Wise Men from the East

Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, “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.”  (Mt 2: 1-2)

Christmas is just around the corner.  It is a time of stores full of shoppers, festive lights, snow, tasty treats, and Christmas music on the radio.  One of those songs most of us are familiar with is We Three Kings.  This Christmas Carol tells us of travelling kings bearing gifts for the baby Jesus.  This is based on the story in Matthew chapter 2, but who were these men? 

Besides being mentioned in song, a Nativity Scene would be incomplete without the three kings with their gift boxes.  Traditionally they are given the names Gaspar, Melchior, and Balthazar and they are bearing the gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.  Most of us are familiar with the tradition surrounding these men but let’s take a look at parts of the story that maybe you have not heard or thought of before.


These men were not actually kings; scripture tells us they were wise men (Mt 2:1).  It is commonly held that these men were Magi, magicians and astrologers, and most bible scholars believe they were from Persia.  But why would Magi from Persia be looking for Jesus, and how would they know?

I touched on this in my previous post, LIVE by Example, and it relates to the time of Daniel and his presence in Babylon approximately 500 years prior.  Daniel, along with three others, was taken into the king’s service because of the wisdom and knowledge he displayed.  In his time there Daniel repeatedly demonstrated the use of this wisdom and knowledge, along with an unwavering faith in God. (Dan 1-6)  This would have provided persuasive evidence of the authenticity of Daniel’s faith so it is not surprising that his peers took notice of the prophecies Daniel wrote, especially concerning the timing of the arrival of the Messiah (Dan 9:25).

Since Daniel enjoyed credibility with his peers in Babylon, it is easy to see him taking the opportunity to share at least some stories and prophecies from Hebrew Scripture.  One such story may have been one concerning another Babylonian seer named Balaam. (Num. 22-24)  Though he had been instructed to pronounce a curse on Israel, Balaam pronounced a blessing instead.  This included a prophecy concerning both a king and a star rising out of Israel (Num. 24:17).  Combine this with Daniel’s timetable and they would have known when to look and the sign to look for regarding the arrival of the Jewish king.


Tradition holds that there were three wise men but their number is not listed in scripture other than to say there was more than one.  Tradition also shows three men travelling on three camels, showing up at the stable where Christ was born.  In all reality there would have been an entire caravan of people travelling with the Magi.  The caravan would have consisted of the Magi themselves, however many there actually were; servants of the Magi and other “staff” (entourage, students, assistants, what have you); possibly merchants and other travelers headed in the same direction; and most likely some type of security or soldiers (travel would have been very dangerous and a caravan would be seen as a source of supplies needed for survival). 

They also arrived much later than the night Jesus was born.  It would have taken time to gather supplies, put the caravan together, and travel the several hundred miles from Babylon to Bethlehem.  Matthew 2:11 tells us they arrived at a house to find a “young Child with His mother Mary.”  This is also supported by Herod's response in Mt 2:16.  I would imagine this large caravan arriving in the small town of Bethlehem would cause a bit of a stir among the locals as well.


Something else we don’t think much about is the gifts the Magi brought Jesus.  Each was valuable in its own right (each worthy for a king), but each also had a symbolic significance as well.  Gold, aside from its obvious value, represents Christ’s kingship.  Frankincense is an aromatic resin praised for its fragrance and is often burned as incense, this represents His priesthood.  Myrrh is also an aromatic resin, commonly used in embalming, represents Christ’s substitutionary death.

It should also be noted that aside from the gifts, the Magi, “fell down and worshipped Him.” (Mt 2:11)  There is significance in the fact that they were from a pagan culture and they are listed as some of the first people to worship Jesus.  And this is years before Jesus started His ministry and at this time very few people knew who He was.


I hope this gives you something to think about when you read the story of Christmas, and even a new way of looking at the stories in the bible. Look beyond what we normally think the story says and find some nugget you have not seen before.  Look at what happened and not just what has become tradition surrounding the story.


I pray you and your families have a very merry and blessed Christmas.