Where is He Who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star when it rose and have come to worship Him.   Matthew 2:2 ESV¹

Read Matthew 2:1-12

Who were these or Wise Men, or Magi (as they are called in the NIV² and the NASB³)? From where did they come? Why were they looking for a star? And how did the Magi know the unusual star they saw was a sign for the birth of the King of the Jews?

Before attempting to answer those questions, let’s acknowledge that we may have misconceptions about these Magi. In our Christmas stories, songs, and nativities, we refer to them as the Three Wise Men. Some have even gone so far as to name them and give them national origins. But Matthew doesn’t say anything about three men, just three gifts. There could have been hordes of Magi coming into Jerusalem. That would explain why Herod “was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him” (Matthew 2:3). I doubt three men, even three obviously rich men, coming into Jerusalem during the hustle and bustle of the great census would have even been noticed. If they came at the time of Jesus’ birth, remember, “in those days, a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered … All went to be registered, each to his own town” (Luke 2:1,3). Remember how Bethlehem (the town of Joseph’s ancestors) was so busy that Mary and Joseph couldn’t find lodging (see Luke 2:7)? Jerusalem would have been just as busy as Bethlehem … if the Wise Men arrived there during the census.

But did they arrive during the census? When were the Magi actually in Jerusalem? King Herod had “summoned the Wise Men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared … and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in the region, who were two years and under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men” (Matthew 2: 7,16). Did the star appear when Jesus was born or two years later? Was King Herod just being overly protective of his throne, or did the star actually appear two years prior? What were the Wise Men doing for two whole years? Studying as to what the star’s appearance meant? Traveling? Both?

And then there is the matter of where the Magi met the Baby Jesus. Matthew 2:11 explains, “And going into the house they [the Magi] saw the Child with Mary His mother.” The house, not the stable. How long did it take for Jesus’ family to move to a house, two years or just two hours, after a bunch of shepherds showed up (see Luke 2:8-20) and the owner of the barn realized he had a family, consisting of a newborn and a woman who has just given birth, hanging out in his stable? Was Jesus a new baby or a toddler when the Magi arrived?

Also, there is a lot of mystery surrounding these Wise Men. Some believe the Magi came from Sheba. The book of Isaiah is filled with Messianic prophecy. Isaiah prophesied concerning Israel, “Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you … His glory will be seen upon you and nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising … a multitude of camels shall cover you … all those from Sheba shall come. They shall bring gold and frankincense, and shall bring good news, the praises of the LORD” (Isaiah 60:1,3,6). Much of that sounds familiar to what Matthew records, doesn’t it? The Queen of Sheba once visited King Solomon to experience his wisdom (see 1 Kings 10 and 2 Chronicles 9). Did Solomon share with the Queen of Sheba about the promised Deliverer? Did she, in turn, share that wisdom with the Wise Men of her country? The only problem with this theory is that Sheba is south of Israel. It is where modern-day Yemen is. (See Matthew 12:42 where Jesus refers to the Queen of Sheba as the Queen of the South). This passage clearly states the Magi came from the east (see Matthew 2:1).

Because magi is a Persian word, others believe that the Magi were from Persia. Somehow, these Wise Men would have had to have had some contact with the Jews, their way of thinking, and some knowledge of the Jewish Messianic expectation. The Jews had spent 70 years of captivity in Babylon. When the Medes and Persians conquered Babylon, the Jews were allowed to return to their homeland. But by that time, many Jews had developed a life in the foreign land and decided to stay. Daniel was one of the Jewish captives who stayed. Daniel, by the grace and provision of God, had become known as one in whom “illumination, insight and extraordinary wisdom [had] been found” (Daniel 5:14). The king, Darius the Mede, gave Daniel the position of Commissioner over his Satraps, or Wise Men (see Daniel 6:1-3). Daniel 9:20-27 records a prophecy about the exact timing of One who would “put an end to sin, and to atone for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal both vision and prophet, and to anoint a most holy place” (Daniel 9:24). Did Daniel share his knowledge and revelations concerning the coming Messiah with his fellow Wise Men? Was that information passed down through the generations? Were the weeks marked on the calendar as they counted down to the exact time Daniel had predicted? Even so, what does that have to do with a star?

Why is this event even recorded in the Scriptures? That question, above all others, is the most important question we can ask. Instead of speculating and theorizing, let’s discover what Matthew is telling us about these wise men that applies to our spiritual walks.

The Magi had limited knowledge about the Child they were seeking. They must have thought he was going to be a political king. They went right to King Herod. Logically, a baby who would become king should be in the palace, right? King Herod was more knowledgeable than the Wise Men on this point. He knew immediately they were searching for the Christ, a religious King, and he contacted the religious leaders for help in answering the questions of the Magi. Yet somehow the Magi knew they should worship the newborn King while Herod felt he had to kill Him.

The Wise Men didn’t know the King they sought would be born in Bethlehem, but they followed what they had been taught, and what had been revealed to them, and they found Jesus. That obedience opened the door to further revelation of truth which they, in turn, obeyed (see Matthew 2:12). The Jewish religious leaders had the Scriptures (the Law and the Prophets); they knew all kinds of Messianic prophecies, yet, when the Messiah stood right in front of them, they rejected Him.

I fear that many of us are more like King Herod and the religious leaders than we are the Wise Men. We are educated way past our obedience. What good is knowledge if we aren’t going to adhere to it? 1 Corinthians 8:1 warns, “Knowledge puffs up while love builds up.” Has your knowledge of anything puffed you up while you look down your nose at others less knowledgeable? If so, Jesus would rebuke you, saying, “You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye” (Matthew 7:5).

Like the Magi, may we conform to what we do know. They were seekers of God. In some way, He spoke to them. They responded despite not knowing everything. They recognized God’s voice and obeyed Him. Their limited knowledge got them to Jesus. If we come to Jesus with what we know and understand, He will lead us further and deeper into His truth. If we each keep our eyes on Him, not ourselves or others, we just might become known as a Wise Men and Women.

¹Scripture quotations marked with ESV are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version (ESV), copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. All unmarked scripture quotations are taken from the ESV. To aid in understanding, I have capitalized references to God.

²NIV is an abbreviation for The Holy Bible, New International Version, copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society.

³NASB is an abbreviation for The Holy Bible, New American Standard Bible, Copyright The Lockman Foundation, 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995.