MAGI CAME FROM AFAR
The prophet Zechariah prophesied that the Lord of Hosts would send Messiah to them. He would be both priest and king (v.13) and would build the temple. Even “those from afar,” meaning the Gentiles, would come and be part of building the temple under His authority.
This prophecy was fulfilled in the coming of Christ Jesus, who is the long awaited Messiah. After His birth, Magi came from the East, bringing Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. They had come “from afar” to see the one born King of the Jews. They were Gentiles, probably from Persia, who had access to the Hebrew Scriptures and therefore knew of the Scripture that prophesied of a star to announce the Messiah: “A Star shall come out of Jacob; a Scepter shall rise out of Israel” (Num. 24:17). They came from afar following the Star of Bethlehem to see the Messiah.
As Zechariah prophesied, so the apostle John affirmed: “God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him”(1 John 4:9). He is building His Temple, which is the Church. And He is drawing those both near and afar, both Jew and Gentile, to come and be built into God’s House, His holy temple (See 1 Cor. 3:9-11, 16).
The apostle Peter gave us the divine seal on Zechariah’s prophecy as being fulfilled in Christ when he said, “For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call” (Acts 2:39).
Are you still afar off from God? Do you hear His call to come near today?
PRAYER: Dear Father, today as we prepare to be with family on this Christmas Eve, we remember that You have kept Your promise by sending Your Son, Jesus, to us. Strengthen us to tell this story to those both near and afar, until You come to take us home. In Jesus’ name, amen.