Kings or Wise Men? Who Really Visited Jesus from the East?

Bartolomé Esteban Murillo - Adoration of the Magi ,

                         1655-1660 {PD}

by Kathleen Rouser 

Who were the mysterious magi and where did they come from?

They were possibly Zoroastrian priests from Persia which is modern-day Iran. Zoroastrianism purports belief in a single deity, Ahura Mazda, and that there is a conflict between good and evil. It dates back to the 6th century B.C.

Magi was a term created by those who were skeptical of their religion and is the root word for magician. In a negative terms in means “sorcerer.”

Those referred to as wise men in different biblical accounts were advisors to ancient kings. They would have been astrologers and interpreters of signs. Astrology at that time had closer ties to astronomy. They would have also been educated scholars.

Around 530 B.C. Daniel served in the Persian court of Cyrus. Were advisors to Darius, priests of a monotheistic religion, intrigued by the prophet who worshipped the one true God? Perhaps they had many conversations about scripture and prophecy of the Messiah, who would be the Savior of the world. Balaam’s prophecy in Numbers 24:17 states: "A star will rise from Jacob a scepter will emerge from Israel."(NLT)

One theory some theologians have proposed is that there was evidence that the message of the Gospel was in the stars until it was corrupted by astrology after the Tower of Babel had been built. Is it possible these wise men had searched for such a message in the stars and found the one star that they followed to the Messiah? The wise men came to Jerusalem and asked, “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 2:2, KJV)

The three Magi (Balthasar, Caspar, 
Melchior) !2th Century {PD}

When did they visit the baby Jesus?

When they saw the star, they were filled with joy! They entered the house and saw the child with his mother, Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasure chests and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. (Matthew 2:10-11, NLT)

Then Herod, when he saw that he was deceived by the wise men, was exceedingly angry; and he sent forth and put to death all the male children who were in Bethlehem and in all its districts, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the wise men. (Matthew 2:16, NLT)

When wise men are included in the Christmas narrative, they are often depicted visiting the baby Jesus at the site of the of manger where he was born, along with the shepherds who visited on the night of Jesus’ birth. However, two things would indicate that it could have been even a year or more later. Some translations say they entered the house to visit the child, not a place where a manger was kept. Also, Herod, to make sure he had no competition from this prophesied King of the Jews, decided to execute not only newborn infants, but every male child two years and younger. It’s likely that a year or two had passed and by then they were living in a house with a toddler-aged Jesus.

What was the significance of their gifts?

As quoted above, the wise men brought gold, frankincense, and myrrh to give the child in an act of worship. One interpretation, that originated with Origen, in the time of the early church is that gold was a gift fit for a king, frankincense was a perfume to be offered to a God, and myrrh was an ointment for anointing a dead body, so it was associated with death. The symbolism of virtue is attributed to gold, prayer is attributed to frankincense, and sacrifice is attributed to myrrh. Gold and frankincense reflected the life the child would grow up to live and myrrh reflected the sacrifice He would make for us.

Caspar by Jan van Biljert,Oil on panel. 
Circa 1640–1650, Rau Antiques2018, [cc]

What traditional beliefs have come from the visit of the Wise Men?

Since the three gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh were presented to the Christ child, tradition has it that there were three wise men. However, in the eastern Syriac churches, the traditional number is twelve. The actual number is not mentioned in the Gospel of Matthew.

In western Christian tradition the names attributed to the supposed three wise men are Balthasar, from Arabia, Melchior from Persia, and Gaspar, from India. Eastern Christian traditions ascribe different names and sometimes different countries of origin than in the western church. However, in Matthew 2:12 it says they “returned to their own country.” In the original language this means a single place of origin.

They have also been referred to as kings. This tradition comes from viewing Psalm 72:10b, The eastern kings of Sheba and Seba will bring him gifts, as a prophecy of this event. Yet, there is no evidence in the Matthew 2 passage that they were kings.

While the wise men are often pictured as arriving by camel, these wealthy individuals likely covered the eight or nine hundred miles of their journey by riding swift Arabian horses, the preferred method of travel of the day. Camels were used mainly as pack animals.

James Tissot, "The Magi Journeying," c. 1890
Brooklyn Museum [cc]

So as you can see, traditions concerning the wise men from the east have risen and changed over the many centuries since the birth of Jesus. However, we can conclude that these men who gave of their riches and time to travel and seek out the King of Jews, believed He was deity. They truly were very wise men to worship the Messiah of the Jewish people, King of kings and Lord of lords, the Savior of the world. 

Please let me know in the comments if you've learned something new from this article. Or share something I didn't cover here. I would love to find out what others know/think about the wise men who visited Jesus. 

Kathleen Rouser is the multi-published author of the 2017 Bookvana Award winner, Rumors and Promises, her first novel about the people of fictional Stone Creek, Michigan, and its sequel, Secrets and Wishes. She is a longtime member in good standing of American Christian Fiction Writers. Kathleen wanted to be a writer before she could even read. She longs to create characters who resonate with readers and realize the need for a transforming Savior in their everyday lives. She lives in Michigan with her hero and husband of thirty-some years, and continues on the elusive quest to brew the perfect cup of coffee to enjoy while she is writing. Connect with Kathleen on her website at kathleenrouser.com, on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/kathleenerouser/, and on Twitter @KathleenRouser.

