“For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”
—Matthew 2:2 ESV
It is a common question that comes to those in church leadership, a question that sounds like this: “Where does the Bible talk about [insert topic here]?” These inquiries come often and are a good reminder of why it’s important for all Christians to be committed to studying the Bible for themselves.1
As you can probably imagine, pastors field a wide range of Bible-related questions. Some are easy to answer, and some are more difficult. The Bible directly addresses many topics, but not all. And it’s also not uncommon to be asked about ideas and concepts that are not actually in the Bible, such as the popular but erroneous idea that God helps those who help themselves. It is precisely because we can’t help ourselves that God sent his Son Jesus to save us from our sin.
Further, many ideas that people think are in the Bible stem from church tradition rather than Scripture. The concept of purgatory is one of those. The idea that there is a place where the souls of the departed go to be purified before they are eligible for heaven is nowhere found in Scripture and is theologically problematic, as it would be an affront to the sufficient sacrifice of Christ on the cross to fully atone for our sins.2
Still others confuse sacred holiday tradition for Scripture. One of the more famous misuses of tradition that is often read back into Scripture comes from a familiar Christmas carol written by John Henry Hopkins Jr. in 1857, which we know today as “We Three Kings.” At the time of its composition, Hopkins served as the rector of Christ Episcopal Church in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.
It is said that Hopkins wrote the piece for a Christmas pageant, although it wasn’t formally published until 1863. Its original title is “Three Kings of Orient,” and it is found in his work entitled Carols, Hymns, and Songs. It is a delightful piece to sing with a catchy tune that has found its way into children’s programs at churches and schools across the country for decades.
It has become a part of sacred American Christian tradition to recount the story of the wise men from the East who came to offer gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh to the Christ child as an act of worship.
But a closer look into the account as recorded by Matthew will reveal many differences between the actual history of the event and the carol that we know and love. Now, to be fair, no one likes people who take something fun and spoil it for everyone by attempting to be technical about everything. Indeed, that is not my intent.
The reason why I have included this chapter is because I believe we need to understand what Scripture teaches when it comes to the various practices and traditions of the church, the songs that we sing, and what it is that shapes our view of the story of Christ.
First, it will be good to take a close look at the story itself and its particulars. We begin with Matthew’s account in chapter 2.
After Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of King Herod, wise men from the east arrived unexpectedly in Jerusalem, saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.”
vv. 1–2
King Herod the Great was the first of a long line of Herods who ruled the Holy Land during the reign of the Roman Empire. He ruled from 37 BC to 4 BC, which would have put the birth of Christ somewhere around 5 BC. He was a rather ruthless and brutal man, who was quick to put down any rivals to his throne, whether actual or potential.3
Herod was powerful and wealthy, very cunning and clever, and administratively gifted. He is responsible for some of the greatest architectural feats and building projects in Israel, including the palace-fortress at Masada, and perhaps most significantly, the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. Herod taxed the people heavily, likely to help fund his projects.
He was a tyrant who loved power and was rather paranoid. “In his last years,” writes New Testament scholar D. A. Carson, “suffering an illness that compounded his paranoia, he turned to cruelty and in fits of rage and jealousy killed close associates, his wife Mariamne . . . and at least two of his sons.”4
So when the wise men from the East came to him asking about a king, you can see why Herod’s paranoia would cause him great concern (which in the end would lead him to slaughter all males in Bethlehem, age two and under, after the visit and eventual trek back home of the wise men).
The first common mistake people make about the story is that the wise men (or magi in the original Greek) were not kings. They were likely magicians, philosophers, priests, and astrologers from Persia (modern-day Iran). They were highly esteemed and educated, and at times were known to practice medicine even as a physician would.
Further, even though they were Gentiles, they were likely familiar with Jewish prophecy concerning a coming king, since many Jews were still scattered in their region because of the exile (of the Old Testament) and the current Roman occupation.5
Second, their mode of transportation is not mentioned—it could have been camels or chariots, or they could have walked. This aspect of the story is not that significant, and it is not inappropriate to imagine them or portray them on camels since this is a valid mode of transportation in that region even today.
Being familiar with astrology, the wise men would have seen the “star in the east” as an anomaly, and likely searched the Jewish Scriptures for some indication of what it might mean. The word used for “star” by Matthew could mean any bright radiance or celestial light in the sky, and some have suggested this was either a comet, a supernova of some type, an alignment of planets, or better yet a supernatural manifestation of the Shekinah, the glory of God (which led the Israelites through the desert under Moses in the Old Testament. See Exodus 13:21).
Moved by the “star,” the wise men see it as a fulfilment of Jewish prophecy about a coming king, and they have come to pay homage and worship him. This obviously gripped the heart of King Herod with excitement, rage, and paranoia.
When King Herod heard this, he was deeply disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. So he assembled all the chief priests and scribes of the people and asked them where the Messiah would be born. “In Bethlehem of Judea,” they told him, “because this is what was written by the prophet: And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the leaders of Judah: because out of you will come a leader who will shepherd My people Israel.”
Matthew 2:3–6
Not only was Herod disturbed, but the text says “and all Jerusalem with him.” The people of Jerusalem knew Herod’s temperament well, and they knew that if he thought a rival king was somewhere in his governing region, there would soon be bloodshed, perhaps several deaths. The public’s anxiety increased dramatically whenever Herod’s blood pressure mounted, and they feared his reaction to this news.
