What Child Is This - Wisemen

What Child Is This?

Wise Men

Words composed by an Englishman named William Chatterton Dix in 1865 continue to help people

around the world consider the annual question posed during the Christmas season: What child is

this? Within the lyrics of this famous Christmas carol about the baby Jesus who was born in the

manger in Bethlehem, people encounter characters and their actions which help answer the inquiry

posed in the title of the song. Although wise men or magi specifically are not mentioned as

characters in the carol, their notifiable actions of worship and generosity lead the lyrics of the third

stanza.

"So bring him incense, gold, and myrrh…"

The wise men make their appearance in Matthew's gospel account of the Christmas story. From the

start of chapter two, we are introduced to these men and discover some details about their origins

and intentions. As we understand who these wise men were, we can begin to see a reflection of some

of their attributes found in the life of Jesus. Let us allow their lives to help us understand "what child

is this."

"Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise

men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, ‘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.'"

According to the text, the wise men came "from the east." Depending on where Matthew was

composing this text, "from the east" could mean a variety of places. Most likely these wise men were

Gentiles from Arabia. For a Jewish Christian living in the Holy Land, "from the east" would be a term

that referred to places on the east side of the Jordan River. It meant that in the first century to

Jewish Christians just as it does today. Those who lived in the Holy Land in the first century would

have referred to the Jordanian desert areas that connect with the deserts of Arabia as "from the east."

The Arabian deserts and Arabian Peninsula include areas such as modern day Saudi Arabia, Yemen,

Oman, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Iraq, and Jordan.

One of the strong indicators that these wise men came from that general region of the world is linked

to the types of gifts they came to lay before Jesus at his birth as part of their intentions to worship

this newborn king. says,

"And going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and

worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense

and myrrh."

These wise men likely were carrying this gold from the place it was mined: most likely Arabia.

Biblical writers give astute readers clues to the origin of much of the mined gold in biblical times

such as Ophir and Sheba which were located in the Arabian Peninsula. (cf. ; ;

Chronicles 29:3-4; ). More than the gold, the remaining gifts of frankincense and myrrh are

the real evidence that these wise men likely were from Arabia. Both of these gifts are harvested from

trees that primarily grow in southern Arabia. The Arabian Peninsula dwellers who were wealthy

would have been in the possession of these localized treasures. Those in the early church likely

would have been aware of these realities.

It is also important regarding prophecy fulfillment to trace the origins of the wealthy wise men back

to Arabia. The words of speak of a prophetic future glory of Israel that ultimately gets

fulfilled in the person of Jesus.

"Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. For

behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the Lord will arise

upon you and his glory will be seen upon you. And nations shall come to your light and kings

to the brightness of your rising. Lift up your eyes all around, and see; they all gather together,

they come to you; your sons shall come from afar, and your daughters shall be carried on the

hip. Then you shall see and be radiant; your heart shall thrill and exult, because the

abundance of the sea shall be turned to you, the wealth of the nations shall come to you. A

multitude of camels shall cover you, the young camels of Midian and Ephah; all those from

Sheba shall come. They shall bring gold and frankincense, and shall bring good news, the

praises of the Lord."

The ancient lands of Midian, Ephah, and Sheba all are located in the Arabian Peninsula. The first two

are tribal lands in the north with Sheba found in the south. The gifts mentioned in the Isaiah

prophecy are consistent with the gifts the wise men brought to Jesus mentioned in the Matthew

account. These gifts were carried from their origins in Arabia.

Commentary on the birth narrative also affirms that the wise men were from Arabia. As early as 160

A.D., a Palestinian Christian named Justin Martyr recorded a conversation with a Jew named Trypho.

The conversation in book form called Dialogue with Trypho, the Jew, which still survives today,

includes these words inscribed by Justin: "The wise men from Arabia came to Bethlehem and

worshiped the child and offered to him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh." The location of

Arabia is mentioned as fact in Justin Martyr's writings in five different places. Such information

regarding an Arabian origin of the wise men also is asserted by Tertullian and Clement of Rome.

