You put a star on top of your Christmas trees every Christmas and point to the Bethlehem star in your pageants. It’s all part of commemorating the magic of the Star that guided the Wise Men to Jesus’ birthplace. Of course, reports of such an impressive sign in the sky are bound to inspire skepticism and uncertainty. What was the star? Did the Wise Men follow an actual star?
Beyond the wonder of it all, the story lends an element of wonder and anticipation to Jesus’ birth. They traveled so far, following the star to honor the birth of Jesus. But they also brought fabulous gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Why does the Wise Men’s story still resonate with Christians today?
The Story of the Wise Men in the Bible
Matthew 2:1–12 details the story of the Wise Men as they saw the star in the east and set out on a journey to worship the King of the Jews. Of course, their search reached King Herod, who then questioned his scribes and priests about where Jesus had been born. They told him that prophets foretold that Bethlehem was the birthplace of a child who would rule the people of Israel.
Herod met with the Wise Men, asking when the star had appeared and telling them to go to Bethlehem to find the child. In what we now surmise was likely an act of trickery, he asked the Wise Men to come back and tell him where they’d found the child. He said he wanted to go worship the child as well.
So the Wise Men traveled to Bethlehem and found Jesus in a house with the star overhead. They worshiped the child, giving Him gold, frankincense, and myrrh. They were warned in a dream not to return the same way they had come, so they went back home by a different route. They avoided reporting back to King Herod, but they don’t appear to have stalled his wrath for long.
The Feast of the Holy Innocents is a memorialization and remembrance of the Massacre of Innocents. King Herod sent his soldiers to kill an estimated 14,000 young male children, aged up to 2 years old, in Bethlehem. These executions attempted to put an end to the perceived threat of the young Jesus as the King of the Jews. Christians now consider those children to be among the first martyrs.
Who Were the Wise Men (Magi)?
The Wise Men are sometimes known as Magi, which are prophets or soothsayers. Some depictions also say these three men were kings, possibly from Arabia, India, and Persia (although there was no Persian empire during that time period). They were individuals who likely had influence and money, but they felt compelled to pay homage to a child who was in a state of poverty.
In addition to our lack of clear understanding of where they came from, scholars don’t have evidence about what the entire make up of their traveling party may have been. Matthew 2:1–12 mentions the three gifts, which immediately translates to the three Wise Men, or kings.
The Fulfillment of Prophecy
The prophecy in Numbers 24:17 mentions a “star out of Jacob,” while also referencing a “scepter rising out of Israel,” which refer to Jesus’ birth. Even as you dig into the prophetic mentions to determine the Old Testament links, you can see how far and wide the prophecies had spread.
In Daniel 2:24, we see Daniel’s wisdom and his gift for discernment in interpreting the king’s dream. His gifts also allowed him the opportunity to save the lives of the Wise Men who had failed to interpret the king’s dream. Daniel was in captivity for 70 years. Those years of captivity for Daniel and others were opportunities to share prophecies with other cultures.
Why Does the Wise Men's Story Still Resonate Today?
The Wise Men's story expands the scope of Jesus’ miraculous birth and early days to an international dimension. Beyond the local or even regional reach of Jesus’ appearance, dignitaries arrived from far and wide to give homage to the King of the Jews.
While the focus is often on His role as a Savior and King of the Jews, these men proved that He represented Jews and Gentiles alike. They sought Him out to honor Him, and throughout His life of service, His followers continued to flock to Him even as they still do today.
The story of the Wise Men still offers such mystery and inspiration even as we still peel back the layers of what we know and can determine from the threads of history.
