wise man

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VISIT OF THE MAGI

Matthew 2:1–12

We Three Kings from Orient Are” has been sung throughout church history, but the only historical accuracy in the hymn is that those who came to Jesus came from the East, or the Orient. Nothing in Scripture teaches us that they were kings or that there were exactly three of them. Those assumptions are drawn chiefly from the fact that there were three gifts brought to Jesus, and the particular gifts presented indicated great wealth of the sort that was usually found at that time only among royalty. The majority of the hymn is based on speculation and assumption, and unbridled speculation has led many to ruin. When we speculate, we must underscore that we are making hypothetical inferences.

The people who came to visit Jesus bringing their lavish treasures are identified by Matthew as magi, from which we get the English word magic. The title was usually reserved for those who consulted the stars to learn the future, a common practice in ancient times. In a sense, they were identified as magicians, not necessarily of black arts but as those who were counselors of sorts, perhaps to kings.

They came after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king (v. 1). We know that Herod died in 4 BC, and historians estimate that Jesus was born in either 6 or 7 BC. We assume that this visitation from the magi came sometime after the birth of Jesus. Most artwork depicts the magi and the shepherds gathered around the Christ child in a stable, but the biblical text tells us that when the magi came, Mary and Joseph and the baby were in a house.

The journey from the east would have taken some time, so the magi arrived perhaps as much as a year or two after Jesus had been born. The reason for assuming as much as two years is that Herod ordered the slaying of all male children under the age of two years old (v. 16).

The Star

The wise men did not come directly to Bethlehem but to Jerusalem, and they came with a question on their lips: “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him” (v. 2). Perhaps no text has been subjected to more speculation than the description of the star that led these men from the East. Some scholars have indicated that it was likely a comet’s tail that gave guidance to the people in their sojourn. Johannes Kepler, for example, argued that there was an unusual conjunction of the two planets in the constellation Pisces in 7 BC that would have given off an extreme luster. Still others say that these men, perhaps being astrologers, had seen in their astrological charts the appearance of certain stars that heralded the birth of a great king. The other possibility is that the star that led these men to Jerusalem and then to Bethlehem was a specific creation by God for this particular event, something like the shekinah glory cloud that led the people of Israel in their wilderness wandering.

If I had to choose from among these options, I would choose the latter. I think it would be very difficult to follow the tail of a comet, or even an inordinately bright conjunction of two planets, to Jerusalem and then from Jerusalem to Bethlehem. I suspect that this is another account of a miraculous work of God to guide the men to the proper place.

We do not know how they knew that they were looking for the King of the Jews; Matthew doesn’t give us that information. But he does say that they had seen His star in the East and had come to worship Him, that is, to give obeisance to Him. The implication here is that the men were coming not merely to give homage to a monarch but to worship before deity.

Herod’s Dilemma

When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him (v. 3). Herod was troubled because the birth of a foretold king would pose a clear and present threat to his position. Of course, had he known the time of his own death, he would not have had to worry about a child’s coming of age and eventually replacing him. Not only was Herod troubled, but all Jerusalem with him. We would think that the city of Jerusalem would have been filled with excitement rather than troubled at the news that the King of the Jews had been born. Perhaps the arrival of an entourage (whether of three or three hundred) bearing gifts simply created a great stir in the city.

When Herod had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born (v. 4). They answered Herod according to their knowledge of the Old Testament, saying, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet: ‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are not the least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you shall come a Ruler who will shepherd My people Israel’ ” (vv. 5–6). They reported to Herod that the prophet Micah had predicted the exact town in which the Messiah would be born, namely, Bethlehem. We see in the prophecy of Micah the unusual linkage between king and shepherd, and we see again the link to David in the Old Testament, who was the great shepherd king. So Jesus comes not only as a King for His people but also, as He described Himself, as a good shepherd who came to tend and care for His sheep (John 10:11).

Then Herod, when he had secretly called the wise men, determined from them what time the star appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the young Child, and when you have found Him, bring back word to me, that I may come and worship him also” (vv. 7–8). Such treachery—how evil is the heart of man. Herod said he wanted to come and worship the Child King, but all the while he really wanted to kill Him.

