Then Herod secretly called the magi and determined from them the exact time the star appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the Child; and when you have found Him, report to me, so that I too may come and worship Him.” After hearing the king, they went their way; and the star, which they had seen in the east, went on before them until it came and stood over the place where the Child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. After coming into the house they saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell to the ground and worshiped Him. Then, opening their treasures, they presented to Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned by God in a dream not to return to Herod, the magi left for their own country by another way. (Matthew 2:7-12, NASB)
Bible quiz: How many wise men (magi) visited Baby Jesus soon after He was born?
Answer: If you said “Three,” you may or may not be correct.
The Bible doesn’t tell us how many magi traveled to Israel to pay homage to the newborn King. Tradition says it was three, probably because there were three gifts; gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Tradition also tells us names for the three: Balthazar, Caspar, and Melchior.
Another myth is that the three visited our Savior on the night of His birth, along with the shepherds. This is perpetuated in nativity scenes and movies, but it’s not biblically accurate (I know, I’m a Scrooge). How do we know? In the passage above from Matthew, “After coming into the house they saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell to the ground and worshiped Him.” Joseph would’ve had to relocate his little family. But I think the three visited Jesus in Nazareth.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matthew_2:11.
If we piece a timeline together using the books of Matthew and Luke, we see this: Jesus is born. The shepherds visit. On the eighth day, Joseph and Mary take their Baby to the Temple in Jerusalem to present Him and have Him circumcised. They go back to Nazareth. The magi visit. The magi return home, avoiding Jerusalem and Herod.
It may have been months after Jesus was born before the magi visited. When he realized the magi weren’t coming back, Herod “became very enraged, and sent and slew all the male children who were in Bethlehem and all its vicinity, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the magi.” (Matthew 2:16) If Herod slew the boys two years old and under, it was a considerable time since Jesus’ birth and the visit.
The wise men determined, based on the star and its position, that a great King would be born. They traveled a great distance to give Him honor. Whether they realized just Who they were visiting, the Bible doesn’t say. They bowed down before Him. Even today, we have to pay homage to this great King, God’s Christmas present to us. The Bible tells us that there will come a day when “every knee shall bow, and every tongue confess” that Jesus Christ is Lord of all. It’s best that we do it here on this earth while we have the choice. Old bumper sticker: “Wise men still seek Him!”
Sue has asked me if there’s a difference between “Emmanuel” and “Immanuel.” I think they both mean “God with us.” I think the difference is in the pronunciation. “Emmanuel” seems to be the English version. The Bible uses “Immanuel,”which seems to me to be the phonetic Hebrew. We pronounce both of them the same, but Joshua Aaron pronounces “Immanuel” correctly in the song below.