Christmas Wise men – The Wise still Seek the Savior

Searching for the Wise Men

• Christmas Wise men – The Wise still Seek the Savior
• The Irony of the Wise Men
• The Wise Men bring Trouble to Jerusalem
• The Wise Men’s dream leads to the Gospel

In these few but essential words below, the Magi declare without fear to a paranoid, power-crazed king that a Jewish king was born. Who were these seekers of Jesus, and why did they come? Wise Men still seek the Savior, and we can learn from them.

“Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men [Magi] from the east came to Jerusalem, ² saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” Matt. 2:1-2

The story presents these wise men from the East, often called the Magi. They observe a miraculous star and often are labeled astrologers. Their coming demonstrated that they had specific knowledge concerning the expectant Messiah. They testified boldly when they entered the court of Herod that this baby Jewish king was and is a king. The city residing in tension reluctantly accepted these men who desired to worship something other than a control freak like Herod. These wise men sought the Savior.

Who were the Magi?

 Notice that by inspiration, Matthew calls them the Magi (Magos). This Persian word refers to a class of wise men, often referring to a privy council of men to political rulers (Daniel 2:48). Historically, these men were classified as Zoroastrian priests who looked at religious signs and divination to determine a course of action. They worked with the Persian kings to help guide them. Outside of Persia, the word’s meaning leans toward magicians or astrologers dominating the meaning (i.e., Simon the Magos, Acts 8:9-24). 

These wise men seek the Savior who was born. The Scriptures notice them as the first non-Jewish seekers of the Lord Jesus without any prejudice – not labeling them Gentiles. Interestingly, the book of Matthew often offers a more compassionate contextual reference for Gentiles like the Centurion (Matt. 8:8) and the Canaanite woman (Matt. 15:22) rather than just labeling them Gentile.  

This becomes evident since they standardized their dogma much later than Judaism (some say 6 B.C. and others between the 3rd – 7th century A. D.). See my write-up about the Jewish influence. Their oral means of transpiring their traditions could not influence a literal and defined system like Judaism, which depended on much older textual writings. We see by their example that the wise still seek the Savior.

In English, we see the Latin plural of Magi. Think of Alumnus and Alumni or Cactus or Cacti where the plural sense has the “i” at the end. In church history, not just three but a dozen or more individuals came to worship. Wise men of importance traveling with meaningful gifts had an entourage of people traveling with them. So, the threeness of the wise men refers to their gifts rather than the number in the group. 

Who was Herod?

The New Testament references six individuals called Herod, but Herod the Great is the father or grandfather of all the others. His oppressive rule was known for eliminating potential relatives to his power, gathering high taxes, and placing many into forced labor.

The Star guides the Magi to Jerusalem, where the story includes a last-minute gathering of the Jewish priests. With their words, the Magi confronted Herod the Great, who reigned from 37 B.C. to 4 B.C.. The Roman Senate declared near 40 B.C. that Herod’s title “King of the Jews,” granting him a right to rule this area. Although his heritage was from his Idumean father (think Edom) and Arab mother, his background alone could never truly make him the king of the Jews. Despite this background, he cannot be counted as the wise seeking the Savior.

His paranoid abuse of power eliminated brothers, sons, and wives from their positions of influence. Indeed, with the appearance of the Magi and their declaration, he felt threatened. He centered his survival on holding his position of power more than saving his soul. 

Story of the Wise Men

This passage displays elements of a good story:   

•  The Setting: The scene starts when the Magi caravan enters Jerusalem since maybe a cloud covering hid the star, or they assumed a king should be born in the Jewish capital. Then they head to Bethlehem, 6 miles south, to worship the real king, where genuine seekers bow to Jesus. They avoid returning to Jerusalem by God’s intervention. 
• The Plot: Who will worship Jesus? Will the “chosen people” worship the Lord? Will the political leader label “King of the Jews” attempt to respect and honor the birth of the king of the Jews? These tensions draw the reader into the internal struggle of the time and wonder what wise men will seek the Savior.
• The Conflict: Herod pretends to be interested in these Wise Men, while the Jewish priests affirm knowledge about the coming birth without seeking to apply the Scriptures. The Magi seek to find Jesus, while others ignore and eventually oppose him. Then, in response to the potential opposition, the Magi avoided Herod and Jerusalem.
• The Resolution: The Magi worshiped the baby Jesus, honoring him and giving gifts. Then, God guides them away by a dream, a typical authoritative sign for guidance for these wise men.

