They have traveled more than 1,200 miles, inching their way over towering mountains and across trackless wastes as desolate as moonscapes. Bandits and beasts of prey have dogged their every step. They are saddle-sore, bone-tired, and weather-beaten. Yet, they relentlessly push themselves westward.

What drives these ancient stargazers?

Surely it is more than the star that they follow. The star gives direction, but something else pushes them onward. An epic journey like this is fueled by some inner driving force.

These Magi are the kingmakers of the Persian Empire. In the past forty years, Rome and Persia have fought three bloody wars for control of the Middle East. They will not be welcomed in a region ruled by Rome’s puppet king, Herod. This ruthless despot will stop at nothing to eliminate the Magi if it could curry favor with Rome.

Yet these stargazers enter Herod’s lair. Nothing can stop them from finding a newborn king. After months of grueling travel, their caravan finally arrives in Jerusalem. They expect it to be lit up like a Christmas tree. Instead, the city is as dead as a tomb. The Magi ask in Matthew 2:2, “Where is the one who has been born the king of the Jews?” They speak with urgency, even impatience. So the religious folk of the holy city frantically search their Scriptures for an answer—a day late and a dollar short.

It’s so sad when the apathy of churchgoers is exposed by the hunger of pagans!

Two thousand years have come and gone, and little has changed. Postmodern Magi are still driven by insatiable hunger. A reporter asked John D. Rockefeller, “Sir, when will you finally have enough money?” The richest man in the world replied, “When I have one more dollar than I have today.” When she got out of jail after yet another drug charge, actress Lindsey Lohan said, “There’s this weird hunger inside that won’t let me be happy with normal stuff.”

Naples is a Mecca for Magi who flood into Southwest Florida searching for happiness. These modern Magi, with their excessive materialism and new-age spirituality, often disturb church folk. But, if we listen, we might hear the cry of those Persian stargazers: “Where is the one who will satisfy my longing and fill the emptiness within?”

Will these Magi find us asleep in Jerusalem? Will we be distressed that they woke us up? Will we have to scurry to find answers to their questions? Or will they find the King of kings because they see in us a passionate worship and integrity of lifestyle that comes from being fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ? When we take time to look at these ancient stargazers, we learn this:

Only God can fill God-shaped vacuums.

We are indebted to Blaise Pascal, the 17th Century mathematician and philosopher, for unlocking one of the great mysteries of life:

“There is a God-shaped vacuum in the heart of every man which cannot be filled by any created thing, but only by God, the Creator, made known through Jesus”

Though Pascal lived 400 years ago, he defined the angst of postmodern people: if we are created in God’s image, then God is imprinted on our DNA. This God sense is inescapable, even for the atheist. We may deny God, or ignore him. But, in the deepest recesses of the soul, there is a longing for the God we have shoved out of our lives.

Pascal calls this “the God-shaped vacuum.” When God is absent, we are left with a gaping “God-shaped” hole in our psyche. Two things must be true about this hole: it is spiritual in nature because God is a Spirit Being; it is infinite in size because God is infinite.

The greatest crisis for humans is how they will fill this yawning emptiness. There are only two options: the things of creation, or the Creator himself. This is the maddening part: the things of creation are finite. Only the Creator is limitless. Nothing created

can contain him. Humans can contain a God-shaped expanse only because the hole is spiritual, not physical.

But this emptiness in us is not a dead hole. Because it is infinite, it has the force of a massive vacuum. Whatever we put in to fill the emptiness gets sucked away into infinity. It’s like a black hole in outer space that eats whole planetary systems.

If we feed the hole with the finite things of creation, they will give us a moment of satisfaction, and then be sucked away into the God-shaped vacuum. We no sooner gorge ourselves, and the vastness of soul emptiness overwhelms us again. No matter how much prosperity, power, pleasure, or popularity we acquire—it never lasts, and it is never enough.

In his epic poem Paradise Lost, John Milton captured the hunger of humankind: “We long for a paradise lost by our first parents in Eden, and ache for a paradise yet to come in heaven.” Blaise Pascal would say, “Amen” to that. He would add that only God can fill a God-shaped vacuum. He would be even more specific: that Creator God can only be known through Jesus Christ.

Pascal knew that it was a God-shaped vacuum that drove the Magi to Bethlehem. That same vacuum still drives men and women to journey across the world in search of something that can fill their longing and satisfy their soul restlessness.

