The Magi

Matthew 2:1–12 KJV 1900

1 Now when Jesus was born in Beth-lehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, 2 Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him. 3 When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born. 5 And they said unto him, In Beth-lehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet, 6 And thou Beth-lehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel. 7 Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, inquired of them diligently what time the star appeared. 8 And he sent them to Beth-lehem, and said, Go and search diligently for the young child; and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also. 9 When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was. 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. 11 And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh. 12 And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way.

Introduction

Over the course of this Christmas season, we’ve talked about the affect that Jesus’ birth had on many of the different personalities involved in the Christmas story.

There is another group of people that were involved, that we have not yet spoken of.

The wise men or Magi that came looking for Him from the East.

Who were these men?

Why were they interested in finding Jesus?

There is so much tradition and legend that has become attached to these seekers, that sometimes it’s hard to remember what is real and what isn’t.

What do we know about them?

We know that they were not kings, as the song declares.

The word that is translated into “wise men” is the Persian word “magi.”

The word was originally meant to identify a student of the stars.

By this time, Persian and Arabian “magi” were primarily magicians.

The only Magi during the time of Jesus’ birth that were still serious students of the stars were the Babylonian Magi.

It is most likely that these travelers hailed from Babylon, a region that had a long history with the Jewish people.

The magi, though, were not Jewish.

When they come seeking the baby, Jesus they distinguish him from themselves.

They express their desire to find “he that is born King of the Jews.”

This is said from an outsider’s perspective.

Meaning, these are gentiles who have come to pay respects to the Jewish Messiah.

How did gentile, wise men know to come looking for the new born Jewish king?

There was a widespread expectation throughout the world that a messiah figure was imminent.

Josephus, Middle Eastern and Greek philosophers, even Roman historians were all writing about it shortly before the birth of Jesus.

Virgil, the Roman poet, even tried to identify the reigning Caesar, Augustus as the savior of the world.

There was also widespread availability of the OT.

The greek OT had been completed for over 2 centuries.

By the time of Jesus’ birth it was already a closely studied example of ancient literature.

The Magi, were almost certainly familiar with some of it’s teachings and prophecies.

Now, if you were a Babylonian scientist, which OT book would potentially be the most interesting to you.

Daniel, of course.

In Daniel we are given an amazingly accurate timeline for the birth of the Messiah.

What prompted their journey?

Was it the appearance of the star?

Was it their understanding of the OT.

The answer is yes.

The appearance of the star combined with a basic understanding of the scripture, specifically the book of Daniel prompted them to make the journey.

They exhibited the insatiable curiosity characteristic of scientists who had seen a phenomenon.

They had to go out and test their hypothesis that a king had been born.

The Magi make the trip to Jerusalem which they assume to be the place where you would find the king of the Jews.

They start making enquiries about the new born king.

It doesn’t seem like they are getting anywhere among the people.

Though the shepherds had been spreading the message of what they had seen, most people remained unaware.

Herod’s spies which were notorious in Jerusalem, must have noticed these strange travelers.

They, no doubt, had been monitoring them.

They tell Herod about what they’ve been doing.

Herod calls the wise men in to see him.

To answer their question, Herod calls the Sanhedrin together to discover the whereabouts of this king’s birth.

I have to wonder if the Sanhedrin might already have been aware of the rumblings of something happening in Bethlehem.

A group of shepherds had been talking about some angels.

Simeon and Anna, who were always at the Temple, had said something about actually seeing the baby.

Were they quick with an answer because they had already been looking into it?

I don’t know.

I do know that they proved their knowledge of scripture by pointing Herod and the magi to Bethlehem.

How sad is it, that those who knew the scriptures were unprepared for their fulfilment.

One author said this whole story is a comedic tragedy in that...

The foreigners exercised faith while...

The Jews lacked it.

Make no mistake either, the Jews and Herod knew exactly who the magi were looking for.

When Herod addresses the spiritual leaders, he asks them where Christ should be born.

Christ and Messiah are essentially synonymous.

Herod knew that the evidence was pointing to the birth of the much anticipated Messiah of the Jews.

After he had dismissed the Sanhedrin and before he sent the Magi on their way, Herod has one last secret meeting with them.

He is careful to ascertain the time frame in which they first saw this star they spoke of.

Is it possible that Herod was already formulating his scheme for eliminating the child?

The magi did not necessarily say they saw it 2 years ago.

When Herod decided to kill all the boys in Bethlehem under 2 years old, he was certainly hedging his bets to make sure he got the infant king.

Herod was a ruthless and violent person.

Augustus said that it was safer to be Herod’s pig than his son.

He then requests that the magi would return after they found the baby and share his location with the king.

This might have been the first inclination to the men that Herod was not genuine.

If he was so interested, why not join them on their journey?

If it was so important to him, why not send an emissary to accompany them?

He does none of these things.

Instead, he sends the Magi away.

As they leave the city to begin the 2 hour journey to Bethlehem, the magi get a welcome and pleasant surprise.

They look up to find that the star has reappeared.

This miraculous star cannot be explained by science or anything we know about the celestial bodies.

This star appeared and vanished.

It reappeared, it moved, and it stood still.

How high was it in the Babylonian sky?

How low was it to point to a single house in Bethlehem?

The reappearance of the star filled these highly educated, professional, grown up men to rejoice with exceeding great joy!

Magi believed that the stars held special significance.

A celestial phenomenon meant that God was breaking into the natural order.

The stars reappearance was a sign to them of God’s blessing on their mission.

They followed it to Bethlehem.

They watched as it illuminated a single home on the street.

Weeks or months have passed and the family has moved on past the manger.

The men lit off their animals and began unpacking the gifts they had transported all the way from Babylon.

As they prepare to complete their mission, they knock on the door and await an answer.

Joseph, most likely, opens the door and I’m only assuming is shocked by these exotic guests.

The men (however many, we do not know) enter the small home and see the baby with his mother.

Though these men were accustomed to the grand palaces and the presence of the king and queen of Babylon, they enter this home with the greatest respect.

They offer the child the recognition and worship that they believed He deserved.

Notice how they fall on the ground before Him to worship.

Herod, the king of the Jews may be plotting his murder.

These gentiles adore and worship Him as the true King of the Jews.

Matthew wants his readers to know that, even in infancy, Jesus was recognized as king even by non-jews.

The magi didn’t just come to offer worship, they also came to offer Him gifts.

Three types of gifts are laid before Jesus.

Gold, Frankincense, and Myrrh.

You know what’s interesting about all three of these items?

Babylon is not a produce of any of them.

They would all have been imported.

These men had paid a premium for these items.

They were not convenient gifts.

Much has been made about the meaning of the gifts.

They gave gold because it was an appropriate gift for a king.

They gave frankincense because it was an appropriate gift for a God.

They gave myrrh because it was an appropriate gift for a mortal.

I don’t know if that’s true.

The Bible doesn’t assign meaning to the gifts.

I do know that these gifts were all very valuable.

And, these gifts would have been a great help and blessing to the small displaced, soon to be refugee family.