Matthew 2

Jan 7, 2016


The only account of the wise men given to us is recorded in Matthew.   Thanks, Matt.
You have probably heard most of the conjecture on this passage before, but I will jot a few things down just in case.
There were likely more than three wise men, we only depict three because three gifts were mentioned.   In reality, there were probably many gifts, and a caravan of people.  The wise men could have been astrologers, or they could have been court officials, or something similar.   Probably astrologers, since they noted the star appearing.
The three gifts they brought have been compared to the three offices that Christ held.  Gold for a King (a ruler) and Frankincense for a Priest.  Myrrh was a burial spice, and a pain killer so it speaks to Christ as the sacrifice.   Jesus is the only person who fulfilled all three roles.  For instance, the king was never allowed to be the priest....when Saul tried it and took upon himself Samuel's role (1 Samuel 13)  God punished him by removing him as king.
One more thing that is interesting to me..  When I visited Bethlehem we went to the Church of the Nativity, one of the oldest buildings in the region.  The reason that the marauding Arabs didn't destroy it when they conquered the area is because there were images of three Arabs carved into the entryway door.   (the wise men from the east were probably from Iran or Iraq...maybe north from Turkey...but they were recognized by the invaders).   That adds a dimension to the Christmas account.   Jesus didn't come just for the Jews, he came for everybody.  The journey of the wise men to worship the new King tells us that.


I found myself wondering when Herod died.... since that's when Jesus, Mary and Joseph returned from Egypt.   As it turns out, Herod didn't live long after Christ was born.   If Jesus was born around 3 BC, then Herod fell from power and died around 1 BC.   The Bible doesn't say that Joseph returned the same month, but it would have been within that year, probably.     So the holy family wasn't in Egypt for more than a year or two at the very most.   The gifts that the wise men brought likely sustained them during their travel..and some think that they provided for Mary for the rest of her life.   But there's nothing written about that.


Stray thought:  the gifts of the Magi weren't all meant to be used immediately.  sometimes God gives us today what will be needed tomorrow...or maybe much later.


Have a great day,


PR