The Child Worshiped

When they heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him (vv. 9–11). Their journey from the East was long and dangerous. Most likely they traveled from ancient Persia, which is now Iran, or from the part of Babylonia that may now be Iraq. In any case, the travel involved was significant. When the guiding star brought them to Mary and Joseph and the Child, they were filled with joy, and they went in to worship Him. We must wonder what was going on in the mind of Mary and Joseph when the entourage came bearing treasures and falling on their knees to worship their Son.

And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh (v. 11). Biblical scholars see a certain symbolism contained in the particular gifts that were offered. The first gift was gold, which was the only fitting gift to give a king in the ancient world. Gold was the metal of royalty, and the fact that gold was lavishly spread at the feet of Jesus’ parents, and Jesus Himself, is another indication that the men were paying homage to Him as a king.

The reason behind the gift of frankincense is more difficult to pinpoint. In the ancient world incense was primarily used by priests in worship. Central to Jewish worship in the tabernacle and then in the temple was the altar of incense, which was tended by the priests. It symbolized the sweet aroma and fragrance of the prayers of God’s people to Him. Matthew in his Gospel makes much of Jesus’ being both a king and a priest.

The third gift, myrrh, is the strangest of the three. The chief use of myrrh among ancient people was for anointing the dead at the time of their burial. When Jesus died and was laid in the tomb, women came early in the morning with precious spices in order to anoint His body, and myrrh is what they would have used for that occasion.

Many speculate that, taken together, there was one gift for a king, one for a priest, and one to signify death. This should not surprise us in light of the announcement made to Mary and Joseph when they took the Child to the temple where they were told, “Behold, this Child is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign which will be spoken against (yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul also), that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed” (Luke 2:34–35).

Investing in God’s Kingdom

I was told about a sermon that Billy Graham preached in 1957 about tithing. In his sermon he referenced Paul’s command “Let him who stole steal no longer” (Eph. 4:28). We can make a similar application from this text in Matthew’s Gospel. If you are not a tither, you are robbing God. The magi brought lavish gifts to Christ because they believed He was worthy of their sacrifice and honor.

It is difficult to separate people from their money. I have been a tither throughout my Christian life. I have tithed even when it was difficult to do so, and I have never regretted a single cent of it. I tithe my gross pay, and I pay God before I pay the government. Additionally, I have for many years practiced the principle of delayed gratification and sought to invest as much money as I tithe, which altogether takes 20 percent right off the top. In the providence of God, I have been blessed with some fruitful investments, but I have also made some bad ones. When you make an investment, you do not know how it will turn out, because, as the financial experts say, even in the middle of a bull market, there is a bear loose in the woods seeking whom he may devour. The greatest investment one can make is in the kingdom of God, and there are no bear markets in heaven. Every investment that we make in the kingdom of God returns thirtyfold, sixtyfold, or a hundredfold.

I do not encourage people to tithe in hope of becoming rich, nor do I encourage people to tithe simply because it is their duty. I encourage people to tithe for the joy of it. Tithing is joyous because the Lord loves a cheerful giver. When we pinch our money and are reluctant to give it, God is not pleased. Consider the magi. They traveled a great distance and poured out their wealth to honor Jesus. I have been told that if you really want to know how deep your spiritual life is, look at your checkbook, because your checkbook reveals more objectively than anything else the place of your heart. The magi gave not knowing about the cross or the resurrection. We know what Jesus did, and the application, while painful, is clear: give of your best to the Master, and do not ever rob God.¹

When Herod asked the scribes this question, they didn’t have to search the Scriptures for it; they knew where it was—Micah 5:2. As a matter of fact, they didn’t need even to turn to it, because they had it in their minds. They could quote it. They knew all about the coming of the Messiah. The problem was that their knowledge was academic rather than vital. It was not personally meaningful to them. They are examples of folk who know the history contained in the Bible and they know certain factual truths, but these things carry no personal meaning for them. Since the scribes knew the Old Testament Scriptures so well, you would have thought that they would have gone to the wise men and said, “How about letting us ride down with you? We are looking for the Messiah too!”

I wonder today how many people are really looking for the coming of the Lord. We talk about it, and we study a great deal about prophecy. Would you really like to see Him right now? Suppose He broke in right today where you are and into what you are doing. Would He interrupt anything? Would you like to say to Him, “I wish that You would postpone your visit to some other time”?

