“…they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him…” and “they departed into their own country another way” (King James Bible, Matthew 2:10,11,12)

Unlike modern visitors to the Holy Land, the Wise Men went not as sightseers nor even as pilgrims, but in order to see a Person.  And with them they took their own personal gifts with which to pay him homage.  It was this intensely personal motive for their journey which caused them to rejoice with exceeding great joy when the star reappeared and pointed them to Bethlehem.  For nothing could take the place of the Holy King whom they sought.

 In spite of seeing the ancient and famous city of Jerusalem with its novel sights, in spite of travelling through the wild and hilly country of Judaea, so different from the flat and fertile plains of Mesopotamia, in spite of all these things – so interesting to their keen, enquiring minds – their journey would be altogether wasted if at its end they did not find Jesus himself.