The Wise Men
Introduction
In general, there are three reactions that people have to Jesus and Christianity.
The most tragic reaction is hostility and hatred. Some people react violently to Jesus and who the Bible says He is: God in human flesh. According to Voice of the Martyrs, a ministry serving persecuted Christians, “more Christians have died for their faith in the 21st century than in the previous 19 combined.”
That speaks volumes about how some people react to Christ: they hate Him and want to extinguish anyone or anything that has anything to do with Him.
On the other hand, other people react to Jesus with a big yawn. They don’t hate Him—they probably don’t even dislike Him—they just could care less. They’re indifferent. They could take or leave Jesus. It really doesn’t matter.
They may even pay Him lip service, but when it gets right down to it, Christ isn’t very important to them and their lives. In fact, some times He’s actually a nuisance.
And then there are those who love Him and try to please Him. They’re eager to worship Him and share the love of God with other people.
In this article, we’re going to read a passage that illustrates all three of these potential reactions to Jesus: hatred, indifference and love.
Along the way, we’re also going to find out some interesting things about some of the things we see on Christmas cards every year: the wise men and the star.
As we’ve talked about in the last two articles, God sends an angel to tell Mary that she’s going to have a baby. Even though she’s a virgin and has never been with a man, God Himself will supernaturally conceive a child in her womb.
Then, an angel also goes to Joseph, the man Mary’s engaged to, and tells him that the baby that Mary’s carrying is none other than the son of God and Israel’s Messiah. Joseph responds by taking Mary to be His wife.
A short time after that the young couple travels to the small village of Bethlehem in order to register for a census required by the Roman government. While there, Mary gives birth to Jesus and some shepHerods pay a visit to Bethlehem with amazing news about angels and the glory of God.
King Herod Is Disturbed
And what happens after the birth of Jesus?
Let’s begin by reading the first three verses of Matthew 2.
Matt. 2:1 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem
Matt. 2:2 and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.”
Matt. 2:3 When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him.
In order for us to fully understand these verses—as well as the ones that follow—we need to arm ourselves with some important background material. Once we know more about King Herod, the Magi and the star that’s mentioned in verse two, this passage will make a lot more sense.
Let’s start with King Herod, also known as Herod the Great. This is the first of several rulers in Scripture with the name Herod.
Even though he wasn’t a Jew—he was believed to be an Edomite—the Roman empire gave him a great deal of power and independence as ruler over Israel. In fact, Rome referred to Herod as “King of the Jews” during his reign from 37 BC to 4 BC.
Historians tell us that he did some good things—he was particularly known for building projects, including the fortress of Masada and the rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem.
Historians also tell us that Herod was cruel, ruthless, jealous and paranoid that somebody would threaten his position and power. The Jewish people hated him, and for good reason. Not only was he a traditional enemy of the nation Israel because of his ancestry, he also earned their fear and loathing.
For example, Herod hired somebody to kill his wife Mariamne’s brother and followed that by killing her, too. For some reason, he felt threatened by both of them. Not satisfied with those murders, he went on to have his wife’s mother killed and decided to do away with three of his own sons to boot. The guy was a maniac, no matter how you look at it.
Aware of how much the Jewish people hated him, Herod even arranged ahead of time to have some of the most prominent Jewish citizens murdered on the day that he died. And why? Herod knew that nobody would mourn for him, so he wanted to guarantee that there would indeed be mourning in Jerusalem.
Herod was a very powerful and very cruel leader, jealous of anybody and anything that threatened his reputation or power base.
But what about the Magi? Who are they?
Let’s begin by saying that there’s a lot of misunderstanding about who these people are. According to Christmas cards and legend, these are kings, there are three of them, one is from Ethiopia, and their names are Casper, Balthazar and Melchior. But is all of that true?
The truth is, all we know about them is what we find here in Matthew 2, so we don’t know how many there were, we don’t know their names, we don’t know if any of them came from Ethiopia, and we don’t know if any of them are kings.
But we can make some general observations from history in order to give us a better idea who these guys are.
Your version may say “wise men,” but the Greek word is Magi and there’s really no English equivalent for it. The word can’t be translated, so technically they aren’t “wise men.”
