Today, 'wise men seek him still'

Among the best remembered but perhaps most erroneously understood figures in scripture are the "wise men from the east" who sought out and worshiped the Christ Child.

For all mankind, their diligent search for and reverent adoration of the young Messiah, provides an example worth emulating, both literally and figuratively.Yet a careful reading of the scriptures clearly shows that much of the Christmastime legend and lore that have been handed down through the ages regarding the wise men is inaccurate. Moreover, many people find that the pure scriptural account, properly comprehended, is beautiful in its simplicity and needs no fanciful embellishment.

The gospel of Luke, which gives the most complete and familiar account of the Nativity, contains no mention of the wise men. For that, the reader must turn to the gospel of Matthew, second chapter.

"These people were responding to prophecy," noted Edward J. Brandt, a gospel scholar and administrative assistant in the evaluation division of the Church's Correlation Department.

"The account in Matthew clearly tells us the wise men knew of a prophecy that a sign - a star in the East - would be given to indicate the birth of the King of the Jews. Though it did appear to move, it is erroneous for us to assume they followed the star to Jerusalem. They were acquainted with the prophecy about the birth of the King of the Jews, so they knew already where to go."

Arriving in Jerusalem, the wise men needed specifics, Brother Brandt said, so they inquired at the court of King Herod. "There, they were exposed to the prophecy - which is in Micah - that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem."

Remarkably, the same sign indicated to the believers among Lehi's descendants in the Western Hemisphere that the prophecy of Samuel the Lamanite was being fulfilled and the Savior was being born into mortality "to redeem all those who shall believe on his name." (See Hel. 14:5, 3 Ne.1:21.)

Contrary to countless Nativity scenes and re-enactments, the wise men would have found the Babe some time after His birth, Brother Brandt noted. "The Matthew account says they came to the house where He dwelt. He was no longer in a stable or makeshift quarters but was in a more suitable dwelling. Thus, the wise men wouldn't have been there on the night of His birth."

Indeed, Elder Bruce R. McConkie reasoned that it could have been two or three years after His birth that the wise men found Him. He wrote: "It was a young child,' not a baby they were seeking; he was found in ahouse,' not a manger; and Herod `sent forth and slew all the children that were in Bethelehem and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently enquired of the wise men.' " (Mormon Doctrine, pp. 229-30.)

It cannot be determined from scripture how many wise men there were, Brother Brandt pointed out. "It would not necessarily be limited to three. That tradition developed only because of the mention of three gifts."

Regarding the gifts themselves, Elder James E. Talmage wrote that the offering of gifts to a superior in either a worldly or spiritual sense was a custom in early days that extends to modern days in some Eastern lands. "Some have supposed a half-hidden symbolism therein - gold a tribute to His royal estate, frankincense an offering in recognition of His priesthood and myrrh for His burial. The sacred record offers no basis for such conjecture." (Jesus the Christ, p. 108.)

As to the identity of the wise men, there is no scriptural support for the notion that they were astrologers or members of a cult from Media and Persia. Elder McConkie even objects to the term Magi, noting that the very word magic derives from it and relates to the ritual practiced by the apostate Persian cult.

"It is much more probable that they were devout men who knew of our Lord's coming advent," he wrote, "including the promise that a new star would arise, and that they came as prophets of any age would have done to worship their King. It is clear that they were in tune with the Lord and were receiving revelation from Him, for they were `warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod.' (Matt. 2:12)" (Mormon Doctrine, p. 462.)

With fact separated from supposition, there is much to ponder in the example of the wise men and their tenacious search for the Messiah. Indeed, all people are invited to "seek this Jesus of whom the prophets and apostles have written" (Ether 12:41), to "come unto Christ and be perfected in him." (Moro. 10:32.) As they find Him and embrace His gospel, they enter into covenants whereby they deny themselves of all ungodliness - a gift, as it were, to Christ - knowing that if they endure to the end they will inherit all that the Father has. (See D&C 84:38.)

"Wise men seek Him still" is a sentiment occasionally expressed today that has been incorporated into a Christmas song of that title by LDS composer Cori Connors.

"The song conveys the idea that the seeking of Him is continual for us as we progress in our personal lives," she said. The song reflects the truth that those who find Him turn their hearts from worldly riches, consecrate their lives to Him, and give to others as He gave:

. . . And in the giving I receive

And works give life to my belief

Like men of old who learned to mold their will.

And through His words I'll know His face

Who lived and died in a state of grace.

Oh, wise men seek Him still.

Through the desert sands, or the drifting snow

Where the Spirit leads, that's where I will go

As men of old who left their gold

In Bethlehem.

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