The Visit of the Magi #77

The visit of the Magi is the story told only in Matthew 2 of wise men from the east who came to worship the infant Jesus. It is the source of much of the imagery of the Christmas season, and it is celebrated in many churches at Epiphany, on or around January 6.

Biblical Account

After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in the days of Herod the king, Magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem and asked where the one born king of the Jews could be found, since they had seen his star when it rose and had come to worship him. King Herod was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. He gathered the chief priests and scribes, who answered that the Christ was to be born in Bethlehem, citing the prophet Micah (Matthew 2:1-6; Micah 5:2).

Herod secretly called the Magi, found out when the star had appeared, and sent them to Bethlehem, asking them to report back so that he too could worship the child. As they went, the star they had seen went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. They rejoiced, entered the house, saw the child with Mary his mother, and fell down and worshiped him. They opened their treasures and offered gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they went back to their own country by another route (Matthew 2:7-12).

Theological Significance

Matthew places Gentile visitors at the cradle of the Jewish Messiah, while Herod and Jerusalem’s leaders, who knew the scriptures, did not go to look for him. This contrast is a recurring theme in the Gospel, which anticipates the inclusion of the nations in the promises to Israel. The gifts recall Old Testament passages in which nations bring gold and incense to Zion and kings bring gifts to God’s chosen king (Isaiah 60:1-6; Psalm 72:10-11), and the visit is often read as a fulfillment of those hopes.

Popular tradition speaks of three kings, and later tradition even gave them the names Caspar, Melchior, and Balthasar, but Matthew does not say how many Magi there were, does not call them kings, and does not name them. The number three is likely inferred from the three gifts. The text also places them in a house rather than at the manger, and Herod’s later order to kill boys under two years of age suggests that some time had passed since the birth.

The Magi were probably learned men from Persia or Babylon who studied the stars, and Matthew does not explain how the star led them. Interpreters have proposed a planetary conjunction or a comet, while others regard it as a miraculous sign. The evidence does not allow a certain conclusion.