What do the origin and gifts of the wise men have to do with answering the question: What child is

this? First, consider the comparison of origins of the wise men and Jesus that led to a pair of arrivals.

The wise men traveled a great distance before their arrival at the manger. Likewise, Jesus came a

great distance to draw near to humanity and embody Immanuel: God with us. While Jesus did not

come "from the east" as did the wise men, He did come to dwell among us from His previous position

of being "with God…from the Father." Thus, the child in the manger is the one who, like the wise

men, made an arrival in Bethlehem from some distance. Notice how John records such origins of

Jesus regarding location of His whereabouts in the opening verses of his gospel.

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was

in the beginning with God…The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the

world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know

him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive

him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God…And the Word

became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from

the Father, full of grace and truth." ,,

When considering the Christmas story, it is important to remember that Jesus came not only to seek

and save Jewish working class shepherds who did not always have much money but also came for

Gentile Arabs who were wealthy and came bearing gifts to the Messiah. This mention of wealth and

gifts brings us to the second comparison between the wise men and Jesus. Just as it is inferred that

the wise men were from a position of wealth, likewise, Jesus came from a place of means. He is the

God who stepped out from the riches of heaven and into the poverty of a lowly manger in a

Bethlehem stable. The scenes from , and 21 each speak to the wealth, glory, and power

that surrounded Jesus in heaven. Equally, this is the same God of whom the Psalmist writes and

speaks of His wealth.

"The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein."

"For every beast of the forest is mine, the cattle on a thousand hills."

Whether in His throne room of heaven or among the earth He created as we previously read in John's

gospel passage, this child in the manger is the Lord. He is the One who created and owns all wealth.

Thus, this child is like the wise men in that they both come from a place of means and have access to

wealth. These characteristics we see mirrored in Jesus and the wise men help us understand glimpse

by glimpse who this child in the manger truly is. Does the generosity of the wise men reflect an

attribute of who this child in the manger is? He, too, is one full of generosity and a good giver of

gifts.

What child is this? He is the one who would give the ultimate gift. He was born to give His life as a

ransom for many. Notice these scriptures that speak to this attribute of Jesus as a generous giver

that exceeds even the generosity and gifts of the wise men.

"Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for

our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to

whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen."

"We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us. So we also ought to give up

our lives for our brothers and sisters." , NLV

"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you."

"I can do everything through Christ who gives me strength." , NLV

"For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom

for many."

"If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's

feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you."

The list of gifts Jesus gave to his followers is long. He has the heart of His Heavenly Father.

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should

not perish but have eternal life."

What child is this? He is the one who gives and is generous in ways that we see the wise men echo

as they gave their gifts. And the reason they could find their way to the place where Jesus was

located to give their gifts is because of the guidance the star gave them along their journey.

The heavens declared Jesus' advent with a star in the sky. The wise men followed it from their

homelands. These wise men were from a culture and place that valued the night sky and had

developed a study of the stars and the planets to a fine art. It had specific meanings to those who

took time to notice. The wise men believed all in the heavens were connected and had special

meanings with events that took place on earth. As New Testament scholar N. T. Wright has said,

"When something important was happening on earth you could expect to see it reflected in the

heavens. Alternatively, a remarkable event among the stars and planets must mean, they thought, a

remarkable event on earth."

When these wise men "from the east" saw the star rising in the sky, they took it as a sign that

something significant had happened on earth. All along their journey toward Jerusalem, they had

been inquiring where the King of the Jews had been born. As we read their story in Matthew's gospel,

we learn they now were within a few miles of their destination. These Gentile men of power, means,

and intellect had come from afar to worship and pay homage to this newborn king they likely had

heard about due to the centuries-old retelling of the story of a coming Messiah. The story had been

conveyed through the ages by faithful Jews who had been exiled in Babylon and remained scattered

abroad after their exile ended. Such stories of Jewish exile go back to the days of Daniel and

Jeremiah.