Most commentators agree with historical accounts that say that the Magi are from a priestly and very politically active class of people who lived east of Palestine, in what we now-a-days call the Orient. They were extremely powerful, especially during the Medo-Persian and Babylonian empires.
The Magi could certainly be considered “wise men” because of their well-known expertise in such things as astronomy, mathematics, science and agriculture. They were also very religious and combined their pagan religion with occultic practices like astrology.
Because of their great knowledge and occultic abilities, Magi were so powerful that some historians said that no one in Persia could become king if he wasn’t well-versed in the ways of the Magi and then crowned by them.
The Magi were very powerful—not because they were kings themselves, but because they were king-makers. We know from history that they were close advisors and counselors to eastern kings for hundreds of years.
In fact, Scripture tells us a little about these people in Daniel 2:48. Remember the story of Daniel? He’s carried off to Babylon, indoctrinated into their ways and then, after interpreting King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, is awarded with a very powerful position in his government.
Dan. 2:48 Then the king placed Daniel in a high position and lavished many gifts on him. He made him ruler over the entire province of Babylon and placed him in charge of all its wise men.
This is a significant verse. Daniel, a Jew, and one of the most knowledgeable and godly men to ever live, was made ruler of all of the king’s wise men, all of the Magi. And the wise men were high-ranking officials in Nebuchadnezzar’s government.
It’s apparent that Daniel impressed the Magi, since they weren’t part of a plot to overthrow him in Daniel 6:4-9. Everybody else in the government tried to do away with Daniel, but not the Magi. Daniel was not only powerful, he seemed to have made a made a big impact on the Magi.
The fact that Daniel seemed to have influenced the Magi may help explain why these gentiles, these wise men, saw the star and came to Jerusalem looking for the “king of the Jews.” How did they know the star indicated the birth of the “king of the Jews?” How did they connect the star to the birth of Israel’s Messiah?
Nobody really knows, but many commentators speculate that Daniel and other Jewish captives must have shared a passage from Numbers 24:17.
Num. 24:17 “…A star will come out of Jacob; a scepter will rise out of Israel…”
“A star will come out of Jacob; a scepter will rise out of Israel”
While we can’t be dogmatic about it, I believe Daniel and the other godly Jews who were carried off to Babylon had a lasting effect on the priestly group of king-makers called Magi. It’s also interesting to note that many Jews never returned to Israel after the 70 years of exile were over, so they stayed and inter-married with the Babylonian people.
I suspect that these influences were at least part of the reason that the Magi seemed to know Messianic promises from the Old Testament. It could be that they were studying the night sky as they always did, being astronomers and astrologers, and that’s when they saw the “star” in the sky.
The Star May Have Been The Shekinah Glory Of God
But was it a star as we know it?
It could be, but I doubt it. Speculation by various commentators runs the gamut. Here’s what John MacArthur found in his study of this passage.
“Some suggest that it was Jupiter, the ‘king of the planets.’ Others claim that it was the conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn, forming the sign of the fish—which was used as a symbol for Christianity in the early church during the Roman persecutions. Still others claim that it was a low-hanging meteor, an erratic comet, or simply an inner vision of the star of destiny in the hearts of mankind.”
Or was it a star, as the translation suggests?
Let’s start by saying that the Greek word for “star” can also refer to anything that radiates bright light. It has the meaning of something shining forth, which could obviously mean a star as we know it.
While we can’t say for sure, I believe we can make a pretty good guess at what the Magi see by looking at Luke 2:8-9. This passage is familiar to us because we looked at it in the previous article. The baby Jesus has just been born in Bethlehem.
Luke 2:8 And there were shepHerods living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night.
Luke 2:9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.
Could it be that the “star” that the Magi see is the same thing as the shepHerods see in verse nine? “The glory of the Lord.” If you remember, we talked about how the glory of God is always made manifest as bright light in the Old Testament. Could the “glory of the Lord” be the thing that the Magi saw? If so, it’s not the first time God leads people to where He wants them to go.
