Smoodock's Blog

Of the four Gospel narratives only Luke and Matthew mention Jesus’ birth and speak of events surrounding that time. Luke writes of a world census and shepherds, and Matthew mentions Herod and a visit by important men from the East, known only as Magi. Luke tells us of Jesus’ birth in a stable, but Matthew has the Magi find Jesus in the House. While skeptics usually try to cause Matthew and Luke to contradict one another, in reality, although there are many differences, there are surprisingly but commonly unnoticed similarities that unite the two accounts. Just as witnesses in a court of law don’t always witness to the same events leading up to the case in question, so Matthew and Luke witness to different occurrences leading up to and following the birth of Jesus. Instead of two contradictory accounts, we are given two that merge into one account, which embraces different aspects of the same event, and we’ll see this as we jump into the text with a ready and open mind.

Matthew continues his account of Jesus’ birth (cp. Matthew 1:18-25) by mentioning an event that took place after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea (Matthew 2:1). It occurred in the days of Herod,[1] that a company of wise men (G3097; magos) came to Jerusalem, and they were from the East, vis-à-vis from Mesopotamia, which would make them representatives of the Parthenian Empire, a rival, and from time to time an enemy of Rome. These magos, as I said in my previous study were more than one magos, and three is an interpretation derived from the three different types of gifts they gave to Jesus. They probably numbered as many as twelve or more, and they no doubt had a military escort together with a company of servants. They rode upon horses, not camels, as they are usually depicted in art, because that was how Persian nobles traveled, so these men would have traveled on horseback on their visit to Jerusalem

However we may interpret the term astrology, it did not have the same charlatan understanding in Jesus’ day that we give it today. In fact, Genesis 1:14 offers a plausible reason for its legitimacy, not in deceitful day to day predictions for individuals, as we know it today, but for the predicting of important events concerning nations, which is the reason for the magos being in the courts of kings. The constellations play a part in the word of God in the Book of Revelation (chapter 12), and in other parts of the Bible (Job 41:1; Psalm 74:14; Isaiah 27:1). It was the Lord who named the stars in heaven (Job 9:9; Psalm 147:4; Isaiah 40:26), not man, but man did corrupt the names the Lord gave some of them by giving them other names. What God did was done for a reason, but the interpretation of the stary formations isn’t an exact science, so these magos (wise men) are often wrong. The truth belongs to the Lord and to whom he would reveal his will (Daniel 2:27-28).[2]

What prompted the search of the Magi at this particular time was probably generally due to the prophecy of Daniel in chapter 9. However, if Luke’s Simeon (Luke 2:25-34) is one of the Magi, then the Spirit of God spoke to him, saying he wouldn’t die until he saw the Savior. Therefore, Simeon, himself a Jew, would have searched the skies for a plausible time in their formation, which would indicate when the Messiah would be born. Moreover, if Simeon, is, indeed, one of the Magi, this helps us to understand why the Magi found Jesus in the House, not the stable. The Temple is often described as the House in scripture (Exodus 23:19; 1Samuel 1:7; 1Kings 8:10-11, 63; 2Kings 25:9, 13, 16; Matthew 21:13).

It isn’t likely that a group of astrologers would cause the stir these men caused, when they came to Jerusalem, and neither would such a group have been called to appear before the king. These men caused quite a stir in Jerusalem, and even Herod was interested in what they claimed. In fact, he took their words so seriously that he wouldn’t listen to his own trusted advisors, when he later slew members of his own family because of the message they brought, and he slew many others, as well, because he was paranoid over losing his throne to a rival. So, who were they?

Herod had the magos come before him, asking what purpose their visit had, and, when they told him it was to worship the one **born** king of the Jews,[3] he probably had the magos wait elsewhere, while he demanded information about the Messiah’s birth from his court of priests and scribes (Matthew 2:3-4).

Herod’s “wise men” of course, knew where the Messiah was to be born, in Bethlehem (Matthew 2:5-6; cp. Micah 5:2). The odd thing about this event is that the “wise men” of Judea were unwilling to travel 6 miles to see the king of the Jews believed to be in Bethlehem, but the “wise men” of the East traveled about 800 miles to see him!

Once Herod understood where the Messiah was to be born, he received the Magi once again, telling them to go to Bethlehem to seek the Messiah, and return to tell him the place, so he could also go and worship him (Matthew 2:8). Moreover, Herod ascertained from the Magi the time they had first seen the star, which comes into importance later.

______________________________________________________________

[1] Luke agrees with Matthew at this point by saying, “And it came to pass in those days…” (Luke 2:1). What days? That is, in the days of Herod, the king of Judea (Luke 1:5).

[2] In 3 BC to 2 BC the starry sky exploded in celebration of Jesus’ birth (seen from Biblical point of view). Rome also celebrated the 750^th year of the founding of the city of Rome together with the silver jubilee of the reign of Augustus Caesar, making him the “Father of the Country/Empire” and calling for a world census, wrongfully translated “tax” in the KJV (cp. Luke 2:1)

[3] That is, **born** not appointed by another king, Caesar or anyone else.