Christians have found the One who fills the vacuum. The real issue for us at this Christmas, and at every other moment of the year: will we tell others that he came to Bethlehem, and stands at the doorway of their God-shaped vacuum, waiting to come in and fill it? The journey of the Magi begs many questions:

How are Magi and Neapolitans alike?

The point of unpacking the Nativity every year isn’t so that we can wax nostalgic about something that happened 2,000 years ago. The issue isn’t the Magi who lived 2,000 years ago in Persia, but the Magi who live in Naples today, and the next generation of Magi who follow.

Matthew’s gospel alone mentions the Magi. From this brief account, many Christmas traditions have evolved. We assume

there were three because they brought three gifts. But the Bible never reveals their number. Earliest Christian traditions said that there were fourteen. Imagine what that would do to our Christmas pageants! They weren’t kings either. So much for “We Three Kings of Orient are…” Not only that, the Magi weren’t present the night Jesus was born. Verse 16 says, “…King Herod…gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi.” By the time they came, Mary and Joseph had moved into a house and Jesus was a toddler.

So, how do we separate Magi from myth? We have to go to First Century writings. From them, we learn that the Magi were the high priests of Zoroastrianism. This was the most popular religion among First Century people between the borders of India and Israel, making the Magi the most powerful people in the ancient Orient.

We get the word magic from Magi. These sorcerers, astrologers, and practitioners of witchcraft studied the stars, prepared the daily horoscopes, read tarot cards, and told fortunes. The Magi were also experts in the science of astronomy. They were the greatest scholars of their day. Hence they became known as the wise men. They were the scientists, mathematicians, philosophers, doctors and legal authorities in the Middle East. From the word Magi, we get our word magistrate.

Above all else, they were famous as searchers of truth. They studied the religions of the world, immersed themselves in the metaphysical, and were known for their amazing ability to interpret dreams. From the days of the ancient kings of Babylon, they were advisors to the courts of the Middle East. No one could become a ruler of Persia without the approval of these Magi. Though they were never kings, they were kingmakers. Some 500 years before the birth of Christ, the Jewish prophet Daniel had been numbered among the Magi.

It’s fascinating that God chose to draw these practitioners of black magic to worship his Son while the people of the Jewish

Scriptures slumbered in ignorance of the birth of their Messiah. God’s people, then and now, need to wake up. The Magi have come to Naples by the thousands. Will we be ready to show them the way to Jesus? Three things we need to know about Magi, then and now:

An inescapable need to worship

What drives them to go more than 1,200 miles, through the most desolate land on earth, facing untold dangers, for almost a year of gut-wrenching travel? It is that inescapable God shaped expanse. Even atheists, pagans, and occult practitioners cannot ignore the incessant sucking of the vacuum; this God hunger at the core of their being.

Some 1,300 years before Pascal, St. Augustine wrote, “God has created us for himself, and we will be restless until we find our rest in him.” If we don’t worship the God who created us, we will worship something. Every human is driven to worship, even if it is the wrong thing. In his Confessions, St. Augustine spoke of those years before he found his rest in God: “I drank the cup of lust to its last bitter dregs.” Mick Jagger of the Rolling Stones echoed Augustine in his rock anthem: “I can’t get no satisfaction. I try, and I try, and I try…” Marilyn Monroe confided to a friend, “No matter how many men I have loved, I never feel loved enough.”

It was that same inescapable restlessness that drove the Magi to search the stars, read their tarot cards, and study the great religions of the world. The problem with us Evangelical Christians is that we shake our heads and find fault with postmodern Magi. Like the religious folk of Jerusalem in Matthew 2:3, we are “disturbed” when they interrupt our well-ordered world. Instead, we should see the lifestyles of “The Housewives of Orange County” and the folks on the Jerry Springer Show as the desperate searching of lost worshippers.

Looking for God in all the wrong places

The wisest man who ever lived wrote in Ecclesiastes 3:11, “God has set eternity in our hearts.” We are consigned to search for something to fill the vacuum. Unfortunately, the vast majority fall prey to what Paul writes in Romans 1:25: “They

exchanged the truth of God for a lie…and worshiped the creation rather than the Creator.” The Magi studied the stars rather than the Star Maker. But even the immensity of the galaxies can’t fill a God-shaped vacuum. Their vast knowledge couldn’t fill infinite holes. Prosperity and power could not satisfy them. It was soul hunger that drove them to Bethlehem.

