Advent - Week 2 - The Wise Men

Our study this week focuses on the wise men mentioned in Matthew 2:1-12. I have included both the KJV and NIV versions below for our reference.

Matthew 2:1-12
(KJV) 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,

² Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.
³ When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.
⁴ And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born.
⁵ And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet,
⁶ And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel.
⁷ Then Herod, when he had privately called the wise men, enquired of them diligently what time the star appeared.
⁸ And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search diligently for the young child; and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also.
⁹ When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was.
¹⁰ When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.
¹¹ And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense and myrrh.
¹² And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way.

(NIV)After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem ² 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.”

³ When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. ⁴ 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. ⁵ “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:

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 shepherd my people Israel.’”

⁷ Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. ⁸ 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.”

⁹ 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. ¹⁰ When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 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, frankincense and myrrh. ¹² And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.

Observations:

Notice that KJV uses “wise men” and NIV uses “Magi.”

A number of questions immediately arise. What does the Bible say about wisdom? Who are the wise men, and where are they from? Is the term “Magi” typically used to describe “wise men?” Where else do we see Magi in the Bible?

The Bible says plenty about wisdom. I have included a few verses below. Proverbs 7:10 is significant, but the other versus are also telling.

Proverbs 9:7-12
7 Whoever corrects a mocker invites insults;
whoever rebukes the wicked incurs abuse.

8 Do not rebuke mockers or they will hate you;
rebuke the wise and they will love you.

9 Instruct the wise and they will be wiser still;
teach the righteous and they will add to their learning.

10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom,
and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

11 For through wisdom your days will be many,
and years will be added to your life.

12 If you are wise, your wisdom will reward you;
if you are a mocker, you alone will suffer.

According to Pope Benedict XVI – In the setting of Matthew, “the wise men (Magi) are understood to be members of the Persian priestly caste. In Hellenistic cultures, they were regarded as rulers of a distinctive religion. But at the same time, their religious ideas were thought to be strongly rooted in philosophy. In other settings, Magi were magicians, deceivers and seducers.” He also says, “The wise men from the east are a new beginning. They represent the journey of humanity toward Christ.”

The Magi could have been from Babylon as well. There were astronomers there. However, they could have been from any number of places. Speculation was rife with the coming of the Messiah during this time. Historical documents show that there were a multitude of Messiah “pretenders” during this time period. But these men must have been more than wise. They were in search of hope. They were seeking God.

The other “Magi” in the Bible are not so wise.

Acts 13:2-12
Now there were in the church that was at Antioch certain prophets and teachers; as Barnabas, and Simeon that was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen, which had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul.

² As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them.

³ And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away.

⁴ So they, being sent forth by the Holy Ghost, departed unto Seleucia; and from thence they sailed to Cyprus.

⁵ And when they were at Salamis, they preached the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews: and they had also John to their minister.

⁶ And when they had gone through the isle unto Paphos, they found a certain sorcerer, a false prophet, a Jew, whose name was Barjesus:

⁷ Which was with the deputy of the country, Sergius Paulus, a prudent man; who called for Barnabas and Saul, and desired to hear the word of God.

⁸ But Elymas the sorcerer (for so is his name by interpretation) withstood them, seeking to turn away the deputy from the faith.

⁹ Then Saul, (who also is called Paul,) filled with the Holy Ghost, set his eyes on him.

¹⁰ And said, O full of all subtilty and all mischief, thou child of the devil, thou enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord?

¹¹ And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon thee, and thou shalt be blind, not seeing the sun for a season. And immediately there fell on him a mist and a darkness; and he went about seeking some to lead him by the hand.

¹² Then the deputy, when he saw what was done, believed, being astonished at the doctrine of the Lord.

Another example can be found in Acts 8:1-24.

Why does everyone think there are 3 wise men?

The answer here is clear. The three gifts, conjure up images of 3 bearers of gifts. However, men would have never traveled a great distance with valuable goods in such a small group. Historically, the church even created stories and points of origin associated with “3 wise men.” Some believed one originated from each of the European, African and Asian continents, representing the known world at the time.

Our minds conjure up images of Kings, camels, oxen and donkeys when we think of the wise men coming to worship Jesus. Where did this come from?

Traditionally, it could have come in part from the verses below.

Isaiah 1:3
The ox knows its master,
    the donkey its owner’s manger,
but Israel does not know,
    my people do not understand.”

Psalms 72:10-11
May the kings of Tarshish (in Spain) and of distant shores
    bring tribute to him.
May the kings of Sheba and Seba
    present him gifts.
¹¹ May all kings bow down to him
    and all nations serve him.

