Magi, Wise Men or Kings? (Matthew 2:1)
Christmas Questions
Magi, Wise Men or Kings?
Matthew 2:1
 
In every Christmas play worth its salt, you will always find three young men dressed in their bathrobes, wearing fake beards and carrying glittery boxes and gifts. They have traversed afar, following yonder star through the back of the sanctuary and down the aisle on their annual pilgrimage to the stage as a part of the annual Christmas pageant.
 
So who are they? Someone says, "That's the easiest Christmas question you've asked us to consider so far. Obviously, they are the three kings of Orient R. After all, that's what the song says, right?
 
Then why are they also sometimes referred to as Magi or wise men? Which is it? Were they kings, were they wise men or were they magi?
 
If it had been Luke the historian who had written about them in his Christmas account, we might have had better information. But Matthew’s account is very vague, almost shrouded in mystery. Here's what he records in
 
Matthew 2:1
 
The only detail Matthew gives us about these men is that they are from "the East". In fact, so general is his description that church traditions in dozens of countries claim to be their country of origin.
 
 
So who were they? Christians have been trying to nail down their identity for centuries. As early as A.D. 200, Tertullian was advancing the argument that they were astrologers by trade and were considered kings.
 
On the other hand, John Calvin said of those who would label them kings, “Beyond all doubt, they have been stupefied by a righteous judgment of God, that all might laugh at [their] gross ignorance.”
 
First-century historian Pliny the Elder wrote several chapters about the Magi that details their skill in magic and scientific arts—including pouring boiled earthworms in the ear to cure a toothache!
 
Obviously, there is a lot of disagreement and opinion about who and what they were. Matthew identifies them as "wise men". That is an English translation of the word "magi", which is translated from a Persian word that makes an early appearance in Scripture in a man named Balaam whose story is told in Numbers 22-24.
 
They also crop up in other places in the Old Testament. Both Daniel and Esther contain references to magi, and both refer to them as "wise men", and in Esther, they are called princes.
 
So who came to worship the Christ Child? Were they magi, kings or wise men? And more importantly, what do they tell us about the Birth of Christ? Let's take a look at the possibilities.
 
They could be
 
 
1. Magi
 
That makes sense because that is the exact Greek word used in Matthew’s gospel. And from what we know about "magi", both from Scripture and from history, they were most likely astrologers. That fits perfectly in the story line since they are following a star.
 
And when they arrived in Jerusalem, they cut directly to the chase:
 
Matthew 2:2
 
For someone familiar with the Old Testament and Jewish history, the arrival of these visitors takes them immediately back to the life and experiences of Daniel.
 
In fact, the book of Daniel chronicles how he and his companions spent 70 years exiled among magi in the East. Most of these "wise men" were captives taken by King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon as he defeated surrounding tribes and people. He would then take the best and brightest from enemies and formed them into this advisory body of wise men, stargazers, and dreamers.
 
That's exactly what happened with these Jewish young men named Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. We know them better as Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. They were brought to Babylon as captives from Israel, trained in Babylonian life, educated in Babylonian schools and conditioned to live in Babylonian culture as magi.
 
 
And they were very impressive. In fact, Daniel 1:20 says of them, “and in every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king questioned them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters (Greek magi) in his whole kingdom”.
 
In fact, on one occasion, Nebuchadnezzar had a dream he didn't understand so he called his magi to interpret the dream for him. His warning was, “If you do not tell me what my dream was and interpret it, I will have you cut into pieces and your houses turned into piles of rubble” (2:5).
 
All of the pagan magi are at a loss to figure out the dream. But when it appears they will all be killed, Daniel rescues them by interpreting the dream. King Nebuchadnezzar is so impressed with Daniel that he promotes him to be ruler over all of Babylon, and in particular, Daniel 2:48 says he made him "chief administrator over all the wise men of Babylon."
 
But that's not the only Old Testament ruler that surrounded himself with wise men and astrologers. As Yogi Berra would say, "It's deja vu all over again."
 
Long before Daniel and Nebuchadnezzar, the Old Testament tells us about Joseph and the Pharaoh of Egypt.
 
Just like Daniel, Joseph was carried off to exile in Egypt. And just like Nebuchadnezzar, one night Pharaoh had a terrifying dream. And just like the pagan magi of Daniel's time, none of the magicians in Egypt could provide an interpretation.
 
And true to form, it was Joseph, the Hebrew exile in prison, who provided Pharaoh with God’s interpretation.
 
In response, notice what Pharaoh does:
 
Genesis 41:42-43
 
And sure enough, just like Daniel, Joseph knew what it was like to have magi bow before him.
 
Now notice what we read in
 
Matthew 2:11b
 
Is it any surprise that Matthew would tell us about magi who make their way to Bethlehem and bow before the new-born King? It shouldn't because pagan magi have been bowing before Jews for a long time!
 
And now the tables have turned! This time it is not a captive Jew who is elevated to a lofty position. It is the Son of God who has come down to earth to be laid in a feeding trough.
 
And this time, it is distinguished magi in the prison and exile of sin who are searching for, as Numbers 24;17, prophesied, "a scepter rising out of Israel.
 
This time, they do not find a man seated at the right hand of Pharaoh or Nebuchadnezzar, but a child seated on his mother’s lap.
 
