The visit of the Wise Men (or Magi) is one of the most popular parts of the Christmas story. While we know of them as “wise” because of their knowledge of Scripture and astronomy (for lack of a better word), their wisdom was fully on display when they showed their willingness to follow a star in order to worship the King of kings.
As you probably know (and contrary to the popular carol), the Bible does not give a specific number for how many Wise Men traveled and arrived to see Jesus. We just know that they specifically brought three gifts or types of gifts. We do not even know their names!
However, we do know the names of three “wise women" in the Christmas story! These women did not bring any gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Instead, they were given gifts!
Nevertheless, their wisdom is on display even more than the Magi. Who are these wise women? They are Mary, the mother of Jesus, Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist, and Anna, the prophetess in the temple.
Let's look at their stories and see how they were so wise.
1. Mary, the Mother of Jesus
Outside of Jesus, of course, you could argue that Mary is the most important human player in the Nativity story. She plays an important role not just because of her evident righteousness and faith but because God chose her to carry the Christ child for humanity.
Mary was a young, virgin woman, probably in her teenage years, when she was "betrothed" (similar to being engaged today) to a common man named Joseph — who was a carpenter and man of faith also.
The first thing we find out about Mary is that she was visited by the angel Gabriel in her town of Nazareth. The Gospel of Luke records their encounter like this:
And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end” (Luke 1:28–33, ESV).
While Mary was a little surprised by the news of her pregnancy because she was still a virgin since she and Joseph were only engaged and discussing marriage, her conception and eventual birth of Jesus was obviously a supernatural work of God.
Despite her astonishment, her response to the angel was one of faith, trust, and surrender. We can see that in her reaction to the angelic announcement: "And Mary said, 'Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word’” (Luke 1:38, ESV).
This baby boy would eventually grow up, teach and influence countless people, initiate a world-changing movement called Christianity, die on a cross to take the penalty for the sins of the world, conquer death by rising from his grave, and then ascend back to heaven in a supernatural way. This is what we call the gospel.
Mary’s faithfulness in the midst of her confusing and impossible situation during a dark time shows us her great wisdom. And that wisdom can be so clearly seen in the song she sings out to God in Luke 1:46-55. It is beautiful and worth reading!
2. Elizabeth, the Mother of John the Baptist
Mary's older relative was a woman named Elizabeth. Elizabeth was barren, meaning she and her husband Zechariah (a priest) had never been blessed with children.
However, God miraculously (because of their age and inability to conceive) opened the womb of Elizabeth and allowed them to birth a child, whom they named John.
This child would later become known as "John the Baptist" because of a new tradition he started of baptizing God-worshipers who repent of their sin in the Jordan River.
Interestingly, the Bible shows us that although Zechariah had a hard time believing that the angel was telling the truth when he told them that they would have a child, Elizabeth fully trusted God's ability to do what he said.
As a result, the angel cursed Zechariah with the inability to speak until the baby was born. This event made him somewhat infamous even today.
In contrast, Elizabeth went from a place of disrespect in her culture (because she was barren) to now being well-known for her wisdom and faith.
She declared in Luke 1:24, "Thus the Lord has done for me in the days when he looked on me, to take away my reproach among people”(ESV).
3. Anna the Prophetess
After Mary's baby boy was born in the manger, we can read in Luke 2 that he was worshiped by the shepherds, customarily circumcised eight days later, and given his earthly name, Jesus.
Then Mary and Joseph took their first-born male child to the temple in Jerusalem for ritual "purification" in obedience to the Law of Moses.
While they were in the temple, the third wise woman in the Nativity story came up to them. She was a very old widow named Anna, the daughter of Phanuel of the tribe of Asher.
The Bible tells us that for many years, "she did not depart from the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day."
Anna was devoted to worshiping and serving God. She also was familiar with her scriptures enough to know that who she was encountering wasn't just any baby boy — that it was the Savior incarnate!
When Anna came up to Jesus and his family, Luke also tells us that she "began to give thanks to God and to speak of him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem" (Luke 2:38, ESV).
Anna's great wisdom is displayed not only in her decades of worship, prayer, fasting, and devotion to God but even more in her recognition of the Christ child, her worship of him, and her declaration to others about who he was.
These three women were sensitive to the Holy Spirit's leading and attentive to the voice of God (through his messengers — the angels — with at least two of them).
They recognized that Jesus was their Lord and Savior and the fulfillment of the prophecies. And they believed wholeheartedly in Jesus for their redemption and the redemption of all people.
They were the truly wise people in the Christmas story.
And we, too, can be wise men and women this Christmas by recognizing who Jesus is, responding to the gospel with faith, and living our lives in surrender and devotion to him.
For further reading:
10 Bible Characters Who Are Important in the Christmas Story
Why Is John’s Birth Story a Part of the Christmas Story?
4 Angelic Encounters and Their Divine Messages in the Christmas Story
Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/ digitalimagination