Where else? The Gospel of Luke and the mention of the birth of Christ in a manger certainly bring animals to mind. Perhaps Kingly images also arise from the fact that Herod would even entertain an audience with these men.

However, notice the writing of the verse. The meeting does not seem to take place in a manger. The scripture says the wise men visit Jesus and Mary in their house, and Jesus is referred to as a child, not a baby. Perhaps the wise men do not arrive until well after Jesus’ birth. This also makes sense if the wise men traveled from far away.

Notice the wise men did not go to Herod first, and they are asking questions.

Wise men DO ask questions. Wise men are humble, and listen carefully to others. See the earlier mentioned verses in Proverbs.

No doubt Herod heard about the questions of the wise men. One primary question would have peeked his interest. The wise men inquire after the “King of the Jews”. No doubt this is how the wise men get an audience with Herod. This is not a Jewish expression. It is a Gentile expression. In fact, Rome declared Herod to be the King of the Jews, and Herod would have been very concerned about anyone else receiving this title, even if they were only recently born.

What are the teachings from the Old Testament that the chief priests and scribes (teachers of the law) would have referenced to foretell the coming of Jesus and his birth in Bethlehem?

The high priests and scribes combined the first two below in Matthew's writing.
 
Micah 5:2
“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
    though you are small among the clans of Judah,
out of you will come for me
    one who will be ruler over Israel,
whose origins are from of old,
    from ancient times.”

2 Samuel 5:2
In the past, while Saul was king over us, you were the one who led Israel on their military campaigns. And the Lord said to you, ‘You will shepherd my people Israel, and you will become their ruler.’”

Genesis 49:10
The scepter will not depart from Judah,
    nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet,
until he to whom it belongs shall come
    and the obedience of the nations shall be his.

The following might be the most important one, in the sense that Balaam is a pagan prophet, and would have been known in the gentile world.

Numbers 24:17 (spoken by the pagan prophet Balaam, who is instructed by the king of Moab to curse Israel, but God causes Balaam to give a blessing instead. Note: in 1967 ancient writings were found along the east bank of the Jordan to support the existence of Balaam as a seer. So Balaam is significant, because he was of the non-Jewish world (gentiles) and his acts and prophesies would have been known by others outside of Israel – perhaps to those in the east…)
“I see him, but not now;
    I behold him, but not near.
A star will come out of Jacob;
    a scepter will rise out of Israel. …”

There are historians who say the killing of the babies of Bethlehem never took place. Would this action be consistent with Herod’s personality?

Absolutely. Herod killed three of his sons between 7 and 4 BC, to insure that they would not take his throne. Also, the population of Bethlehem was small enough that the event could have escaped historical mention outside of the Bible.

Why didn’t the chief priests and scribes (teachers of the law) go with the wise men? Also, why were the people of Jerusalem concerned?

At times, religion can get caught up in scholarship, and forget the passion of worship. This could have been the case with the chief priests and scribes. We certainly hear in the Gospels about Jesus’ feelings towards the actions of the teachers of the law. As for the people of Jerusalem, they had lived under the thumb of oppressors for a long time, and the Roman rule was particularly oppressive. The thought of a messiah (especially a false one) would bring the wrath of the Roman government, and historical documents show there was a plethora of Messiah pretenders during this period of time.

Is there any significance to the gifts?

There is an incredible amount of speculation surrounding the gifts. I’m sure you have your own ideas. Primarily, the gifts were valuable, and a sign of reverence. Still, we can’t help but think of the passion of Christ with respect to the Myrrh, which was an embalming spice.

Was the star a real star? Were there any known astrological occurrences during these times?

I don’t think the star was ever meant to represent a star at all. This passage is not about astronomy. After all, no star moves in this manner. I believe a star-like image was created through the power of God. It could be, that only those seeking Jesus could see the light. Also, I do not think the star points to Christ. Christ directs the star, and in a similar manner, Christ brings us to him.

It has been calculated that 7-6 BC there was conjunction of the planets Jupiter and Saturn in the constellation of Pisces. This is the time that is now accepted as the time of Jesus’ birth.

Notice that the wise men “worship” Jesus, and they are not Jewish.

Jesus came for all people, Jew and gentile alike. Also, notice that the wise men return to their country by another route. We all do this after encountering Jesus. After all, we read in John 14:6, “I am the way and the truth and the life. …” Encounters with Christ change us forever. There is power in the blood of the Lamb. I believe the wise men were forever changed, and although they returned to their countries by another route, they continued to worship the King of kings and Lord of lords.

Prayer: Lord God, thank you for sending your Son to save us. Help us become wise, humble people who live in constant worship of your Son Jesus Christ.