The Wise Men are very popular this time of year with the celebration of Christmas and all. Yes, the Wise Men visited and witnessed the Christ child. However, the problem lies in the fact that God has never said one word in the Scriptures about celebrating the birth of Christ as a religious holy day. We do not find the early church celebrating such an event as the birth of Christ. Therefore, there should be no special Christmas service—just the normal Lord's Day worship as God commanded every first day of the week (Acts 20:7).
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, 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. When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born. And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet, 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. Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, enquired of them diligently what time the star appeared. 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. 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. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. 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. And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way. And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him (Matt. 2:1-13).
Somehow, the wise men knew that by this star Christ was born. Hence, we see the wisdom of these men; they came to worship the King of kings. We can learn several things about the wise men and the events that surrounded their lives.
In verse 1, we learn that the wise men, or Magi, were a Persian priestly caste. Magic and magician are both derived from this word (Magi) (Acts 13:6, 8). The wise men of this chapter were obviously humble Gentiles who likely studied astronomy and/or astrology. Their appearance on the stage of history reemphasizes the universal meaning or blessing of Christ's mission (Gen. 12:3)
⁃ "In thee shall all families of the earth be blessed." God never forgot His promises to bless all nations through Abraham!
Facts About the Wise Men
1. We don't know how many Wise Men there were!
2. The Wise Men were never at the manger. They came to the house (2:11). By this time, Christ was over forty days old. We know this because Mary had to fulfill the law of purification (Lev. 12; Luke 2:21-24) which, for a male child, was forty days. It was the shepherds who came to witness the birth of Christ at the manger (Luke 2:7-18). When they saw the baby Christ they went and told others about the Christ child (Luke 2:17-18).
3. The Bible says nothing of Wise Men traveling on camels. Upon arriving in Jerusalem, the wise men ask where they can find the newborn King of the Jews. They had seen the king's star and came to worship him.
In verse 2, the phrase "in the east" literally reads "in the rising" and means the Magi saw the star when it first appeared. How did they know the appearance of the star meant the birth of a king? For centuries, scholars have speculated about the nature of the star and how the wise men came to connect it with a Jewish King. It seems to me, they had direct instruction from God: "Look for a sign in the heavens?" (1) The shepherds learned of the birth of Jesus through a direct revelation. (2) The wise men had direct instruction from God as to how they should return home (Matt. 2:12). (3) Therefore, it seems God revealed the birth of Christ to the wise men, which started them on their journey to seek him out.
Since Christ came to bless all nations, it should not surprise anyone that God, who already announced His birth to the Jews (Luke 2:8-16), would do the same for the Gentiles. After the establishment of the church on Pentecost, sometime later, the gospel of Christ came to the Gentiles (Acts 10-11). God taught Peter and those who went with him to Cornelius' house that the Gentiles are now clean, that there is to be no distinction between the Jew and Gentile, and that both are one in Christ through obedience to the Gospel. God apparently gave the wise men revelation about Christ's birth and His star.
Why did they have to seek the advice of the scribes in Jerusalem as to where the Christ should be born if they themselves were familiar with the Old Testament? This shows they were not familiar with Old Testament prophecy. When they arrived, they still did not know precisely where He was. For they went to Jerusalem, the Jewish capital, and asked where they can find the newborn King of the Jews. When they left for Bethlehem, the star led them to the house where He was (Matt. 2:7-11). Because of the earth's rotation, heavenly bodies appear to move from east to west, but this star moved from North to South until it "stood over where the young child was" (2:9).
The wise men said that they had "come to worship him." Worship is a human response to a divine revelation. How can one know how to worship God, unless He directs through divine revelation. God must tell man how, when, and where to worship Him (John 4:24). So we see that it was God Almighty behind the command to worship the newborn King of the Jews. Thus, Divine Revelation!
Verse 3 talks about Herod the king. Herod was given the title "King of the Jews" by the Roman senate at his appointment of governor of Galilee at age 25. This answers the question as to why Herod was troubled (2:3). This baby who was born King of the Jews was a threat against his position and because of that he had all the children two years old and under put to death (2:16).
