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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
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