Gifts of the Magi

After they had heard the king, they went on their

way, and the star they had seen in the east went

ahead of them until it stopped over the place

where the child was.  When they saw the star,

they were overjoyed.

Matthew 2:9-10

As soon as the Magi left Herod's palace, the star blazed forth to light their way.  The Bible states that the star led them to a "house."  Contrary to our modern nativity plays, the kings did not show up at the stable.  The star first appeared on the night of Christ's birth.  It took many months (perhaps as much as two years) for the men to travel to Jerusalem and then on to the town where Jesus lived.  He was no longer an infant, but a young child, and...

On coming to the house, they saw the child with his

mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him.

At this point, the Magi brought forth gifts for the young king - very expensive gifts of gold, incense and myrrh.  Legend has always presented three wise men with three gifts, but in point of fact, we have no idea how many men made that journey.  The pronoun "they" indicates more than one, but beyond that, we simply do not know.  What we do know is that they recognized this young child as the Savior of the universe, and they bowed before Him in humble worship.