Ray Stone
The visit of the Wise Men (Matt. 2:1-12) is an integral part in the beloved story of Jesus’ birth. Called also magi (a Greek word, plural in number—magus is singular), the Greek dictionary defines it as “a magician; a Median or Persian sacred caste of priests.” A form of the word is translated sorceries (Acts 8:9-11) and sorcerer (Acts 13:6-8). This very negative rendering is demanded by the context as it describes there a “false prophet” (Acts 13:6).
Modern creches displayed at Christmas time are invariably wrong picturing the shepherds and the Magi together gathering around the manger where our Lord was laid the night of His birth. Such a scene never happened. When the Magi arrived, they “came into the house, and saw the young child” (Matt. 2:11)—sometime after His birth, probably within 6 weeks, as that was the allotted time for the various Jewish religious rites to be observed (Lev. 12:3-4) that would keep them near the Temple. Surely Jesus’ parents didn’t stay in the stable for more than that first night! By the time the Magi arrived, they had found more appropriate accommodations for the required 40-day stay in Jerusalem, probably a borrowed or rented house. We don’t even know for sure there were three of them. They brought three gifts (Matt. 2:11). There were at least two (Magi is plural), but it could have been two men bringing three gifts, or 20 men bringing three gifts! We just don’t know.
There are many other questions about the Magi, most of which likewise have no answer. Who, exactly, were they? Where exactly were they from? How did they get their information about the birth of Christ? The Bible is silent concerning these things, leading to a whole lot of conjecture and a few educated guesses. The general presumption is that they were from Medea or Persia; they were astrologers or astronomers who had seen signs in the Heavens corresponding to ancient prophecies. They were conversant with the Law of Moses, or else had received a direct revelation from God, even as had the shepherds before them (Luke 2:8ff). All we know for sure is that they were generally from the East where they had seen the Star. They knew a King of the Jews had been born, and they had come to worship Him (Matt. 2:2) and offer their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh (v. 11). We know nothing for sure beyond that.
Concerning that star, it wasn’t an eastern star for they were following it west! “We have seen the star in the East.” They were in the East when they saw it; but it was in their western sky.
Further, it wasn’t a star in the astronomical sense—a distant sun in outer space—but a local phenomenon within the atmosphere since it came to rest over a specific house (Matt. 2:9). This wasn’t the first time God had used such a manifestation as a guide: Exodus 13:21-22 tells of the “pillar of cloud by day, and a pillar of fire by night” with which He guided the early Israelites to the Promised Land. We realize that we have just such a God-given guide to lead us to our Promised Land, Heaven. In our case, it is the “light of the Gospel” (2 Cor. 4:4), a “lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path” (Psa. 119:105).
Here’s one of the characteristics of the Magi we should be impressed with: They weren’t deterred by distance! The difficulties of making long journeys in that day and time (see 2 Cor. 11:25-26) didn’t discourage the Magi. The goal was more important than the danger—they saw their journey through to the end. When they arrived, they announced their success with three simple words: “We have come” (Matt. 2:2). Not “We tried to come,” nor “started to come,” not even “We’re coming,” but a statement made only at the finish line: “We have come.” Christian, see to it that you can say that with equal conviction when you stand at the entrance into Heaven.
Since the Wise Men were seeking a King, they would naturally inquire at the Capitol of the nation, asking Herod, the Roman official in charge, “Where is He that is born King of the Jews?” (Matt. 2:2). Not only were they physically persistent in their journey; their question represents an intellectual tenacity to push beyond known facts into the realm of their own ignorance and seek the wisdom of others to alleviate it. All men would do well to emulate this! More, they acted on the information they had gathered. Once they had found “Him Who is born King of Jews,” they didn’t just say, “Okay, the mystery’s over; we’ve satisfied our curiosity. Let’s go home now.” No. “They came into the house and saw the young child with Mary His mother; and they fell down and worshiped Him; and opening their treasures they offered unto Him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh” ( Matt. 2:11).
A very negative, unsettling aspect to this event is often overlooked or ignored, admittedly for good reason: Herod’s reaction when the Wise Men, to avoid his demand “bring me word again” returned home by a different route at God’s advice (Matt. 2:12). Because they opted to “obey God rather than man” (Acts 5:29), Herod let his wrath goad him into the heartless, heinous act of murdering every male child under two years of age in and around Bethlehem in an attempt to eliminate “the One born King of the Jews” (Matt. 2:16).
This is something no-one enjoys dwelling on—it’s often left out of the Wise Men’s story altogether. But it needs examining, if only to head off well-meaning but mistaken people who confuse occasion with cause. Some would lay the blame for this wholesale slaughter at the feet of the Wise Men. “Just look at what you caused by disobeying the king! If only you had returned to Herod with the information he wanted, those babies would have lived!” But let’s be clear about it: The blame for this horrendous act lays upon Herod alone.
