Good Monday to you my “Walking with Jesus” friends,
May I just tell you that I’ve really enjoyed this 21 days’ journey toward Christmas ’24 and attempting to bring one fresh question each day. So, here’s my question for today: WHO are the Christmas Magi? Let’s join these mysterious men today on their journey and see what we can learn about them?
Did you know “Magi” appear in other places in the Bible, not just in the Christmas story? Matthew introduces us to the Christmas Magi so let’s begin there in Matt. 2:1… “After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, ‘Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” May I point out three very important things in this statement?
1. The Magi came to Jerusalem and later Bethlehem well AFTER the birth of Jesus.
While the Shepherds searched for and found the baby in a manger the very night He was born, (Luke 2:10-16) the Magi came much later. In fact, Matthew tells us: “On coming to the house they saw the child and his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshipped him…” Matt. 2:11) Jesus was no longer a baby. Mary and ‘child’ Jesus were no longer in the stable, but by the time the Magi arrived, they were in a house in Bethlehem. We presume Joseph and Mary were attempting to start a new life in Bethlehem away from the sneers of skeptics in Nazareth. We presume Joseph was not at ‘home’ because when the Magi arrived, he was probably working in his little carpentry business which he was likely trying to start in Bethlehem.
2. These Magi came ‘from the east’.
Matthew does not specify a country or a place, but east from Jerusalem would have included the great ancient cities of past empires like Susa and Babylon.
3. These visitors are identified as “Magi” who had followed some unusual celestial event they called ‘a star’.
We know the leaders of the ancient kingdoms highly valued advisors who could help the leaders make wise decisions by interpreting the times (1 Chronicles 12:32) or unusual events either on planet earth (Ex. 8:18) or up in the skies above. Do you remember the Egyptian Pharaoh consulted his advisors when Moses and Aaron claimed the God of the Hebrew slaves demanded the Pharaoh release them or great natural disasters would result? Ex. 7:11 says: “Pharaoh then summoned wise men and sorcerers, and the Egyptian magicians…” These advisors would likely have been considered the ‘Magi’ of that era, especially those called ‘wise men’.
The story of Daniel in the era of the Babylonian kings Nebuchadnezzar, Belshazzar and others, would be another evidence of these highly valued and trusted advisors to the most powerful leaders in the world. Perhaps you remember Daniel and his young friends had been taken captive in Jerusalem and then dragged off to Babylon. (Daniel 1:1-4) There they were placed in a three-year training program for the purpose of serving King Nebuchadnezzar in his group of advisors. (Dan. 1:19,20) Soon thereafter Nebuchadnezzar had dreams which troubled him, remember? So… “the king summoned the magicians, enchanters, sorcerers and astrologers to tell him what he had dreamed.” (Dan. 2:2)
That was the group of advisors with whom Daniel served. Ultimately it was only Daniel to whom God gave the wisdom to interpret these dreams of the most powerful man in the world. In gratitude King Nebuchadnezzar made Daniel ‘ruler over the entire province of Babylon and placed Daniel in charge of all its wise men [Magi].”(Dan. 2:47,48) That would mean Daniel was the ‘chief Magi’ of that era! Under his leadership they would have been Magi seeking God’s guidance and prioritizing God’s truth over other early wisdom.
Years later Daniel was called upon again when King Belshazzar saw a mysterious hand, unattached to an arm or body, writing words on the great banquet hall wall during a major festive event. Daniel, considered one of the great ‘Magi’ of the Babylonian kingdom, was summoned and Almighty God enabled Daniel to interpret the words which God had written declaring the end of Belshazzar’s reign. (Daniel 5)
The writings of God’s prophet Daniel, especially Daniel 7-12, are the types of highly valued ‘ancient wisdom scrolls’ that the Christmas Magi would have been studying which led them to conclude the celestial phenomenon they observed indicated a newborn king of the Jews had come to Israel. Other such cherished ancient scrolls the Magi would study included what we know as the Major and Minor prophets of our Bible. The Magi respect for the ancient scrolls is evidenced by their long journey, from a distant land, to find this newborn Jewish king.
Matthew does not specify there were three Magi, most Bible scholars believe that has grown out of Matthew’s mention of the Magi bringing three specific gifts: “The Magi opened their treasures and presented Him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.” (Matt. 2:11) Gold, as we all know, has been the highest standard of value since earliest times in almost every society, in every part of the world. Frankincense is a fragrant ointment and when burned as incense it creates a strong and beautiful aroma, often reserved for royalty or even deity. Myrrh is a bitter herb most often used in ancient times as part of the death embalming process, especially for royalty. While the presentation of these kingly gifts must have been shocking to Mary and Joseph, we presume it was God’s provision for valuables they could sell as needed for survival during their refugee time in Egypt! (Matt. 2:13)
While these “Magi” came in search of a “newborn king of the Jews” (Matt. 2:2) I do not conclude these Magi were Jewish men, nor that they were on a spiritual search for the Jewish Messiah. And while Matthew tells us the ‘worshipped’ the child Jesus when they found Him in Bethlehem, I believe the more proper term might be ‘gave Him honor and homage’ as is due a king.
However, we should presume their journey may have taken them several weeks, depending on how far they traveled, and their ancient scroll studies, combined with the fact they were following a miraculous, sustained celestial phenomenon, most likely had their hearts prepared for a significant spiritual experience.
You’ll recall God warned these Magi in a dream to not return to Jerusalem, as King Herod had requested, but return to their homeland by a different route. Their obedience to that dream likely saved their lives! (Matt.2:12)
The entire 2nd chapter of Matthew is dedicated to the Christmas Magi and their vital role in the Christmas story, and I urge you to listen to it in the Drama Audio Bible link below and then consider these questions, with only three days remaining till Christmas:
1. How do you describe the appetite you have for seeking spiritual wisdom and what is your daily effort to find and understand the wisdom which can come only from God?
2. How observant are you to events or circumstances happening in your world that you recognize when God is getting your attention to draw you into something He wants you to experience, or new spiritual wisdom God wants to teach you?
3. Knowing what we do about these Magi of old, would you be considered a Magi person in our modern world and is your journey with God nurturing wisdom in you that is needed in your family, your city, our world today?
Here’s a song to help us consider these remarkable men and their journey to find the Christmas King.
Today’s Scripture: Matthew 2.
Choose below to read or listen.
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Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.
Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here.
Pastor Doug Anderson
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
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