Bookvana Awards Winner

Sophie Biddle is an heiress on the run with a child in tow. Wary and self-reliant, Sophie is caught off guard when meeting a kind, but meddling and handsome minister at the local mercantile. Believing he has failed God and his former flock, the Reverend Ian McCormick is determined to start anew in Stone Creek, Michigan. While Sophie seeks acceptance for her child and a measure of respect for herself, the rumors swirl about her sordid past. Should Ian show concern for Sophie's plight? If he does, he'll risk losing everything — including his new position as pastor of Stone Creek. Will the scandals of their pasts bind them together, or drive both deeper into a spiral of shame?

A Life Changed: Matthew, the Apostle

Knowing I will be studying the Gospel of Matthew this year in Community Bible Study got me thinking that I could use a refresher on just who the Apostle Matthew was. I thought I’d share what I found with you.

In the first century, A.D. Judea, in a land under the thumb of pagan Roman rule, lived a Jewish man named Levi, the son of Alphaeus, (in Mark 2:14). Though another one of the disciples is James, the son of Alphaeus, most Bible scholars do not believe they were brothers.

Unfortunately, the Romans ruled with a heavy hand and tax collectors, such as Levi, had to pay the Romans before paying themselves. Anything collected in excess of what was due to the tax collector could take as pay. The average Jewish person looked on them as traitors, sinners, and outcasts from decent society. Social contact with them caused defilement.

The Calling of St. Matthew by
Hendrick ter Brugghen, 1621, {PD}
from Wikimedia Commons

It was just another day at the office for Levi. We can picture him in his tax collector’s booth, in luxurious clothing. Perhaps a canopy flapped in the breeze above him to protect him from the hot sun. He swats flies away from his face and argues with his neighbor over the tax due and moves a pile of coins into a wooden box. Perhaps, at that moment, he is sick of the whole thing: the cheating, the lying, being hated by his own people, enduring the prejudice of the Romans, having the trappings of outwardly being rich while feeling impoverished and lonely in his spirit.

But then Jesus walked down that road toward Levi, growing ever closer:

14 As he walked along, he saw Levi son of Alphaeus sitting at his tax collector’s booth. “Follow me and be my disciple,” Jesus said to him. So Levi got up and followed him.

15 Later, Levi invited Jesus and his disciples to his home as dinner guests, along with many tax collectors and other disreputable sinners. (There were many people of this kind among Jesus’ followers.) 16 But when the teachers of religious law who were Pharisees saw him eating with tax collectors and other sinners, they asked his disciples, “Why does he eat with such scum?”

17When Jesus heard this, he told them, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do. I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners.” (Mark 2:14-17, NLT)

St. Matthew and the Angel by
Guido Reni, 1635-1640, {PD}
from Wikimedia Commons

Levi was changed that day and we know him as Matthew, which in Hebrew means “gift of Yahweh.” It’s not known whether Jesus gave him the new name or he chose to use it for himself.

Bible scholars seem to concur that when Matthew wrote his account of the life of Jesus around twenty years later that his writings were especially targeted to communicate Jesus to the Jewish people as the fulfillment of the Old Testament law and prophets. On one website, Orthodox scholars broke the chapters into Jesus, the Messiah: “as Prophet and Law-Giver (Ch. 5-7), Lord over the world both visible and invisible (Ch. 8-25)," and finally as "High Priest offered as Sacrifice for the sins of all mankind (Ch. 26-27).” Scholars disagree as to whether Matthew’s account was first written in Aramaic and then translated into Greek.

Another biography cited that Matthew’s skills as a tax collector would have made him uniquely suited to writing an account of the gospel. As someone who worked with money and dealt with people he possibly had unique powers of observation and experience with record-keeping. I’d not quite thought of it that way before.

After Matthew repented, since he was one of Jesus’ twelve closest disciples, he would have witnessed the miracles and heard the Messiah’s life-changing teachings firsthand. He followed Jesus along this hard but amazing path, then experienced the agony of losing the Messiah to death by crucifixion and the blessing of the joyous Resurrection of Christ! 

The Martyrdom of St. Matthew
by Claude Vignon, 1617, {PD}
from Wikimedia Commons

After Jesus' ascension, it’s believed that Matthew remained in Judea, sharing the Good News with his people for the next fifteen years. Tradition says that he went on to Ethiopia and other countries on the continents of Africa and Asia to spread the Gospel of Christ.

Writings of the Roman Catholic Church and Foxe’s Book of Martyrs assert that Matthew was martyred in Ethiopia with a halberd (combination hatchet and spear). His death was estimated to be in 74 A.D. The Catholic Church celebrates his feast day on September 21 and the Orthodox Church in American celebrates it on November 16. He is considered the patron saint of accountants, bankers, and bookkeepers.

Matthew, the Apostle, was a sinner saved by God’s wonderful grace, an example of how our old lives can be made new and used by Him to accomplish His work.

Kathleen Rouser is the award-winning author of Rumors and Promises, her first novel about the people of fictional Stone Creek, Michigan, and the novella, The Pocket Watch. She is a longtime member of American Christian Fiction Writers. Kathleen has loved making up stories since she was a little girl and wanted to be a writer before she could even read. She longs to create characters who resonate with readers and realize the need for a transforming Savior in their everyday lives. She lives in Michigan with her hero and husband of 36 years, and the sassy tail-less cat who found a home in their empty nest. Connect with Kathleen on her website at kathleenrouser.com, on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/kathleenerouser/, and on Twitter @KathleenRouser.