shepherds. Angels had to come to them to tell them of the birth of Jesus—maybe they couldn’t even read the prophetic scrolls for themselves.

Sometimes I have been tempted to believe that those were the only kind of people God, or religion, attracted—the “down-and-outs,” the “losers,” the ones that had nothing else going for them so they might as well try God.

But this verse in Matthew reminded me that the other end of the spectrum was just as interested in God (and God in them). They found God in a different way than the shepherds, but ultimately responded in a similar way: They all praised God.

The wise men found out about the Savior’s birth through study as well as responding to a supernatural phenomenon. The shepherds had the angels “in their faces,” so there was no mistake. The wise men, on the other hand, saw the star in the distance. They had to interpret the data from a more intellectual perspective and draw their conclusions from subtler evidence and study.

I was blessed with the realization that there are multiple ways to find the Savior, both simple and complex. The method is not as important as the response, however. God gave me a reminder of the value of diverse approaches. Faithful people are not losers! They may be illiterate or highly educated; they may have nothing or they may have plenty; they may hear the Gospel directly or indirectly; but they all respond the same when they come face to face with the Savior—they bow down and worship Him.

Rich Carlson is campus chaplain at Union College in Lincoln, Nebraska. “God Is Faithful” is adapted from the email devotionals he writes regularly for the Union College family. Rich enjoys filling his life with God, his family, and especially his five grandchildren.