The 3rd Day of Christmas

On the 3rd Day of Christmas, we found 3 WiseMen. I'm sure you all know the story about those Men from the East who followed that star. Like me, you probably know all the words to the Christmas song "We 3 Kings". I can tell you honestly that I thought I knew alot about these men. NOT!!! I didn't have a clue. I thought I might take the liberty of sharing a little bit of the information I learned about these men with you.

There is no real record of how many Kings came to visit Jesus. Because 3 gifts were recorded, it was assumed that there were only 3. There has been much debate over their names but in the 8th century it was finally decided that the WiseMen were Caspar, Melchior, and Balthasar. These Magi were noble pilgrims who followed a star to Isreal to pay homage to the Christ Child. They humbly offered their gifts to Jesus. Caspar is young , European and offers gold. It is this gold that finances the Holy families coming flight from Israel and also symbolizes Christs immortality and purity. Melchior is middle aged, Persian and offers myrrh. Myrrh was a fragrant gum that ancient Isrealites believed brought strength to children. Myrrh was blended with wine and offered to Jesus on the cross and mixed with the aloes that were used to help wrap his body before he was placed in the tomb. Balthasar was elderly, Ethiopian and offered francincense. It is a resin used in incense for worship and symbolizes prayer and sacrifice. There is a lot of speculation as to who these men were. Some think they may have been Jews who knew the predictions of the Old Testament. Others believe they may have been Gentiles from high positions who received a special revelation from God. Still others believe that they came from different lands representing the entire world bowing before Jesus. I didn't share all this information with the 3W's. I was afraid I might lose them as I may have lost you but I have found all this so interesting. We ended our 3 WiseMen story with Christmas M&M's story shared with me by my good friends over at the Doles Family Zoo. It was a sweet way to end our 3rd Day.