{"id":753,"date":"2022-12-15T01:07:55","date_gmt":"2022-12-15T01:07:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/deadmannotwalking.org\/?p=753"},"modified":"2022-12-15T01:09:26","modified_gmt":"2022-12-15T01:09:26","slug":"wise-men","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/deadmannotwalking.org\/?p=753","title":{"rendered":"Wise Men"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Then Herod secretly called the magi and determined from them the exact time the star appeared.\u00a0And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, \u201cGo and search carefully for the Child; and when you have found\u00a0Him,\u00a0report to me, so that I too may come and worship Him.\u201d\u00a0After hearing the king, they went their way; and the star, which they had seen in the\u00a0east, went on before them until it came and stood over\u00a0the place\u00a0where the Child was.\u00a0When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.\u00a0After 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.\u00a0And having been warned\u00a0by God\u00a0in a dream not to return to Herod, the magi left for their own country by another way.\u00a0 (Matthew 2:7-12, NASB)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bible quiz:  How many wise men (magi) visited Baby Jesus soon after He was born? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Answer:  If you said “Three,” you may or may not be correct. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Bible doesn’t tell us how many magi traveled to Israel to pay homage to the newborn King.\u00a0 Tradition says it was three, probably because there were three gifts; gold, frankincense, and myrrh.\u00a0 Tradition also tells us names for the three:\u00a0 Balthazar, Caspar, and Melchior.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Bartolom\u00e9
Adoration of the Magi,” by\u00a0Bartolom\u00e9 Esteban Murillo, ca. 1655-1660.\u00a0 Found at Wikipedia,\u00a0
https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Matthew_2:11<\/a>.\u00a0<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

If we piece a timeline together using the books of Matthew and Luke, we see this:\u00a0 Jesus is born.\u00a0 The shepherds visit.\u00a0 On the eighth day, Joseph and Mary take their Baby to the Temple in Jerusalem to present Him and have Him circumcised.\u00a0 They go back to Nazareth.\u00a0 The magi visit.\u00a0 The magi return home, avoiding Jerusalem and Herod.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The wise men determined, based on the star and its position, that a great King would be born.\u00a0 They traveled a great distance to give Him honor.\u00a0 Whether they realized just Who they were visiting, the Bible doesn’t say.\u00a0 \u00a0They bowed down before Him.\u00a0 Even today, we have to pay homage to this great King, God’s Christmas present to us.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 It’s best that we do it here on this earth while we have the choice. Old bumper sticker:\u00a0 “Wise men still seek Him!”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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