Did you ever wonder what happened to all the gold, frankincense, and myrrh the wisemen gave to baby Jesus? I’m looking at some unusual things about the Christmas story you may never have thought of before.

We don’t know how many wisemen followed the star to Jesus or how long it took them, but we know they somehow heard about it, for they asked, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” I’m wondering how they knew a baby was to be born king of the Jews, when it seems the Jewish people themselves had no idea their Messiah was born that night in Bethlehem. And furthermore, they came this long distance from a foreign land to worship him. It took weeks, probably months, to get there.

What about those gifts? No doubt they were worth more money than Joseph or Mary had ever seen at one time in their life. What did they do with those riches? Well, we know soon after the wise men left, Herod determined to kill all the baby boys two years and under in Bethlehem because he wanted no rival king in his kingdom. That’s when an angel told Joseph to take Mary and the baby and get out of Bethlehem. Go to Egypt to save Jesus from being killed.

For an extended time, they lived in Egypt, a foreign land, with no relatives and no job. What did they live on? Gold, frankincense, and myrrh, don’t you think? God no doubt sent those wise men with those expensive gifts to find Jesus and provide for the support of this young family while they were in exile.

The story of the wise men is fascinating in many respects. They were not Jewish, yet they came to worship a Jewish king. They recognized him as the king of the Jews, yet John 1 tells us Jesus came unto his own and his own received him not. Thankfully, it doesn’t stop there, for then John says,

Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God (John 1:12).

That would include the wisemen, right? And it includes you and me as well—those who have received the one born to die for us and rise again to conquer death. When you personally know Jesus as your Savior by grace through faith, then every day is a celebration—right? Christmas 2025 gives us many reasons to be joyful and celebrate.