The Parthian Empire

The coming of the Magi may have awakened the difficulties Herod faced when he initially came to power. The background of this period presents two great empires: the Roman Empire, which most of us are familiar with, and the Parthian Empire.

The Parthians controlled northwest of Jerusalem (ancient Assyrian) and the East (ancient Medo-Persian empire). Before Herod came to power, about 40 B.C., the Parthians conquered Judea, specifically Jerusalem. In the political struggle of the time, the Parthians appointed Antigonus II, Jerusalem’s ruler and high priest. This step aligned with the remaining Hasmonean leaders (think Maccabean), and this high priest had the backing of the Pharisees of the city.

When they conquered the city, Herod was only the area’s military governor, so he fled to Masada. He eventually escaped from the Parthians to Rome for fear of his life. He petitioned the help of Mark Anthony, who influenced the Roman Senate to declare this Herod the “King of the Jews.”

The High Priests’ Fear

With the help of Rome and Mark Anthony, Herod overtook Judea and Jerusalem (36 B.C.). In charge of Jerusalem, he beheaded the high priest Antigonus II and appointed numerous high priests during his time. During his reign, King Herod rebuilt the temple to gain approval from the religious establishment, which he managed to manipulate for his favor. (This series contains a list of High Priests during King Herod’s time.)

By the time of Jesus’ birth, the 5th and 6th appointed high priests most likely stood before Herod. So, when the Magi entered his court to find the one born as the king of the Jews, Jerusalem was worried and fearful. Why were they scared? First, the Magi from the Parthian empire represented the foes he confronted when he first started to rule Jerusalem over 35 years before. Then, the Parthian empire aligned with the political former high priest power called the Hasmonean dynasty. According to Josephus, the deported Hasmonean high priest at the time (Hyrcanus) desired the people to welcome his return. Yet, the political struggle prevented this.^[1]Flavius Josephus and William Whiston, The Works of Josephus: Complete and Unabridged (Peabody: Hendrickson, 1987), 387. Now, the former power play potentially offered a renewed tension. 

With the Magi’s arrival, the city feared a return to political maneuvering, especially by their question, “Where is he born king of the Jews?” At the time, sitting in a nearby prison was the son of Herod, who, despite his inheritance as a rightful heir, only faced his father’s accusation of disloyalty. Then, out of nowhere, a group of foreigners comes to see where the future king of the Jews was born. The whole issue of control and power centered on who rightfully was the king in Jerusalem. Hence, the Magi’s question instilled great fear and tension in the religious establishment and the people.

This political background made the Jewish priests passive to the miraculous news of the birth of their Messiah. Also, according to history, near this time, Herod the Great divorced another wife, Marianne II, the High Priest’s daughter (Simon Boethus). Herod accused her of betraying him and eliminated her father’s position as High Priest. For centuries, the Greek and Roman leaders appointed the role of High Priests. Herod’s rule produced a string of appointments and deposing within the priesthood because he doubted their loyalty. So which priest will stand up to answer the Magi’s question? None dare risk a loss of position, imprisonment, or even death by responding in a way that would offend Herod the Great.

Matt. 2:4 states that he gathered the High Priests. Notice the plural since he recently deposed one High Priest and appointed a new one. According to the text in Matthew 2, the group had more than one High Priest gathered to answer the king’s question concerning the location of the birth of the Messiah. Thus, the passage states that he was “assembling all the chief priests and scribes.” (Matt. 2:4), describing a group of high priests.

Interpreting Micah 5:2

The priests’ and scribes’ answers demonstrate some interesting points concerning their situation. The interpretation of Micah 5:2, even before Jesus came, was Messianic. Even before the birth of Jesus, Bethlehem had the Jewish tag for the location of the Messiah’s birth. Matthew quotes the colloquial rendition of the passage since this question became common among Jewish disciples. However, the lack of mention of the eternality of the Messiah at the end stands out, “But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days.” (Micah 5:2, ESV). 

Did the Jewish rabbis downplay this, or did they not want to heighten the tension by quoting the superior position of the coming Messiah over a political ruler like Herod the Great? Yet their response does refer to how a ruler needs to shepherd his people, something lacking during his reign. 

The wise still seek the Savior

Beyond the political maneuvering, the Magi worshiped Jesus, yet Herod the Great did not. The Wise Men recognized the significance of this birth, and the Jewish priests and interpreters did not attempt any form of recognition of this most significant event. These Wise Men sought the Savior, so what about you? Will you be one of the wise that still seek the Savior?

Next, we will look at their worship and the situation’s irony.

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