![]() In fact, in his life and death, Jesus fulfills all of God’s promises to us. We can see in the story of the wise men that Jesus fulfills some of God’s promises. Isaiah 60:3,6: The Messiah will attract nations and kings to him, who will bring gold and incense, proclaiming his praise.Ī key theme throughout Matthew’s Gospel is that Jesus fulfills Old Testament prophecy about the Messiah.Jeremiah 31:15: The slaughter of children by Herod is predicted.Hosea 11:1: The Messiah (God’s son) came out of Egypt (Jesus fled to Egypt to escape Herod and returned to Nazareth once king Herod had died.Micah 5:2: The Messiah will be born in Bethlehem.Throughout the story of the wise men, we see several prophecies about the Messiah fulfilled: When Herod asks the chief priests and teachers of the law, they tell him where Jesus was born (in Bethlehem), because it was foretold by the prophet Micah. When the wise men see the star rise in the sky, they recognize that it signals the birth of the new king Jesus’ birth fulfills prophesy. Myrrh also represents Jesus’ humanity (because he was human, he could die). The wise men’s gift of myrrh tells us that Jesus’ death was foretold ahead of time (as in Isaiah 55:3, for example) and that it was always a part of God’s plan. Myrrh is a fragrance that was used to prepare dead bodies for burial. Jesus’ death was foretold and was part of God’s plan. The gift of frankincense represents Jesus’ divinity, and suggests that he is worthy of our worship and praise. Incense was burned at the altar in the Jewish Temple as part of the sacrificial system, and it is often used in liturgical worship in traditional churches today. Jesus is worthy of worship and praise.įrankincense is a symbol of holiness and righteousness. ![]() And not only that, but Jesus is the King of kings and the Lord of lords. They are seeking the one who is born “king of the Jews”. Gold represents kingship, and suggests that the wise men are recognizing Jesus as royalty. One of the gifts that the wise men give to Jesus is gold. The story of the wise men in the Bible is a short story, taking up only 12 verses in Matthew’s Gospel, but it is one filled with meaning. ![]() They were then warned in a dream not to return to Herod, and they went back to their country by a different route.ġ2 Lessons that We Learn from the Wise Men in the Bible The wise men travelled to Bethlehem, where they found Jesus, Mary and Joseph, and they presented Jesus with gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. His real motive, however, was the elimination of his competition. He sent them to Bethlehem to search for the newborn king, claiming to want to worship him as well. He called the magi as well, and found out from them where exactly the star had appeared. When Herod heard this, he was disturbed, and he called together all the chief priests and the teachers of the law, asking them where the Messiah was to be born. The magi had been studying the stars, and when they saw the star that signaled the birth of the new king, they went to King Herod to inquire about his birth, saying “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him” (Matthew 2:2). The Visit of the Wise MenĪfter Jesus was born in Bethlehem, Matthew’s Gospel tells us that “magi” from the east came to visit, bearing gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. But we don’t actually know how many wise men visited Jesus, since Matthew’s Gospel doesn’t specify how many there were. Tradition holds that there were three wise men, probably because there are three gifts named in Matthew’s account. In Matthew’s gospel, the men are only known as “magi”, which is a Greek word meaning “one of a learned and priestly class.” The magi, or wise men, may have been astronomers (they studied the stars), or they may have been kings (both Isaiah 60 and Psalm 72 predict that kings will visit the savior and bring him gifts of gold and frankincense). (This is when Jesus and his family flee to Egypt.) Who were the three wise men? We know this because when Herod realizes that the wise men are not going to return and tell him where Jesus is, he orders all baby boys under the age of two killed. However, in the Bible the wise men actually visit Jesus in Bethlehem at his home, probably when he was around two years old. The story of the wise men is typically tied into the story of Jesus’ birth (many Christmas pageants have the wise men at the manger when Jesus was born). It tells of the “magi”, or wise men, who come from the east to Jerusalem in order to see “the one who has been born king of the Jews” (Matthew 2:2). The story of the three wise men is also known as the story of the Biblical magi or the three kings. We find the story of the wise men in Matthew 2:1-12. 12 Stones in the Bible The Story of the Wise Men: Matthew 2:1-12
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