Would history be different if the wise men had a GPS (global positioning system)?

This was the odd question that popped into my mind the other day. The wise men are probably the biggest mystery in the Biblical story of the birth of Jesus Christ.

There is much sensationalism concerning the Magi, but the truth is it is pretty much all speculation. The Bible doesn’t give too many details about these wise men we often call kings, although there is nothing to support that notion of royalty.

Matthew 2:9-11 (NIV) says, “…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. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh.”

Many people believe the wise men were at the stable the night of Christ’s birth, but this passage indicates something different. It mentions a “child” in a “house”. Some scholars believe Jesus was probably two years old when the Magi finally found him.

Did their journey take two years or did they get a late start? I certainly don’t know the answer to that. No one is quite sure where they even came from to create a good guess of their journey’s length.

Would a GPS have hastened their sojourn? Perhaps, but I think they had something better than a piece of technology on a dashboard. They had their own GPS, God’s Precious Son. He was the source of the light that guided their way.

I have often heard of people being led astray or out of their way by a GPS gadget, but I don’t believe anyone could go off course with the ultimate GPS.

Instead of a computerized voice telling the driver which way to go, the ultimate GPS leads the believer with a still small voice. I hope you hear that voice this Christmas. Merry Christmas to you all.