Matthew 2:1: “Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem….”
One of the many questions which comes up at Christmas centers around the wise men. Specifically our inquiry has to do with the timing of their visit; however this is generally followed up with questions about their interest, their information and their purpose and message in relation to the whole of Scripture. For the Biblical answers, we examine:
- Historical Context: Written by the apostle Matthew in 50 A.D., most Christians were Jewish converts hence Matthew’s focus on the Jewish perspective. Matthew’s love and concern for his people is apparent: a meticulous approach to the gospel story in the context of the Old Testament.
- Grammatical Usage: “Jesus” in the Greek is “Iesous” meaning, “Jehovah is salvation”; “Bethlehem” in the Hebrew is “BhqleÑem” translated “house of bread”; “wise men” in the Greek is “Magos” meaning, “teachers, priests, physicians, astrologers, seers, interpreters of dreams, augers, soothsayers, sorcerers”.
- Literal Application: “After Jesus, the Son of God, the Savior of mankind, God incarnate was born at Bethlehem, known as the house of bread during the time of King Herod, Magi (teachers, priests or astrologers) from the east (Persia) came to Jerusalem.”
- Contextual Interpretation: In order to understand the significance of this visit, lets break apart verses 1 & 2 into key elements:
Bethlehem of Judea
This city is mentioned in Judges 17:7, and must be distinguished from another of the same name in the tribe of Zebulon, Joshua 19:15. Beth-lechem, in Hebrew, signifies the house of bread the true bread of life that came down from heaven. But lehem also signifies flesh, and is applied to that part of the sacrifice which was burnt upon the altar (see Leviticus 3:11-16; 21:6). Hence it also means house of flesh, or, as some might suppose, the house of the incarnation.
In the days of Herod the king
This was HEROD, improperly cited as the GREAT, the son of Antipater, an Edomite: he reigned 37 years in Judea as appointed by the Romans. He was a monster. Josephus details his pride, cruelty, and blood-lust, as they supported his merciless and implacable ambition.
How many babies did Herod murder? Some scholars have suggested as many as 200! Bethlehem was a small community–almost a suburb of Jerusalem, so the number is between 20 and 30.
There came wise men from the east Or, Magi came from the eastern countries. The Jews believed that there were prophets in the kingdom of Saba and Arabia who had been taught about the God of Israel.
First, not all magi were astrologers, for Daniel the prophet was the chief of the magi in Nebuchadnezzar’s court. Through his influence, undoubtedly many of the magi carried on their religious and political duties as worshippers of the One true God.
Second, Isaiah predicted that a star would appear when the Messiah was born. The magi who worshipped the newborn king were clearly following in Daniel’s train, for he almost surely taught them from Isaiah.
Third, clearly, the ‘star’ was completely of supernatural origin.
Verse 2. We have seen his star
Having discovered an unusual appearance in the heavens, supposing these persons to have been Jews, and knowing the prophecies relative to the redemption of Israel, they probably considered this to be the star mentioned by Balaam in Numbers 24:17.
To worship him.
Or, To do him homage. The word which is a compound of “to” and “dog” signifying to crouch and fawn like a dog at his master’s feet. Americans would recognize this as part of the Muslim prayer tradition. It was used to express both civil and religious reverence.
Matthew 2, taken in context, demonstrates 3 distinctive reactions to the arrival of the Christ child: 1) ignorant apathy among the residents of Judea – including civil and religious authorities who simply were not paying attention; 2) shock in the sense of fear first exhibited by Herod who instilled such in the religious hierarchy as well as the general population given that all understood Herod’s method of expressing and dealing with challenges to his position; and finally 3) humble adoration of the wise men who arguably held higher positions within their cultural milieu than anyone cited in the text. Taken together, the three reactions to Christ are quite contemporary in their application.
- Scriptural Comparison: This incident couldn’t have happened when Jesus was born since the Magi had to travel after they stopped to see Herod. Therefore, the wise men arrived after Jesus’ birth (Matthew 2:1).
In the cunning mind of Herod, a plot had already formed to nip this growing bud of Messianic hope before it got out of hand. It is an amazing thing that Herod did not send his servants with them, and that the Jews themselves, stirred up as they were by the report, apparently did not lift a finger to search out the young child. It is strange how much the scribes knew, and what little use they made of it. Such is the appalling gulf between religious belief and practice.
So the wise men left for Bethlehem following the star, but note that had they been following the star their entire trip they would have never stopped in Jerusalem to ask for directions. The Greek is essential: it does not indicate they had been in constant contact with the star their entire journey – why else would they stop in Jerusalem? They had seen the star which they tied to the statement of Balaam in Numbers 24:17 which specifically speaks of “a scepter rising out of Israel.” At this time, Jerusalem was the capitol of Israel – a logical place to come in search of the “king”. Thus, they came to Jerusalem to make inquiry (if, for no other reason, than to fulfill the prophecy concerning the attempted murder of Jesus: Matthew 2:9).
The star was unusual because a normal star does not move in front of a person. A normal star does not appear to move because it is high in the sky. This was a special, divinely appointed star which led them to Jesus’ “house” (Matthew 2:11).
So the wise men arrived sometime after Jesus’ birth. They went to Bethlehem and found the young child with Mary, His mother. To Him, they fell and worshiped in Oriental style, and presented their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Unquestionably the gifts were chosen appropriately: gold for His deity and majesty, frankincense for the fragrance of His life and His intercession, myrrh for His sacrifice and death. It appears the wise men arrived sometime between one to two years later according to Matthew 2:16.
Some assert that by now the family was living in Nazareth (Luke 2:39), but the more likely scenario is they remained in Bethlehem until the visit of the Magi and all left simultaneously – the family returning from Egypt to Judea upon Herod’s death. Approaching Judea, however, Joseph had to be made aware that Archelaus, the son of Herod, was on the throne. One of the first acts of Archelaus was to murder some three thousand people in the temple because some of their number had memorialized some martyrs put to death by Herod. Like father, like son. Instead of going back to Bethlehem, which Joseph probably considered a suitable residence for his royal Son, Joseph went instead to Nazareth in Galilee. Matthew declares this also was a fulfillment of prophecy: “He shall be called a Nazarene” (Matthew 2:23).
Clearly God ordained these wise men to visit Jesus. Scripture doesn’t overtly explain why, but it demonstrated God’s faithfulness to His spoken Word in Jeremiah 31:15. This gives me confidence that He is faithful to me when He says, in His word, that He cares for me and will meet my needs as well.
- Conclusion: So, the magi were men who 1) read and believed God’s Word, 2) sought Jesus, 3) recognized the worth of Christ, 4) humbled themselves to worship Him, and 5) obeyed God rather than man. They were truly wise men! Would that we, too, lived so.