The Magi
This Christmas many of us probably had a nativity scene set up somewhere in the home. If not, we likely passed by them near the local churches or businesses. It's a common scene, that actually has a significantly different background than the presentation we see each year. The representation of the birth of Christ is true to Matthew and Luke's depictions, but surprisingly, the wise men are one interpretation of the scene that are often incorrectly portrayed.
In Matthew Chapter 2, we read that Magi from the east visited Jerusalem to inquire about the child who was born "king of the Jews."It never mentions anywhere in the Bible the number of Magi who came to visit. It also never specifically calls them kings, or mentions them originating from what we define as "orient" today. When we say "oriental" we think of Asian areas like China and Japan.
The original translations made it clear that when referencing east, it was probably speaking of either Ancient Babylon or Persia.
Another term within the tale that gets tossed around and translated in an odd way is Magi. We hear them referred to as kings, wise men, magicians, magi, etc...
The term Magi, which is found in the root of many of our current words, did not necessarily refer to hocus-pocus magic. Words we use like Mag-nificent, Mag-istrate, Mag-estic, all have meanings of something big or important, or held in high esteem.
When we hear Magi in the Bible, it is likely referring to men of great esteem who came from near Persia, east of Israel to visit the prophesied king of the Jews.
So, the number of them was not three, as is commonly depicted, and they weren't magicians or kings visiting Christ. Who were they then, and how did they know to seek this child born in Bethlehem?
To find a plausible possibilty, we revisit the Book of Daniel in the Bible.
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Blast to the Past
During the time of Daniel, we see God's people besieged by Babylon due to their idolatry and general ignoring of their covenant with God. This temporary exile from the homeland was used by God to bring about repentance, and they did eventually return to Jerusalem.
We see King Nebuchadnezzar taking captives after overtaking Jerusalem. He takes Daniel and other nobility as well. We get the story of the fiery furnace, and dream interpretations in which Daniel's influence on the king leads him into an eventual acknowledgement of Daniel's God, the Biblical God.
Later in the book, Nebuchadnezzar's grandson Belshazzar is having a feast when writing appears on the wall, warning of his reign coming to an end. That same night, the Medes and Persians are set to overtake the kingdom, and the following day Belshazzar is dead and Darius from Medo-Persia has conquered the Babylonians and is ruling.
Because of jealousy of Daniel, high officials trick Darius into convicting Daniel of the crime of praying and he is thrown into the Lion's den. Upon seeing that the Lions by supernatural means, did not devour Daniel, Darius frees him and instead throws the officials and their families to the lions where they are soon devoured.
Darius, recognizing the authority of the God of Daniel, decrees that all the kingdom is to fear and tremble before Daniel's God (Daniel 6:26).
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Back to the Future
Flash forward to the time of Christ's birth, remembering that to the Persian historians, there would be record of this decree by Darius referencing the God of Daniel.
It is important to note here that Magi, as they would have been in ancient near east Persia, would have been the best and brightest scholars (professors) of the day. They would be trained in history and religious knowledge as well, similar to Pharisees.
The religion of Persia at this time was Zoroastrianism, which did acknowledge one true God who had been in existence since time began and was never created. This is very similar to the Jewish God, and parallels could be noted. It is possible then that the Magi, or highly esteemed learned men of the day, would be aware of the Jewish prophesies concerning a coming messiah. Zoroastrianism had its own prophesies that were similar.
Taking all of this into account, we can assert that the Magi who visited Christ in Bethlehem, had not only been supernaturally lead by God, but also had some existing knowledge of who it was they sought.
Taking Darius' acknowledgement of the true God of Daniel into account, it is feasible that throughout the generations after, knowledge of the Jewish God and life would have made its way into the scholarly sections of Ancient Persia.
Regardless of how they knew, (and supernaturally seems to fit more with God's methods of working) the Magi who visited the baby Christ, bowed and worshipped the baby whom they recognized as the prophesied messiah, and king of the Jews. Their hearts were towards God on that visit, and they are a prime example of worship.
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Bearing Gifts
On a related note, the gifts they brought seem to have symbolic significance. The rumor of 3 wise men, likely stemmed partially from a poem written in New York a few centuries back, and the fact that we see three gifts and naturally assume one gift per person. I know with our Christmas celebrations we certainly find it common to present multiple gifts from the same person, so there is nothing to say each Magi had to have just one gift.
The Gold is a kingly gift, and bestowing this upon a baby would have significance. Only royalty would have expected this gift in those days, and it was an acknowledgment of the Christ as king.
The Frankincense was another gift, usually reserved for religious persons or priests. In Old Testament law they had the offering of incense as part of their sacrificial system. This symbolized the priestly nature of Christ. (the Book of Hebrews calls him our great high priest).
Finally we have Myrrh, which is by far the weirdest of the gifts. Myrrh in those days was essentially an embalming fluid, from local trees, used in preservation of dead bodies. The gift of myrrh to a baby, then seems strange. The symbol of myrrh and death, seems to acknowledge (whether the Magi realized or not) that Christ would die for our sin. This is all speculation of course based on the true story, portrayed in the Gospel accounts.
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In summary
So, it is interesting to see that even as far back as the Babylonian and Persian exiles, the knowledge of a messiah who would save was common to the learned men of areas near ancient Jerusalem. While the idea of the Magi being from Persia is one suggested possibility, it is the one most referenced today by pastors speaking to the true story behind the wise men.
Next time we set up our nativity sets, let's pause and think about the faith of those men (unknown in number) who paid homage to a baby. Let's think of their method of worship and the giving of gifts to this newborn king. And let's remember that that baby is God made flesh to live and die as a sin offering for all of mankind, so that our reconciliation to a Holy God could be made possible through our faith in his Son, Jesus Christ.
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Bonus Fact
The names of the "Three kings" came about during medieval times, and the true names of the uncounted number of Magi remains a mystery
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*Much information presented was gathered from sermons related to the topic by Mike Fabarez of Focal Point Ministries. My best efforts to preserve the information presented have been made.*
http://www.focalpointministries.org
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