In verse 4, Herod calls for the Chief Priests. This would include the High Priest and any man who formerly held the office (Luke 3:2; Acts 4:6). He also called for the Scribes. The Scribes were scholars who studied the Law of Moses. They were sometimes called Lawyers (Matt. 22:35; Luke 7:30). The religious leaders were able to quote Scripture to answer Herod's question as to where Christ should be born.
The wise men asked about the King of the Jews but Herod asks about the Christ (2:4). Herod's assumption that they were looking for the Messiah probably reflects the expectation in Palestine that the Messiah-King would soon appear to throw off the Roman yoke. (Messiah means Anointed One, Savior of the World, Great Deliverer.)
In verses 5 and 6, the chief priests and scribes answer the demand of Herod as to where Christ should be born. They tell him that, according to the prophets, He is to be born in Bethlehem of Judah, which was six miles southwest of Jerusalem. Verse 6 is an interpretation of Micah 5:2.
What stands out here is the wisdom of the wise men in contrast to the Jewish leaders. The Wise Men (Gentiles) came to worship the King. The Jewish leaders, who had been summoned by Herod, quoted Scripture to answer his questions. They knew where the Messiah was to be born. Nevertheless, not even the visit of these foreign dignitaries arouses their curiosity enough to travel six miles to Bethlehem to find out if there is any truth in the report.
In verses 7 and 8, we now find Herod calling a private meeting with the wise men. He asked them when the star appeared. Evidently, he was trying to establish a time frame so that he could take care of any potential threat to his throne (2:16). In verse 8 we find Herod using the Wise Men as detectives who were to report the location of the child.
We learn from verses 9 and 10 that prophecy directed the Wise Men to Bethlehem, but the star leads them directly to Jesus. Prior to this, there is no indication the star actually moved. But now it moves south toward Bethlehem. This star seems to have been created for a special purpose. The Wise Men knew about the motion of stars and the movement of this star indicated some kind of supernatural guidance. Realizing this, the sight filled them with great joy (2:10). They realized this movement of the star as the work of Almighty God, for they rejoiced.
Verses 11 through 13 reveal that, upon entering the house, the Wise Men fell before the Child and worshiped Him as King. In keeping with the Eastern practice of honoring a ruler by bringing him gifts (Gen. 43:11; Ps. 72:10-11), they offer treasures fit for a King: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
We should do the same thing the Wise Men did. Give precious gifts, that is, give our lives to the King as a living sacrifice (Rom. 12:1-2). Worship the King in spirit and in truth (John 4:24). And give Christ our heart. Love Him more than anything on this earth (1 John 2:15-17; John 14:15).
What Was Beneath the Star?
In Matthew 2:9 we read, "And, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was." Have you ever considered what was represented by the star that led the Wise Men to Christ?
A Token of God's Love
Here under the star was proof of how much God really loved the human race. John 3:16 tells us about the greatest person: God; the greatest gift: His Son; the greatest invitation: Whosoever; the greatest deliverance: Should not perish; the greatest promise: Everlasting life. So, if we want to show our appreciation for God's love toward us we will obey Him (Rom. 5:8-10; John 14:15; 1 John 5:3; Heb. 5:8-9).
Hope for a Lost World
Christ brought hope for the whole world and without Christ there is no hope whatsoever (Eph. 2:12). The babe of the Nile was the hope of Israel—the babe of Bethlehem is the hope of the world (1 Thess. 4:13; 1 Pet. 1:3).
The Light of the World
Jesus declared, "I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life" (John 8:12). We must follow Christ, not men or their creeds, to have the light of life! The Jewish leaders thought they possessed the light of life, but Jesus said, not so! What about you?
The World's Redeemer
Isaiah said, "And the Redeemer shall come to Zion, and unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob, saith the Lord" (Isa. 59:20). Man was in bondage to sin and Christ came and redeemed man, or rescued him from the bondage of sin. Christ paid His life as a ransom for sin and its penalty and thereby released man from sin and its consequences (Matt. 20:28; Col. 1:14).