In his sermon today, our priest mentioned that after seeing Jesus, the kings went home "by a different route". This, he said, was indicative and symbolic of the fact that meeting Christ will inevitably change one's life. After seeing God, we go home "by a different route" and are forever changed.
Another thing that the three wise men represent is science and all searchers of truth. The three magi were probably court astronomers watching the night sky for God's signs. According to BethlehemStar.net what the three astronomers were watching was the planet Jupiter appear to join with the star "Regulus". Both Jupiter and Regulus had associations with kingship in the ancient world. This began to occur during the Jewish New Year, September of 3 BC and so alerted the wise men that a king would be born for the Jewish nation. This conjunction happened in the constellation Leo the Lion, which symbolized the Jewish tribe of Judah which was prophesied to be the tribe in which the savior would be born.
You, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel. ~Micah 5:2After appearing to join Regulus, 9 months later, Jupiter then joined Venus, the symbol of motherhood.
Also according to the above website, Jupiter's movement, joining with Regulus and then Venus, stopped in December of 2 BC to the south of where the magi would be traveling, from Jerusalem to Bethlehem.
Check out BethlehemStar.net for a more thorough explanation of the astronomical phenomenon.
At any rate, I think the magi are a sometimes overlooked aspect of the Christmas story. Christ shows His truth to all seekers and shows Himself in all knowledge. Let us always search for Him.