It has been 10 years since I last painted this painting. I do not have the desire to repaint again but some thoughts do cross my mind looking at the painting now.
The bible did not say three wise men ‘Magi’ but wise men with 3 gifts :
gold, frankincense and myrrh. Gold represents grandeur, wealth, glory. Frankincense represents worship, protection. Myrrh presents purity, anointing and death. No wonder the men who brought the gifts are called ‘wise men’. They seemed to have received the understanding of who Jesus was and why He came to earth.
Magi means a group of magicians. The Greeks may have gained their root word for magic from root word MAGH (meaning to be able, to have the power to act.) . Christians do not like to associate with the word ‘magic’. We called them ‘miracles’. We associate ‘magic’ from the dark side while ‘miracles’ from the light. Just like the word ‘mystical’ a word we often keep away but rather we celebrate the word ‘supernatural’.
The choice of words is often based not on our understanding of the meaning but rather the cultural response we may get from the people we talk to.
Is Christ birth magical? Absolutely !
Is Jesus magical? Hmmm…. that depends who I am speaking to.
Tirosh Journey 