Today is the Feast of the Epiphany, the day when the Church commemorates the day when the Magi came to baby Jesus, and the first Gentiles who worshiped Him. The Magi have always seemed to hold an air of mystery to me, as we don’t know exactly who they were, where they came from, or how many there were. The fact that they most probably traveled by night over multiple hundreds of miles just adds to the allure. Their story is briefly given in the Gospel of Matthew, where they appear suddenly, and then are not heard of again. On this day when the Church honors their faith, the first of the Gentiles to believe in Jesus, let’s take a quick look at the Magi.
As Matthew opens our Scripture passage, he tells us that Jesus was born in Bethlehem during the days when Herod was king (vs. 1). This was Herod the Great, the first of the Herodian kings who reigned throughout the Middle East. He reigned from 37 BC - 4 BC, was an Idumean or Edomite (descendent of Ishmael), and was a cruel and mentally unstable man.
Suddenly appearing in King Herod’s courts were “wise men from the East”. Who were these men? Matthew gives us no further information about them. The Greek word that Matthew used, which was translated as “wise men” was “magos”. The Magi were very well-educated priests, alchemists, and astronomers/astrologers from the Babylonian and Medo-Persian empires. Similar wise men or Magi were mentioned in the Book of Daniel as being in the courts of the Babylonian and Persian emperors. Though Matthew only stated that they came “from the East”, many believe they were from around Persia.
When these Magi arrived in Jerusalem, they stated that they were looking for the One who was born King of the Jews (vs. 2). They stated that they had seen His star. In addition to being priests, (possibly Zoroastrian), and alchemists, the Magi carefully studied the stars, planets, and other heavenly bodies. When something unusual appeared in the night sky, they took this to be a portent of some sort. The Magi were also very familiar with ancient religious manuscripts from all over the world, including the ancient Jewish prophecies of the Old Testament. They were familiar with the prophecy that Balaam made when the nation of Israel was getting ready to enter the Promised Land, of a star arising out of Jacob (Numbers 24:17).
What was this star that they had seen, and which led them to Jerusalem? It could have been a conjunction of the planet Jupiter (the “king of the planets”) with the star Regulus (the “king of the stars”), which occurred back then. There was also recorded back in this time a conjunction of the planets Jupiter, Saturn and Mars. Also, Venus and Jupiter came close together several times in the early BC years. Some scholars speculate that it could have been a one-time comet, or possibly a supernova. Then, just possibly, it could have been a star that God placed in the sky for just that occasion.
When King Herod heard this, he became very troubled (vs 3). He was a very mentally unstable man, ordering executions for any reason. He had several of his wives and two of his sons, along with one of his fathers-in-law executed. He also had executed several members of the Sanhedrin. Herod was not the rightful heir to the throne of David. Many Jews despised him as a usurper, especially since he was an Edomite, and not a Jew. So news of a possible rival king would surely have upset him, and brought fear to the members of his court.
After inquiring from the chief priests and scribes as to where the Messiah would be born, and hearing that the prophecies stated in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2), Herod directed the Magi there, with the instruction to tell him later exactly where the Child was (vs. 4-8) . This was a ruse, though, as Herod planned on killing the Child.
When they found Jesus and His family, the Magi worshiped Him, and presented valuable gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh (vs. 11). Gold is a gift fit for a king. It is something of value, a symbol of sacrifice on their part as worshipers, a willingness to give everything to God. Frankincense is a gift for a Deity. The Magi acknowledged that Jesus was not just a King, but also God, a divine Priest who would intercede for humanity. Myrrh is an ointment used in ancient times to anoint the dead. It is a gift for Someone who is going to die, as Jesus would die for the sins of mankind.
The Magi were Gentiles, and yet they recognized Jesus as the Messiah, when most of God’s chosen people did not. They were the first Gentiles to come to faith in Jesus, and to worship Him. When they saw the star, the sign from God, they left and searched for Him until they found Him. There is a saying, “Wise Men still seek Him.” Can that saying apply to you today?
No comments:
Post a Comment