People yet today sometimes try to sully our obedience to God with similar accusations. Peter said, “The way of the truth will be evil spoken of” (2 Peter 2:2), as if it were a bad thing. He said some “will speak against you as evil-doers” (1 Pet. 2:12; 4:4) when you are simply doing what Christ commands. Teach and practice the truth on marriage/divorce/remarriage (Matt. 5:32; 19:9), the evils of abortion (Luke 1:41-44), or the sin of sodomy (Rom. 1:26-27), and you will surely experience this: “You’re causing great pain and suffering to the practitioners of these things!” No, their own actions cause the pain and suffering they feel—your teaching about it may be the occasion, but their own acts are the cause. The hard fact is, Herod didn’t murder all those babes simply because the Wise Men refused to return with the information he wanted. He did it because he wanted to kill the Christ! The Wise Men’s actions could be construed as the occasion, but certainly not the cause. It is wisdom to keep those two separate.
So what can we learn from the Magi? What lessons can we learn from their wisdom? What characteristics did they demonstrate that we would do well to follow?
1) They persevered—they weren’t quitters! How many people today begin a spiritual journey to find God but lose their drive somewhere along the way: “I wish the Bible was easier to understand!” “All these different churches make it too confusing!” “How do we even know the Bible is the correct book, rather than the Book of Mormon, or the Quran, or some other religious tome?” Yet, rather than rising to the challenge to investigate the issues and examine the evidence, some decide it’s more trouble than it’s worth and simply quit. God constantly warns against that (Luke 9:62). “Remember Lot’s wife,” Jesus admonished (Luke 17:32). Paul said, “I press on toward the goal” (Phlp. 3:12, 14). So did the Wise Men. So should we.
2) They were willing to ask for guidance when they needed it, posing their question to Herod, “Where is He that is born King of the Jews?” (Matt. 2:2). A young man approached Jesus once with that same mindset. His question, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” (Matt. 19:16) shows he knew there were gaps in his knowledge and was humble enough to admit it—and knew Who to turn to for answers. Unfortunately, when the answer came, it wasn’t to his liking, so he stopped his search for truth right there. A happier outcome is the case of the Ethiopian (Acts 8): As he was riding home from Jerusalem, reading the prophet Isaiah—chapter 53—he wasn’t seeing the truth there, and knew it—and wasn’t too proud to ask for help: He said to Philip, “How can I understand, except someone guide me?” (Acts 8:31), just like the Magi, “Where must we go?” and the young man of Matt. 19, “What must I do?” Don’t be too afraid or ashamed to ask for help in understanding God’s message to us!
3) They had the common sense to use the information they gathered. It isn’t enough just to have the right answers! If you don’t intend to follow that new-found knowledge, you may as well never have learned it. The Devil himself knows what the Bible says (see Matt. 4:6, where Satan quoted—correctly—Psalm 91:11-12, even though he misapplied it). The Bible speaks of those who had heard God’s word, who had received the truth, but to no profit, “not being mixed with faith in them that heard it” (Heb. 4:2). The Magi acted on what they had learned. They found the King, they tarried there, and they offered their worship. They acted on the knowledge they’d obtained; it was more than just an intellectual exercise for them. Know that knowledge for knowledge’s sake alone isn’t enough. Use it!
4) They did their own searching—didn’t depend on others to do it for them. On the other hand, Herod was content to let them conduct the search for him: “Go and search…and bring me word…” (Matt. 2:8). In a similar way, your search for Christ is intensely personal! No one can do the grunt work for you. Accept help when needed, sure, but know you have to invest your own time and energy into your quest for truth. Paul emphasizes that very thing: “Each shall receive his own reward, according to his own labor” ( 1 Cor. 3:8).
The parable of the wise and foolish virgins (Matt. 25:1-13) seems to teach the same lesson. You have to provide your own “oil for your lamp;” you can’t take a loan from others’ preparation.
5) A most important point: They were content with the guide provided by God. At the beginning of their quest in the East, they only had the star—but they had the star—and enough faith to follow it for weeks, perhaps even months, to its final fruition. Let us likewise be as content with our star—The New Testament—and use the knowledge gained from it even as they did, not adding to nor detracting from the information God provides there (Rev. 22:18-19—just the final of several warnings scattered throughout the book: Num. 22:18; 24:13; Deut. 4:2; 12:22; Prov. 30:6; et. al.). Follow the star God gave you all the way to the end.
Learn from the Wise Men!