Let’s look at Exodus 13:21. This is when the Jews are fleeing from Egypt and eventually into the wilderness. They have to learn how to be totally dependent upon God’s leading and provision. And how does God lead this mass of people for 40 years?
Exod. 13:21 By day the LORD went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night.
The shekinah glory of God appears to them as a cloud during the day and as fire to them at night. The glory of God, manifest as bright light, leads the Jews day after day, teaching them obedience.
But somebody might wonder why the Magi see the “star” when nobody else does? How come nobody else sees this “star?”
To find the answer, now let’s read Exodus 14:19-20. This is when the Jews are fleeing from Pharaoh and the Egyptian army.
Exod. 14:19 Then the angel of God, who had been traveling in front of Israel’s army, withdrew and went behind them. The pillar of cloud also moved from in front and stood behind them,
Exod. 14:20 coming between the armies of Egypt and Israel. Throughout the night the cloud brought darkness to the one side and light to the other side; so neither went near the other all night long.
The glory of God, which was visible as a pillar of cloud, has been in front of the Israelites. But then it moves behind the Jews and in front of the Egyptian army.
The end of verse 20 essentially says that the glory of God appears as darkness to the Egyptians, but as light to the Jews! It’s the same thing, but the two groups see it in different ways. God “hides” his glory, if you will, from the Egyptians, but reveals it to His people, the Jews.
It’s quite possible, then, that the Magi see the shekinah glory of God, not an actual star or a comet or a planet. In fact, none of those things can do what it says in Matthew 2:9, where it says that “the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was.”
Unless God supernaturally makes it happen, stars and planets and comets can’t go ahead of the Magi and then hover over a particular place. For what it’s worth, there’s no question in my mind that this is something supernatural.
But someone might wonder why God only reveals Himself to the Magi and not to other God-fearing people, especially Jews. The answer is I don’t know, except that’s God’s right. He’s sovereign and He’s the potter. We’re only the clay. We can ask God why only the Magi saw the “star” when we finally see Him in heaven.
Now that we’ve spent several minutes getting some important background, let’s re-read verses 1-3. I think we’ll understand them much better than the first time around.
Matt. 2:1 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem
Matt. 2:2 and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.”
Matt. 2:3 When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him.
So after Christ is born in Bethlehem, a small village about five miles south of Jerusalem, here come some Magi, all excited and asking everybody they see: “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.”
This “star”—perhaps the shikenah glory of God—tips them off to the birth of the “king of the Jews.” And showing that they’re true seekers of God, the Magi want “to worship him.”
And why’s Herod so disturbed and irritated and anxious by all of this?
It’s interesting to note that historians tell us that the Roman empire was very wary of the Parthian or eastern empire where these Magi came from. Historians also tell us that Magi often traveled with an army. We also know that Herod’s army was not in the city at the time—they were out of the country on a campaign. And finally, historians tell us that the eastern Parthian empire was looking for a new king.
So imagine this scene. Here come Magi, very powerful king-makers from the eastern empire that Rome was afraid of, and they come riding into town with an army. Herod knows that they’re king-makers and knows that the Parthian empire is actively looking for a new king. Plus, Herod’s army isn’t around. And don’t forget that Herod’s insanely jealous and these guys are looking for the “king of the Jews,” and that’s Herod’s title! This baby is a threat to his authority.
Is it any wonder why he’s so disturbed by this news?! He’s filled with jealousy, rage and fear, all at the same time.
And why’s Jerusalem also troubled?
It could be that they’re afraid of being conquered by this eastern army, even though they hate the Romans and Herod. It could be that the Magi are gentiles and not Jews.
It could also be that the people know that Herod will go ballistic over this situation. And that probably means bloodshed, and the Jews will probably pay the price, being in the middle of these two giant empires clashing, with the maniacal Herod in charge of their fate.
And why do the Magi come all of this way, hundreds of miles?
They want to find the baby and “worship him.” Despite their being gentiles, despite their being associated with a conglomeration of pagan religion and great learning, they appear to have pure motives. They’re seekers of God. They want “to worship him.”
