1 Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judæa in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem,

2 Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him. (Matt. 2:1-2)

This seems to indicate that the sign of the new star that had been given to the Nephites had also been given to other people as well. The Nephites were too far away to go to Israel to see, but these wise men realized they were close enough, and must have said to each other “let us go now and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord has made known unto us,” much like the shepherds said to each other after the angels appeared to them in the field. Once they knew it was happening, they wanted to see for themselves, and not just see, but pay homage.

I really like how the wise men are examples of exercising their agency to act. They knew, and they acted on what they knew, even though it was a sacrifice. They were willing to leave all their other concerns behind at home and go on this journey. I think that all of us who leave the world behind and go on the incredible journey to come to Christ are no different, no less wise than these wise men.

I’m also touched that the wise men were willing to go on this journey to see the new Messiah as a baby. What could Jesus do for them at that time of life? He couldn’t preach to them, He was too small to consciously exert His power to heal any infirmities they might have had. How would they benefit from seeing Him? They already believed in the Messiah, so they weren’t seeking the evidence of their eyes. I think they wanted to see how the great Jehovah condescended to come to earth as a little child. In the eyes of the world, this baby was no great thing—babies are born every day. Babies are weak and helpless. Babies know nothing and have done nothing great to warrant admiration. Somehow the wise men knew that this baby was great because of the great spirit that was housed in it. It was Jehovah in that baby boy body, the same that saved Noah with the ark, the same that made such great promises to Abraham, the same that brought the children of Israel out of Egypt and parted the Red Sea for them, the same that did so many wonders throughout the scriptures. It was Jehovah they were worshipping.

Another thing that is touching is that the wise men already referred to Jesus as “the king of the Jews.” Even though it was evident that Jesus hadn’t obtained the power and authority of kingship and wasn’t yet universally acknowledged as king, they didn’t care. To them, Jesus was king, and they paid homage as though He was. I think that we are no less wise if we acknowledge Jesus as king of kings today and worship and obey Him as such, even though He isn’t yet universally acknowledged as king by the whole world. Eventually He will be.