Dear Explorer,
Read Matthew 2:1-12
You've heard this story…or have you? How much of your knowledge is Bible based and how much is fictional? We'll see!
First off, we don't really know who these men were – some call them kings, some call them magi, some call them wise men. All we know for sure is that they were astrologers who had been given wisdom to understand that this star represented a new King in Israel, and that He was worthy of their worship.
How many? From what country? Did they ride camels? How long and far had they traveled? What race of people were they? Did they arrive on January 6th? Were they accompanied by a royal concierge? Sorry, but the Bible doesn't tell us.
But let's look at what the Bible does tell us!
What direction did they come from?
What city did they arrive in?
Jerusalem was the center for Jewish worship and that's where King Herod's palace was. So, it was the most likely place to find a baby King.
Jerusalem was a very busy city. Note that whoever they were or whatever their size of company – it made a stir in Jerusalem – so we must assume it was more than just a few men. But that's assumption again!
Did the wise men go to Herod's palace to ask their question?
We are not told. But when Herod heard that they were asking questions about a new King, what did he do?
Herod's spiritual advisors quoted the prophet Micah. What information did they give the wise men?
Herod sent for the wise men and asked when the star had appeared. What else did he ask them to do for him?
The wise men traveled to Bethlehem. How did they determine which house Jesus was in?
Note that the text plainly states that this was a house, not a stable or cave, and Jesus was probably not wrapped in swaddling clothes since Matthew calls him a “child”, not a baby. We do know that He was less than 2 years old. We'll talk about that next time.
What did the wisemen do?
We do not know how many gifts they brought. But we do know what 3 of the gifts were. Please list them here.
They were gold – which Joseph would need to raise Jesus. Frankincense - which symbolized royalty and was used as a perfume or incense. And myrrh – which was another perfume but used for anointing a body for burial. Strange gifts for a baby, don't you think? But very significant. Is this foreshadowing something?
How did God communicate with the wise men?