Having learned from Herod that Bethlehem was the presumed birthplace of this infant monarch, the Magi must have felt perplexed. They expected to find a sovereign's offspring surrounded by royal splendour, not a declining old man. Their astonishment was about to grow.
In the sky, the celestial body they had followed shone again, guiding them and strengthening their resolve to continue. When they finally arrived, they found not a palace but a humble dwelling where the family had taken refuge. Their amazement was great.
How could a sovereign occupy so modest a dwelling? Yet the revelation that they stood before their King enlightened them. They presented their gifts, bowed down and, in an even more astonishing gesture, offered him divine worship. For a Jew, only divinity merits such veneration! Having probably spent several nights in their camp near Bethlehem, they were warned in a dream not to return to Herod.
They therefore resumed their journey after warning Joseph and Mary, taking another route, their minds full of unforgettable images beyond imagination. They may plausibly have sought news of this newborn King's fate afterwards.
They probably continued to contemplate the star, which would remind them throughout their lives of this unparalleled misadventure.
Most surprising is that foreigners, rather than Jewish religious leaders, grasped the true meaning of the fulfilled prophecies!