Dr. Barclay with Something to Think About - THE MAGI

THE MAGI

The story of the Magi - wise men from the East - visiting the Christ Child after His birth, is one of the most enduring stories of the Christmas season that we have. This is documented in only one place in the Bible - in the book of Matthew. Here it states:

Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, 

…wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, 

“Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? 

For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.” 

(Matthew 2:1-2)

When reading these stories it is important to distinguish what is related in the Bible to what is not; even though some of the other material may be ancient, they are non-biblical sources. For example, we often refer to the three kings but the Bible mentions neither the number of visitors nor that they were kings. We commonly see illustrations of these wise men coming to the stable where Jesus lay but the Bible clearly states that:

…when they [the wise men] had come into the house, 

they saw the young Child with Mary, His mother, 

and fell down, and worshiped Him… 

(Matthew 2:11)

If we truly believe that the Bible is the Word of God and that:

 

…the word of God is living and powerful…

…which lives and abides forever…

(Hebrews 4:12 & 1 Peter 1:23)

and comes from a God…

 

…who cannot lie… 

(Titus 1:2)

…then we must be careful to state what the Bible relates and not change it to suit what we think it should say. Mixing falsehoods with the truth does not enhance the truth but only tends to enforce more of that which is false. The wise men were not at the stable as depicted by so many stories, nativity scenes, and songs but came sometime later, perhaps up to two years, after Christ’s birth.

In focusing only on the time of the visit, we often miss the other implications that the coming of these men may mean. For instance, they were Gentiles, probably Zoroastrian in religion, who came to worship a God unknown to them. They were the first gentiles who reached out to Christ and gave the indication that Christ would be for everyone.

They bowed and worshiped at the sight of Christ. They did not do the same at the kingship of Herod and so did not give homage to worldly authority but did at the Godly Kingship of Christ.

They gave their time to come to a king they did not know nor to whom they owed allegiance. Not only did they give of their time, they gave generously with their wealth and delight, bringing expensive presents and with exuberant joy, just the way we should do to the God we know and to whom we do owe allegiance.

They were obedient to what they had been taught or told. They knew about the coming of the Messiah and were willing to follow what they had come to believe. In addition, they were obedient to the angel who told them not to return to Herod. We must also decide whether to believe God or honour the world.

Lastly, they would have had many of their own beliefs and traditions and what they did would have gone outside their own culture and faith. Are we willing to do the same when we see the truth in front of us?

By realizing all of what we can learn from the Magi gives us again something else to think about.

*Writing adapted from Who Were the Magi and Why do They Matter by Brian Barrineau