Herod got his information from the scribes—²

A person is identified not only by his friends, but also by his enemies. Herod pretended that he wanted to worship the newborn King (Matt. 2:8), when in reality he wanted to destroy Him. God warned Joseph to take the Child and Mary and flee to Egypt. Egypt was close. There were many Jews there, and the treasures received from the magi would more than pay the expenses for traveling and living there. But there was also another prophecy to fulfill, Hosea 11:1: “I called My Son out of Egypt.”

Herod’s anger was evidence of his pride; he could not permit anyone to get the best of him, particularly some Gentile scholars! This led him to kill the boy babies two years of age and under who were still in Bethlehem. We must not envision hundreds of little boys being killed, for there were not that many male children of that age in a small village like Bethlehem. Even today only about 20,000 people live there. It is likely that not more than 20 children were slain. But, of course, 1 is too many!

Matthew introduced here the theme of hostility, which he focused on throughout his book. Satan is a liar and a murderer (John 8:44), as was King Herod. He lied to the magi and he murdered the babies. But even this horrendous crime of murder was the fulfillment of prophecy found in Jeremiah 31:15. In order to understand this fulfillment, we must review Jewish history.

The first mention of Bethlehem in Scripture is in connection with the death of Jacob’s favorite wife, Rachel (Gen. 35:16–20). Rachel died giving birth to a son whom she named Benoni, “son of my sorrow.” Jacob renamed his son Benjamin, “son of my right hand.” Both of these names relate to Jesus Christ, for He was a “man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief” (Isa. 53:3), and He is now the Son of God’s right hand (Acts 5:31; Heb. 1:3). Jacob put up a pillar to mark Rachel’s grave which is near Bethlehem.

Jeremiah’s prophecy was given about 600 years before Christ was born. It grew out of the captivity of Jerusalem. Some of the captives were taken to Ramah in Benjamin, near Jerusalem; and this reminded Jeremiah of Jacob’s sorrow when Rachel died. However, now it was Rachel who was weeping. She represented the mothers of Israel weeping as they saw their sons going into captivity. It was as though Rachel said, “I gave my life to bear a son, and now his descendants are no more.”

Jacob saw Bethlehem as a place of death, but the birth of Jesus made it a place of life! Because of His coming, there would be spiritual deliverance for Israel and, in the future, the establishment of David’s throne and kingdom. Israel, “the son of my sorrow,” would one day become “the son of My right hand.” Jeremiah gave a promise to the nation that they would be restored to their land again (Jer. 31:16–17), and this promise was fulfilled. But he gave an even greater promise that the nation would be regathered in the future, and the kingdom established (Jer. 31:27ff). This promise shall also be fulfilled.

Very few people today think of Bethlehem as a burial place; they think of it as the birthplace of Jesus Christ. And because He died for us and rose again, we have a bright future before us. We shall live forever with Him in that glorious city where death is no more and where tears never fall.³

9–10. It appears that Herod had so disguised his intentions, that the wise men had no consciousness of it. So is it in common life. But the Lord readeth the heart. What a wonderful ministry was this star! Evidently it must have had a particular motion, and different from the ordinary course of the stars. For the star which had been first seen by them in the East, now appeared to them in those Western heavens. And it was not confined to the ministry of the night, for now it appeared by day. And very low it must have shone, for it even pointed to an house; for it went before them until it came and stood over where the young child was! Reader! do not fail to observe the grace of God in this providence. He who hung out this star, did not hang it out in vain. The same God who led Israel by the cloud, led those wise men by a star. And while hanging a light without, gave the proper apprehension of the meaning within. And the effect was, as might be supposed, when they saw the star they rejoiced with exceeding great joy! And is it not so with his people, whom he guides to Jesus now? The day dawn, and the day star, when first shining in the heart, and pointing to Christ, calls forth the anxious enquiry after Christ. And when darkness at any time intervenes, how blessed is it again after such obscurity, and doubt, and misgiving, to have new discoveries of Christ; and in so clear and open a manner, leading to Christ, which, like this star, points to his very person, to shew where he is!⁴

1 Sproul, R. C. (2013). Matthew (pp. 27–32). Wheaton, IL: Crossway.

2 McGee, J. V. (1991). Thru the Bible commentary: The Gospels (Matthew 1-13) (electronic ed., Vol. 34, pp. 39–40). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

3 Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 15). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.

4 Hawker, R. (2013). Poor Man’s New Testament Commentary: Matthew–John (Vol. 1, pp. 15–16). Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software.