 
 
And as they bow and worship, they become the first to recognize the end from the beginning. This child would surpass both Daniel and Joseph as chief of the magi. This is the One Who can rightly declare, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me”.
 
So, we could call them magi. Or, we could call them
 
2. Wise Men
 
Maybe the word magi feels a little too foreign, maybe a little too Middle-Eastern for you. Maybe you like the anglicized translation of wise men better.
 
That is an acceptable way to identify these travelers, and you would be in good company if that's how you referred to them.
 
Cicero described magi as being “wise and learned men among the Persians.” In fact, the Hebrew word wise men is the favorite word of the Old Testament to refer to a group who were primarily astronomical advisors.
 
In fact, as we've seen Gentile rulers such as Pharaoh and Nebuchadnezzar put great confidence in these men. Their wisdom and insight was a valued contribution as they ruled their kingdoms.
 
Many of the early church fathers saw significance in wise men bringing gold, frankincense, and myrrh “from the East.” In the estimation of Justin Martyr, Clement of Alexandria, and Tertullian these gifts were particularly Arabian in nature.
 
 
Martin Luther agreed. He writes concerning the wise men and their understanding of Jesus, “At first they did not consider this king to be God, but in the usual manner took him for a temporal king, just as the queen of Sheba considered Solomon a king, coming to him with presents from her country.”
 
In fact, Martin Luther read Matthew 2 and thought: Foreigners from Arabia bringing gifts and seeking wisdom in Jerusalem? We’ve heard this story before.
 
The story to which he referred is found in 1 Kings 10. Listen to how it begins:
 
1 Kings 10:1-2
 
During her visit, she was amazed with Solomon’s wisdom. She said,
 
1 Kings 10:7
 
She was so overwhelmed with Solomon, that she lavished him with gifts.
 
1 Kings 10:10-11
 
It's interesting to note that Isaiah prophesied of a coming king who would be given gifts of gold and incense. The prophecy is found in
 
Isaiah 60:6b
 
So maybe you prefer to call the visitors bringing precious gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh to the King of Israel wise men.
 
If so, then you are simply following in the footsteps of the queen of Sheba across the wilderness in search of the wisdom of God in Jerusalem. After all, that's where these wise men came, to Jerusalem.
 
But as Matthew tells us, the wisdom of God was not to be found in the king’s palace in Jerusalem, but in the small town of Bethlehem.
 
Ironically, it was the learned men of Judaism who provided the information that King Herod would use to point these foreigners to Bethlehem so they could worship the real King of the Jews. One has to wonder, why weren't they there? Why didn't they go? Where was their worship?
 
And as you watch these wise men lay their gifts before baby Jesus, just as the queen of Sheba presented gifts to Solomon, it's as if the words recorded of Jesus in Matthew 12:42 come to life:
 
"an indeed, One greater than Solomon is here”. The queen came to hear the wisdom of Solomon and marveled. Is it any wonder these kings bow before this little child Who is Himself the Wisdom of God?
 
In fact, the prayer of that Arabian Queen is the prayer of praise we offer at Christmas:
 
1 Kings 10:9
 
Some call them magi, some call them wise men. But maybe we should call them
 
3. Kings
 
After all, they always wear crowns in our Christmas pageants, and we all know the carol “We Three Kings.”
 
And to be honest, Matthew’s Magi would not be the first wise men to be considered kings: Joseph and Daniel, who were both Hebrew magi of sorts, were elevated to the status of royalty. We also find magi receiving royal honors elsewhere in ancient literature.
 
As early as the second century Tertullian considered the Magi to be kings. He argued their visit fulfilled Solomon’s prayer in Psalm 72—“May the kings of Sheba and Seba present him gifts.”
 
But Tertullian found Isaiah 60, from which we read a moment ago, to be the most compelling evidence. I
 
Isaiah 60:1-2
 
It’s impossible to miss the clear parallels to Matthew 2.
 
We may never know whether the Magi were literal kings, but, once again, the idea of kings bringing treasure from Babylon has an interesting link to the Old Testament.
 
In the days of Isaiah, King Hezekiah received a friendly envoy of Babylonians in Jerusalem. He had been ill, and the king of Babylon heard about it and sent him a get-well card along with some gifts.
 
The story is found in
 
Isaiah 39:1-2
Isaiah warned Hezekiah it probably wasn't a good idea to show the Babylonians all the treasure in Israel. In fact, he prophesied
 
Isaiah 39:6
 
Sure enough, in 587 B.C. the Babylonian king, Nebuchadnezzar, did just that In fact, Daniel told about a party Belshazzar, the king of Babylon, held where he used the gold and silver cups from the Lord’s temple to serve alcohol to his friends and guests and prostitutes.
 
So, if you prefer to call the Magi kings, then keep in mind that as these kings travel the road from Babylon in the East to Jerusalem, they bring back the gold, frankincense, and myrrh that was stolen so many years before from David’s house.
 
Once again, the prophecy of Isaiah 60:10 comes to mind where the prophecy was that the kings of foreign lands would one day minister to the Holy One of Israel.
 
Call them Magi. Call them wise men. You can even call them kings if you’d like! When it comes to Matthew’s Christmas narrative, the more the merrier.
 
But whatever you choose to call them, remember, these men are the first in the New Testament to bow and worship the Lord Jesus. This Christmas we would do well to follow their example.
 
Let's pray.