Wise Men from the East

The account of the wise men or magi from the east visiting Jesus only occurs in the gospel of Matthew.
Traditionally, the church celebrates this visit (called ‘Epiphany’) in January, but we do not know what time of year the magi actually visited Bethlehem, nor much about the wise men themselves. Let’s read the account.

Read Matthew 2:1-12

First, we are not told who these wise men were. We simply know that they came ‘from the east’ and that they studied the stars. It was because of a special star that they travelled to Jerusalem. We are also not told that these men were kings, even though the gifts they brought would have been very costly.

We do not know how many wise men there were. They brought three gifts, but this does not necessarily mean there were three men. The fact that their visit disturbed King Herod and ‘all Jerusalem’ could indicate that there were quite a number of men that travelled from the east.

Coming from the east, it is likely that they rode on camels, but we are actually not told how they travelled nor when they arrived in Jerusalem. Despite what we see in our nativity scenes and Christmas plays, they were not with the shepherds in the stable. It is estimated Jesus could have been up to two years old by the time the magi came to worship him. But despite the many ‘unknowns’ there is still so much for us to learn from this passage from God’s Word.

Diligently seeking Jesus

‘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.’ (Matthew 2:2)

The wise men from the east were not Jews – they were Gentiles – yet God chose to give them a miraculous sign. And as men who studied the stars, they rightly interpreted this particular star as a sign that a great king had been born. So they set out to travel, perhaps over a thousand kilometres, to come and worship this king. Their journey would have been long and expensive, yet they diligently followed the sign they had been given so they could worship King Jesus.

Violently opposing Jesus

When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. (Matthew 2:3)

King Herod was disturbed that a new king had been born. Although he pretended to the wise men that he too wanted to go and worship Jesus, he actually wanted to remove any rival king. Finding out from the magi when the star had first appeared, Herod later gave orders for all the boys in Bethlehem two years old and younger to be killed. See Matthew 2:16.

Deliberately ignoring Jesus

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. (Matthew 2:4)

John 1:11 tells us the sad fact that Jesus came to his own people, but his own did not receive him. The Jewish leaders readily told King Herod of the prophecy that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem. These leaders were about five kilometres away from King Jesus, yet unlike the magi, they chose to ignore their true King.

Joyfully worshipping Jesus

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 worshipped him. (Matthew 2:10-11)

As we enter this new year, may we, like the wise men, joyfully worship Jesus our Lord and Saviour – the One who is the true King of all the world.

Let’s praise God in song!

Rejoice the Lord is King (Emu Music); Jesus Shall Reign (Getty Music); King of Kings (Hillsong); Good and Gracious King (CityAlight).