They’ve come to acknowledge the kingship of Jesus. The king-makers have come to acknowledge the kingship of Jesus. They’ve come to worship the one Scripture calls the “King of Kings.” How they came to this point, we don’t know. Why God reveals Himself to these men, and these men only, we don’t know. But they came “to worship.”
The Chief Priests Tell Herod Where Christ Will Be Born
And what happens after that?
Matt. 2:4 When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Christ was to be born.
Matt. 2:5 “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:
Matt. 2:6 ” ‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will be the shepHerod of my people Israel.’ ”
Herod calls Israel’s religious leaders together for a pow-wow and asks them “where the Christ was to be born.” Notice that Herod knows exactly who the Magi are looking for when they said they were looking for the “king of the Jews.” Herod knows that they were looking for the Jews’ promised Messiah, the Christ.
The religious leaders respond by telling Herod that Bethlehem’s where the Christ will be born. In verse six, they cite a well known Old Testament prophecy from Micah 5:2.
The chief priests and teachers of the law know that a Messiah is coming and they know where He’ll come from: Bethlehem. But notice something else: even though they know where the Christ will be born, and even though they’ve undoubtedly heard about the Magi and what they’ve been saying about a “king of the Jews” being born, the religious leaders do nothing.
Do they offer to hook up with the Magi to find the newborn, their Christ? No.
Do they make a beeline themselves to Bethlehem to worship their Messiah? No.
They’re religious, but their hearts are as cold as ice. They’re indifferent. Oh, they might talk a good game, but when it gets right down to it, they really don’t care.
And that’s the second possible reaction to Christ: indifference.
Herod hates Jesus, the Magi love Him and want to worship Him, and the religious leaders of Israel? Ho hum, it’s life as usual. No big deal. They’re indifferent.
John 1:11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.
Herod Sends The Magi To Look For Jesus
Herod, driven by suspicion and fear, then puts his hatred to work.
Matt. 2:7 Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared.
Matt. 2:8 He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and make a careful search for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”
Herod calls a secret meeting with the Magi and questions them and finds out exactly when they first saw the “star.” After he finds out the time, Herod really pours it on: “When you guys find the child, let me know, so I can worship him too.”
Whenever I read this I think about the character Jon Lovett played on Saturday Night Live several years ago. “Yeah, when you find the baby tell me because I want to worship the kid too, yeah, that’s the ticket, I want to worship the baby too.”
It’s clear that Herod doesn’t want to worship Jesus. He’s so full of hatred and so far gone that he wants to kill the baby. He wants the Magi to do all of the investigative work and then he’ll move in for the kill: literally. We know that from Matthew 2:16 where it says that Herod gives orders to kill all the boys around Bethlehem who were two years old and under.
The Magi never return to Jerusalem after finding the baby in Bethlehem. They outwit Herod, so he gives orders to slaughter all the male babies. Just in case the Magi were a little off in their calculation in how long ago they saw the star, Herod makes sure by murdering every two-year-old and younger boy in the area. What a maniac. What hatred.
But the Magi don’t know that Herod’s a maniac and a murderer and are only focused on one thing: they want to find the child so they can worship Him. So they leave the meeting with Herod all psyched up. They must have found it strange that nobody in the city except Herod seems to know—or care—about where the “king of the Jews” is.
The Magi Follow The Star And Find Jesus
Armed with the information they need, the Magi head out.
Matt. 2:9 After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was.
Matt. 2:10 When they saw the star, they were overjoyed.
Notice that the star, which had originally appeared to them when they were in the east, had apparently disappeared. Maybe that’s why the Magi end up in Jerusalem instead of Bethlehem, not sure where to go next. The star that originally got them excited and started them on their journey to Palestine had disappeared from sight after a period of time.
But now it was back, confirming the direction Herod had pointed them in, towards Bethlehem. It was obviously a comforting sight. “When they saw the star, they were overjoyed.”
Matt. 2:11 On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh.
Notice that Jesus isn’t in a manger anymore—He’s in a house, now. Most commentators believe months have gone by, maybe several months. After all, it would have taken the Magi quite a while to make the long trip from the east. Joseph and Mary apparently decide to stay in Bethlehem vs. going home to Nazareth, where they were born and raised.
