Three Kings

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Known by many names and traditions, The Magi, the Wise Men, the three Kings, the visitors of baby Jesus are shrouded in mystery and scant reference. In Scripture, they arrive in but one of the Four Gospels, this fact alone is most puzzling, and only a few lines describe their contribution to the story of Jesus and his mortal history.

Mathew writes how the three men of prominent status saw and followed a certain new star, traveling together to find the momentous occasion of the birth of Jesus. 

Earlier in Scripture, Old Testament, prophet Isaiah's predictions regarding the Messiah's appearance hint at the events the three wise men wished to honor, but there was also much drama in those times. Evil King Herod, the dominant, ruthless ruler of the region, heard of the birth of a new "King", and felt threatened by the possibility he could lose his powerful reign. But, the savvy travelers suspected Herod's plan to destroy his future opposition, never returning to the paranoid king.

Following the star to Bethlehem, the three men found the new child with His parents, Mary and Joseph. Although unfound in Scripture, later tellings of this tradition gave the men their identities: Melchior hailed from Persia, Gaspar (also called "Caspar" or "Jaspar") from India, and Balthazar from Arabia. Some scholars believe they also symbolize the rapidly increasing trade among nations that was happening at that time, and the peaceful cooperation between cultures with common goals and values, the prosperity of the future. 

The three kings brought gifts for the baby that also had prime significance: gold signified Jesus' status as "King of the Jews;" while frankincense represented the child's divinity and identity as the Son of God; and myrrh touched upon Jesus' mortality. 

However little is actually known about these real or mythical visitors, their sincere devotion and wonder were evidence to their mission, and their loving reverence for the Messiah. 

It was difficult selecting a pic for this piece, there are so many beautiful examples of the universal love the Three Kings represent. Like, this rapturous painting, Bartolome Esteban Murillo's "Adoration of the Magi."

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