The Visit of the Magi
TRANSLATION
(1) Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, (2) “Where is the one who is born King of the Jews, for we saw his star in the east and have come to worship him?” (3) And when Herod, the king, heard it, he was troubled and all Jerusalem with him. (4) And gathering together the chief priests and the teachers of the Law, he asked them where the Messiah would be born. (5) And they said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet, (6) ‘And you, Bethlehem in the land of Judah, are not least among the princes of Judah, for out of you will come forth a governor, who will shepherd my people Israel.’”
(7) Then Herod secretly called in the Magi and learned from them exactly when the star had appeared. (8) And he sent them to Bethlehem saying, “Go and carefully search for the young child. And when you have found him, bring me word so that I also may come and worship him.” (9) And they, having heard the king, went on their way. And behold, the star which they had seen in the east went before them until it rested over the place where the young child was. (10) And when they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly. (11) And they entered the house and saw the young child with Mary his mother. And they bowed down and worshipped him, and, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts of gold and frankincense and myrrh. (12) And being warned by God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed for their own country by a different way.
OBSERVATIONS
Matthew’s account of the coming of the Magi to Jerusalem to find the Christ child was filled with intrigue. Repetitions help us determine its message. “Bethlehem,” prophesied by Micah to be the birthplace of Messiah, was mentioned four times, twice with the accompanying phrase, “of Judea” (vss. 1, 5, 6, & 8). “Judah” was also used twice (vs. 6). “Herod” was mentioned four times (vss. 1, 3, 7, & 12) along with four mentions of “king” (vss. 1, 2, 3, & 9). Three times “king” referred to Herod, but once it spoke of the one who was born “king of the Jews” (vs. 3). “Magi” is found twice (vss. 1 & 7) and “star” four times (vss. 2, 7, 9, & 10). Finally, “worship(ed) him” occurred three times (vss. 2, 8, & 11) as did “young child” (vss. 8, 9, & 11).
OUTLINE
I. Magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem inquiring where the Messiah was to be born. (1-6)
II. Having been directed to Bethlehem, the Magi found the child, worshiped him with their gifts, and departed without returning to Herod. (7-12)
IDEA STATEMENT
The coming of the Magi and the gifts they offered convincingly demonstrated that this newborn baby was Israel’s long-awaited Messiah.
APPLICATION
Many questions arise from this fascinating segment. First, who were the Magi and how did they know to come to Jerusalem searching for the one who was born king of the Jews? One answer is that they were descendants of the astronomers/astrologers in Babylon over whom Daniel had been made “chief prefect” as a reward for having successfully interpreted King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream (Dan. 2:48). It is likely that they would have been acquainted with Daniel’s prophecy regarding the coming of the Messiah and the approximate time of his arrival (Dan. 9:24-27). When the star appeared, they were prepared to make the long journey to find him. There is no indication in the text regarding how many Magi actually came to Jerusalem. The traditional number of three is likely based on the number of gifts they offered in their worship.
A second set of questions has to do with the star: what was it and how did it actually guide the Magi to find the newborn king? While many have sought to discover some kind of astronomical event or planetary conjunction that took place at the time, the most telling detail is found in verse 9: “…the star, which they had seen in the east, went before them, until it rested over the place where the young child was.” Apparently, it was only after the Magi had arrived in Jerusalem and learned of Micah’s prophecy that the star led them to the very house in Bethlehem where Jesus had been living with his parents. Could it be that what the Magi followed was the return of the Shekinah Glory of Yahweh’s presence that had previously departed from Israel’s temple according to Ezekiel’s vision (Ez. 8-10)? If so, the glory of the Lord miraculously led the Magi in just the same way that it had led the Israelites in the wilderness on their way to the Promised Land centuries before.
One final question has to do with the gifts the Magi offered to Jesus. Why did they choose gold, frankincense, and myrrh? From a practical standpoint, the value of these costly gifts likely underwrote the expense of the family’s subsequent flight to Egypt to avoid Herod’s wrath. However, we should note the symbolism of such gifts. By what they offered him the Magi identified the child whom they had come to find. First, he was born the “King of the Jews” as indicated by the gift of gold, a precious substance usually associated with royalty. Frankincense, a resin derived from the sap of the olibanum tree, was used in perfumes and incense. This gift likely indicated that the Christ would serve in a priestly, mediatorial role. Myrrh was another aromatic resin derived from the sap of the commiphora tree. This substance was often used as an embalming ointment to prepare bodies for burial. The message of the gifts could be summed up this way: the child the Magi came to worship was both Israel’s king and high priest who had come to die as an atoning sacrifice for the sins of his people.
It was significant and somewhat ironic that the first individuals to seek out and worship the newborn king, apart from the shepherds in Luke 2, were Gentiles from a distant land. This should remind us of John’s statement: “He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him.” The Jews knew from Micah’s prophecy that Bethlehem was the place where Messiah would be born, but only Gentiles, the Magi, had the determination to find him and worship him.