And it is soul hunger that drives people to Naples looking for a paradise that can never be found this side of heaven. All the gates in the gated communities cannot keep out cancer, or divorce, or heartache. There are now thorns, thistles, and snakes in the Garden of Eden. Sin and death have invaded paradise and turned it into a wilderness of heartache.

A need for clear directions

The Magi followed the star. Historians and scientists tell us that in 7 BC Jupiter, Saturn, and Mars came together in a conjunction so rare that it hasn’t happened since. This juxtaposition of planets lit up the night skies. To the ancients, Jupiter was the planet of kings and Mars represented war. A warrior king was about to be born.

Four years later, Jupiter came into conjunction with Regulus, the brightest star in the constellation Leo. Everyone knew that this newborn ruler would be a Lion King. In 2 BC, Jupiter moved through Pisces, which was recognized as the constellation of the Jews. This Lion King would be born in Israel. On top of that, the Hebrew word for Jupiter is Sedeq, which means righteousness. This newborn would grow up to be a King of Righteousness.

Astronomers tell us that Jupiter would have been stationary around December 25 in the year 2 BC—somewhere above the Palestinian town of Bethlehem!

But, beyond stars and planets, these Magi found better answers in the Scriptures. Some 500 years earlier, a Jewish captive became a Magi in the court of Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. His name was Daniel. He wrote a prophetic book about a great King coming out of Israel. This Messiah would rule the world in righteousness. The Magi had Daniel’s writings among their scrolls.

They also had the prophecies of Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel. Even their Zoroastrian scriptures predicted that a Savior would come from God, he would be born of a virgin, grow up to conquer evil, and bring righteousness to earth.

But all of that wasn’t enough. The Magi still needed help. That’s why they went to Herod’s palace. But verse three says that the people of God were disturbed. Herod was afraid that they were spies from the Persian Empire. The citizens of Jerusalem didn’t like outsiders infringing on their peace. So theologians searched the Old Testament prophecies in order to get these Magi out of town and on their way. They discovered that the Messiah was to be born in Bethlehem. Yet they showed no desire to accompany the Magi there.

It is so sad that the people of God cared so little about the spiritual condition of outsiders from Persia. Remember, they came from what is now Iran and Iraq. Would Christians in America see them as enemies to be avoided, rather than lost people to be led to Jesus? It is the great scandal of the ages that the folks of Jerusalem snoozed while stargazers searched. Nothing has changed in 2,000 years. We still need to turn people from the stars to the Star Maker who has been born in Bethlehem!

How will the Magi end their journey well?

In short, what directions do we need to give them? After all, we citizens of the New Jerusalem have the Scriptures and know the way to Bethlehem. These are the questions we need to answer for of Magi everywhere:

Do you know that God is near you?

As we have already seen, the Magi came from a distant world that was at odds with everything biblical. These pagans were both disturbing and repulsive to the good folk of Israel. Yet God loved them. The One that they have looked for in the stars and planets was closer to them than their own breath. He was there when they searched their tarot cards and chanted their Zoroastrian heresies.

This should challenge those of us who bear Christ’s name. Do we love those outside the gates of Jerusalem, far from God in distant places? Are we willing to be God’s bright stars, leading them into the presence of the King? We should surely enjoy the wonderful pleasures of our paradise by the sea, but they can’t be our main reason for living here. The God who irresistibly draws these stargazers to Christ wants us to be irresistibly drawn to them. God is near to them. But we must also go near to them to tell them this truth.

Do you feel that irresistible pull?

In both verses 7&9 the Magi are clear: it is the star that has led them to Christ. God works through the movements of his planets and constellations to draw these astrologers to his Son. Do you see the amazing truth? God will even move the cosmos to draw pagans to Christ. This is irresistible grace. We don’t have to be flashy or smooth to bring people to Jesus. God will move stars, and he will move in hearts. We just have to shine like the stars with the light of Jesus. The gravitational pull is God’s work.

Is your emptiness unbearable?