And what do they do when they finally find the child, the “king of the Jews?”
“They bowed down and worshiped him.” This is exactly what they told Herod they wanted to do back in Jerusalem. “We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.”
People that love God want to worship Him. And note that part of their worship is to give Him gifts.
“Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh.”
A lot of Christians misunderstand the time of our worship service when the offering pate is passed around. Giving monetary gifts to the Lord is a great way to worship Him.
All three of the gifts are very valuable. Gold, which is still of great value, is symbolic of nobility and royalty, and in Scripture is associated with kings.
Incense or frankincense is an ointment or perfume. It’s another expensive gift which was only used in the Old Testament for special occasions such as royal processions or weddings.
Myrrh is a perfume that had a variety of uses, but perhaps the most noteworthy one was of its use in preparing bodies for burial. In fact, some 33 years later Jesus’ body would be taken down from the cross and wrapped in myrrh and spices. We know that from John 39-40.
There’s no question in my mind that the Magi aren’t just paying homage to an earthly king; they’re worshiping God in human flesh. They’ve been supernaturally tipped off to His birth by the star which eventually leads them to Bethlehem, the birthplace of the “king of the Jews.”
They’re seeking God and are rewarded with the privilege of worshiping.
But God isn’t through guiding the Magi—He has one more thing that He wants to tell them.
Matt. 2:12 And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.
God communicates with one or more of them in a dream not to trust Herod and to return to the east by a different route. And why doesn’t God want them to return to Herod? Because then King Herod will know who and where the baby is and will try and kill it.
Conclusion
At the beginning of this article we talked about the three possible reactions to Jesus and Christianity.
The first is hatred, and Herod is a prime example of that type of reaction. He doesn’t just dislike Jesus, he hates him and goes out of his way to hurt him. I suspect that no one who goes to church regularly feels that way. Otherwise they probably wouldn’t bother to go.
The second reaction is indifference. The Jewish religious leaders and the people of Jerusalem are Scriptural examples of people that just don’t care.
The chief priests and teachers of the law even know the prophecy about the coming Messiah and despite the news that He’s been born, they never even bother to go see for themselves. In fact, as far as we know, nobody except the Magi go to see the baby Jesus.
And why? They’re indifferent. When it comes right down to it, they really don’t care. It’s a non-event for them. Ho hum.
What about you? Are you like the religious leaders and people of Israel? Are you indifferent to the birth of Jesus? Do you just sort of shrug at the thought of Jesus at Christmas? Is He just an afterthought to trees and lights and presents?
A few years ago somebody asked me what my all-time favorite Christmas present was. After I thought about it for awhile, I concluded that it was a gift I got when I was about 12. It was a set of books about Chip Hilton.
For those of you who don’t know, Chip Hilton was a teenage boy who had it all. He was smart, good looking and a star athlete. I read every one of those books over and over again. It was a great gift.
When I got married and bought a house, my mom made me clean out my room, so I packed up my books and other things in boxes and stored them at my house.
As Christmas time comes around each year I almost always come across those Chip Hilton books as I look for Christmas decorations in our storage closet. The same thing happens everytime I pull out that box of books and open it up. Great memories come flooding back and I end up telling my kids and my wife Paula all about how special those books are to me. I get real nostalgic.
I think all of us have a Christmas present that stands heads above the rest. Maybe it was a piece of jewelry or a toy. Whatever it was, everytime you think about it makes you happy and you remember what it was like when you first got it.
No matter how great those gifts were, however, they’re nothing compared to the greatest gift of all. In Romans 6:23 it says that “the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Do you remember what it was like when you unwrapped your gift from God? Do you remember what it was like when you first believed in Jesus and trusted him as your savior and Lord? Do you remember how good it felt to have all those sins you’d been carrying around forgiven? Do you remember how excited you were when you realized that the story of Jesus wasn’t just a fairy tale but it was true?
As we conclude our three-part series, let’s remember what it was like when God first opened our eyes to the truth.
Let’s not be indifferent about Jesus Christ. Let’s be like the Magi and worship Him.