How interesting it is to consider how the Jews who were sent into exile in Babylon under the

sovereign leadership of God nearly six centuries before the birth of Christ would be the mouthpiece

of the story of the coming Messiah that would be told throughout much of the world over the coming

generations. After the exile was lifted, many of the Jews decided to continue living in that area

because they had gotten married, had families, and made a life for themselves in that land. (cf.

) Yet, throughout the centuries that followed the end of exile, the stories of the coming

Messiah were still passed on to all who were within earshot, including the generations of the wise

men in that region and beyond.

Centuries after the Jewish exile had ended, the wise men mentioned in Matthew's gospel likely had

heard all the stories with all the prophecies that stemmed from the stories of these ancient Jews

concerning a coming Messiah. The telling of stories from diverse cultures was part of the

educational process that wise men from that day engaged with and absorbed. The wise men were

students of philosophies, cultures, and religions as well as the sky. Now a star was shining brightly

in the sky. It was a sign in the heavens they must follow that led to the One who had been foretold

throughout the generations. Yes, Gentile wise men would follow the star and seek out this one born

King of the Jews just as the prophecies had foretold.

Of all the people in , these Gentiles "from the east" were the only ones coming to worship

the new born king. As they followed the star, the wise men were fulfilling the promise that Jeremiah

29:13 records during the Jewish exile in Babylon centuries earlier.

"You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart."

And seek the newborn king is what these wise men "from the east" were doing on their journey that

led them to Jerusalem. What child is this? He is the one who, like the wise men, came to seek

something. Notice how Jesus later described who He was as recorded in Luke's gospel.

"For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost."

The wise men reflected another of the characteristics of the child in the manger. Both were seekers.

The wise men were Gentiles who received revelation through the bright star and came to Jerusalem

eagerly seeking the newborn King of the Jews. They likely were asking everyone they met about the

Christ child. Eventually, they found their way to Jesus and were overwhelmed in the presence of this

One whom they had been seeking for so long on their journey "from the east."

The emotions of the wise men were running high as Matthew records in his gospel.

"And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest

over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with

great joy. And going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell

down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and

frankincense and myrrh."

Matthew may give his readers a clue in verse 11 that has been a point of discussion concerning the

characters of the wise men being at the Nativity scene. The verse states they went "into the house"

where they saw Jesus and Mary. This helps us understand that some time likely had passed since

Jesus was born in the manger. They now probably were living in a house in Bethlehem. Although the

wise men likely were not present the night Jesus was born, they now were standing in his presence

with his mother close. And they were overwhelmed with emotion as they fell on their faces and

worshiped Jesus with gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

These Gentile wise men worshiped this Jewish king of kings who came as the promised Savior of the

whole world. This child in the manger was the Messiah and king of Jews and Gentiles alike. Luke's

gospel account records this truth within the words of Simeon who also saw the baby Jesus shortly

after he was born. Simeon's words concerning what child this was gave credence to the worship the

Gentile wise men were offering to the newborn king they, too, had just seen with their own eyes.

Simeon said, "…for my eyes have seen your salvation that you have prepared in the presence

of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel." Luke

2:30-32

What Simeon said on that day affirmed what the wise men had been the first to do as Gentile

worshipers of Jesus. Jesus was the one King who was worthy of worship for the Gentiles and the

Jews. He was the One who offered salvation for all peoples of all nations. He was the One who would

tell His disciples in Galilee after his resurrection and just before His ascension:

"All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples

of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,

teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always,

to the end of the age."

The wise men were the first Gentiles to worship Jesus. They would not be the last. Jesus was the

child who was born to be worshiped by all people in all nations for all times. It was what Simeon

said. It is what the wise men experienced. It is part of the answer to the question the Carol asks:

What child is this? He is the One who is worthy of worship by all people, of all places and races and

people. He is the One True Savior of the entire world that is worthy to seek and to worship. He is the

One not impeded by distance to be born as the One to give His life that we may receive forgiveness of

sin and the gift of life everlasting. May we do as the wise men did. May we seek Him, bow before

Him, worship Him, and give Him the gifts of our lives as we go and tell other about Him