In verse eight, Herod says to the Magi, “Go and make a careful search for the child. Then, after you have found him, make a report to me that I may come and worship him.” We must make a careful search for Jesus. In the original language, careful means “intense” or “painstaking.” Looking for Jesus is no casual affair. Later Jesus said, “Violent men seize the kingdom by force.” (Matthew 11:12) These Magi were desperate enough to go to any length to seize the kingdom. Jesus said, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.” (Matthew 5:6)

What a shock it must have been for them to see the ho-hum attitude of the religious folk in Jerusalem. Herod said, “You check it out. Then I will come and worship him.” I hear contemporary Herods: “Pastor, you go find Jesus. Charles Stanley, you go find Jesus. Sunday school teacher, you go find Jesus. Then bring the results of your careful search back to me so that I can live off the leftovers of your search.” Beware,

Jerusalem. You cannot live off the spiritual energies of those whose unbearable emptiness drives them to Christ.

Will you let God alone fill your emptiness?

Verse 10 says, “When they saw the star (over his house) they were overjoyed.” They found the only One who could fill their God-shaped vacuum. They never again had to search the stars, study tarot cards, read horoscopes, or find significance in being kingmakers. One of life’s tragedies is that so many Christians return to the creation to fill the needs of their lives. I found this ad in the Naples Daily News:

“Spirit-filled Christian woman looking for a man of Christian values. Must be at least 6’1’’ tall, weight-height proportional, attractive, financially secure, lots of fun, love movies, walks on the beach, and travel to exotic places.”

Are you kidding me? Aside from a passing reference to being a Christian, this woman is looking for the same shallow things that pagans look for in a “significant other.” She thinks things of creation will give what only the Creator supplies. This ad is a metaphor of what passes for Christianity today. Herod would love this sort of Jesus.

Will you only worship him?

When they saw Jesus in Bethlehem, verse 11 says, “They fell down and worshiped him.” When they “fell down” it was utter adoration. We don’t know how the Magi worshiped him, but it must have been passionate and Christ-centered. They had found the God who created them for himself! The tarot cards, horoscopes, and Zoroastrianism all went into the garbage bin the day they became fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ.

Have you been captivated by amazing grace?

Verse 11 says that they gave him three gifts: “gold, incense, and myrrh.” Gold was the gift for a king. They knew that he had come to establish a kingdom, to conquer sin, and destroy all his and our enemies. They also gave him incense. If gold is for a king, incense is for a priest. As our High Priest, he intercedes with God on our behalf. He offers himself as a sacrifice for our sins. Finally, they gave him myrrh. In ancient times, this was an expensive

ointment to perfume the bodies of the dead. They have figured out that he will die for the sins of his people. The Magi have comprehended that Jesus has come to offer amazing grace to those in need of undeserved forgiveness. They have put their trust in his saving work as the only basis of their salvation.

Will you take a different route home?

Verse 12 says, “Warned in a dream, they went home a different route.” You can never come to Jesus without it changing the direction of your life. Once you meet Jesus, nothing can ever be the same again. Maybe these Magi wanted to stay in Bethlehem, luxuriating in the presence of the King of glory. But they had to go back to Persia. There was good news to be spread in the ancient lands of Iraq and Iran. They would go home different men, leaving in a different way than they came. The end of the journey always means the beginning of a new one. All of this is the mark of a journey ended well.

But the Magi aren’t the only ones who have to answer compelling questions about life. Here’s one for church folks:

How will Jerusalem respond to the Magi?

One word sums up Jerusalem’s response in verse three: disturbed. The people of God wanted peace of mind. Their world was well ordered. These Magi were from an enemy nation. Their ethnicity was different. Their worship was repulsive. Their lifestyle was disturbing. Their very appearance was upsetting.

The problem with Jerusalem people is that they live in an insular religious world. They have the Creator, and they care little that the Magi have only an empty God-shaped vacuum.

It’s compelling that Matthew’s Christmas carol, which ends with the Great Commission call to go into all the world and evangelize the world, is the gospel that begins with the story of the Magi. The book that concludes by telling us to go to the nations with the message of Christ begins with pagans from distant nations coming to Jesus.

Magi are still searching for something to fill the vacuum. The issue for fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ is whether or not we will show them the way to the Christ who will fill their

emptiness. Maybe we have been sleepy Jerusalem folk in the past, but this year it will be different: we will take the opportunity to put Christ back into the Christmas of today’s Magi!