Wise Men Come

The Magi Visit the Messiah

Matthew 2:1-12 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”  When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:  “‘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 shepherd my people Israel.’” Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.” After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 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, frankincense and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.

So when did these men come to visit?  If you are like me you thought, right around the time that Jesus was born, probably within a week or so, right?  Well let’s look further into that.

First who were these Wise Men or Magi?  The word magi, which is the plural of magus, means “magician.”  As in Simon Magus, the sorcerer who wanted to buy the disciple’s power to fill people with the Holy Spirit.

But these were not sorcerers or magicians, as we think of them today.  Over time the word became known as experts in astrology, fortune-telling, magical incantations, and wisdom.  So, they were probably priests; Magi often served kings as respected counselors.

So where did they come from?  Well Matthew is the only write that reports the story of the wise men and only gives us a clue about their homeland.  As stated in Matthew 2:1, the came from the east.  Guesses include regions today called, Iraq, Iran, and the Arabian Peninsula – home to countries like Saudi Arabia, Yemen, and Oman. 

There is some speculation that they could have come from Yemen, as that is where the two gifts that were brought are found. [Frankincense and myrrh]  But most scholars say that Iran and Iraq are most likely, as that is where astrology flourished. 

Iraq is also known as Babylon, so if they came from here they would have probably come from the city of modern day Baghdad.  This is around 900 miles from Bethlehem plus another 300 miles if they came from Susa the former capital.  So, the actual travel time would have been at least 2 months based on 20 miles a day.  But, they would need time to organize and equip the caravan plus bring an armed escort.  If they are like any modern day scholars, wise me, it would have taken time to study what the star meant and agree on a course of action.  [Probably a year or more]  So by the time they reached Bethlehem, Jesus would have been around 2 years old and now living in a normal house.

This would explain the scripture in Matthew 2:16  When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi.

Another theory is that they were Kings of Yemen, as during this time the Kings of Yemen were Jews. Three is only a guess because they brought with them three gifts: but however many there were of them, they probably would have had many more servants with them.

Alright what were their names?  Well the Bible does not give us any names, but legends are told about them and they have been given names. This is how they are often described:

ª     Gaspar, who has brown hair and a brown beard (or no beard!) and wears a green cloak and a gold crown with green jewels on it, He is the King of Sheba. Gaspar represents the Frankincense brought to Jesus.

ª     Melchior, who has long white hair and a white beard and wears a gold cloak, He is the King of Arabia. Melchior represents the Gold brought to Jesus.

ª     Balthazar, who has black skin and a black beard (or no beard!) and wears a purple cloak, He is the King of Tarse and Egypt. Balthazar represents the gift of Myrrh that was brought to Jesus.

No matter who came to visit Jesus or when, everyone agrees that Jesus Christ is truly the Son of God … literally God Himself, the Divine living within human flesh.  As we celebrate Christmas let's remember it is all about worshipping the one who came to save us from our sins.

Merry Christmas.