Hearing the story about the newborn king from the wise men, Herod decides to consult the experts, the Jewish chief priests and scribes who knew the prophecies well. They tell him the location of where the future ruler and Messiah is to be born, in Bethlehem. Interestingly, these chief priests and scribes do not follow up on all this even after they hear about it. They are seemingly indifferent. Herod is hostile, the chief priests and scribes are indifferent, and the wise men are interested in worship. I think it’s fair to say that those three different reactions sum up most people’s reactions to Jesus even today—hostility, indifference and apathy, or genuine worship.
Herod’s investigation continues,
Then Herod secretly summoned the wise men and asked them the exact time the star appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. When you find Him, report back to me so that I too can go and worship Him.”
Matthew 2:7–8
It doesn’t take a detective to figure out that Herod is up to something. Interestingly, in an attempt to find out how old this perceived threat of a king might actually be, Herod asks about the exact time the star appeared. As mentioned earlier, later in the story (Matthew 2:16–18), Herod will have all male children two and under killed in order to systematically do away with any “newborn king” threat from Bethlehem.
Herod commands the wise men to search for and find the child and to report back their findings, so that allegedly, he too “can go and worship Him.” This lie had evil intentions behind it. Yet the wise men obey his command, at least at first.
After hearing the king, they went on their way. And there it was—the star they had seen in the east! It led them until it came and stopped above the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed beyond measure. Entering the house, they saw the child with Mary His mother, and falling to their knees, they worshiped Him. Then they opened their treasures and presented Him with gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
vv. 9–11
The wise men succeed in finding Jesus, thanks again to the “star” that reappeared in the sky directly above the place where Jesus was staying. And whereas Herod’s heart is full of evil, the hearts of the wise men are “overjoyed beyond measure.” They find Jesus and Mary (no mention of where Joseph is at this moment), and they fall down in worship.
Imagine the shock Mary must have had seeing these incredibly wealthy dignitaries from afar falling on their knees to worship her son. Even more amazing is what happens next—the presentation of the gifts.
We have gold, the precious metal of kings. We have frankincense, an incense that often served in priestly functions of worship services or anointings. And finally, we have myrrh, an expensive fragrance used by the rich, especially for burials. (Could it be that these gifts foreshadow the reality of Jesus as the King who was set apart to offer his own life unto death as the priestly sacrifice for our sins?)
All together, the gifts would have made Mary and Joseph (and Jesus) instantly wealthy, and may have helped fund their upcoming and rather sudden trip to Egypt to escape the rage of King Herod, who was bent on destroying the child. Thankfully, Joseph was warned by an angel in a dream about Herod’s plan, and thus they escaped Herod’s (and ultimately Satan’s) plan to eliminate the messianic threat.
Here is where we discover even more details that contradict our human traditions. It is assumed that three wise men made the journey to see Jesus simply because three different gifts were presented. But this is a false assumption. A caravan of such significance with the amount of wealth and materials accompanying them would likely have had more than three individuals in it. In fact, it’s possible that the number of wise men could have been anywhere from five to ten or more. So there is no evidence that there are only three men, and it is not likely that they were kings.
What’s more, the timing of their arrival may be anywhere from several months to a year or more after Jesus was born, and therefore this would preclude them from being at the actual site of the manger as recorded by the other gospel writer Luke, which is what most of us imagine in our nativity scenes.
How do we know this? There are at least two reasons. If you look closely at the text, it says in verse 11 that the wise men entered the house where they were staying. In the nativity story told by Luke, Jesus is not in a house. He’s not even in the inn, but rather Mary is forced to give birth to him somewhere outside or in a cave near the animals (thus the manger, a feeding trough for the animals). So some time must have elapsed and some people must have left the busy region of Bethlehem before Joseph and Mary were able to get themselves into a house.6
Second, we know that by the time the wise men arrived to greet Jesus, it was at least forty or more days after his birth. This is due to the fact that in the gospel of Luke, Jesus was presented in the temple to be dedicated after the days of Mary’s purification were complete, which according to Mosaic law (Leviticus 12) would be forty days.
Included in the dedication of the child, the mother (and presumably the father with her) would have also presented an offering of a one-year-old lamb and a pigeon or a turtledove. But if, due to money constraints, the mother could not afford to present a lamb, then two turtledoves or two pigeons could be offered in its place (Leviticus 12) to meet the required offerings.
Luke tells us that Joseph and Mary brought an offering of two turtledoves or two young pigeons to the dedication of Jesus (Luke 2:24), which would mean that they opted for the lesser offering due to their inability to pay for a year-old lamb.
But if the wise men had come to see Jesus while he was still in the manger (immediately after his birth), then Joseph and Mary would have had ample means (by virtue of the gold, frankincense, and myrrh) to pay the required offering of the lamb some forty days after his birth. Therefore, we can safely conclude that these wise men were not at the original manger scene as our human traditions like to portray.
So in summary, we have wise men or magi (not kings), and we have no evidence that there were only three of them or that they rode on camels. We cannot place these men at the manger scene, but rather they arrive much later to a house, and it is at least a couple of months or up to a year or more before they meet Jesus. So if we were to be historically and biblically accurate, the traditional manger scene would need some modification.
Will I still sing “We Three Kings” even though it is not technically correct? Of course. There is no reason to become legalistic about it, as if not singing it makes us any more spiritual than those who do sing it. But I will, in the back of my mind, remember that not all of our Christmas traditions are in complete alignment with the biblical story.
As the story concludes, we note how God intervenes supernaturally to preserve the life of the Christ child from the rage and fury of King Herod: “And being warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their own country by another route” (Matthew 2:12).
God knew of Herod’s plan, and in order to preserve the divine plan, he warned the wise men not to go back to Herod to tell him where the child was, which is what Herod requested. This is where many preachers of the Word see practical applications and parallels to the Christian life.
The wise men sought after and encountered Christ, worshiped him, gave of themselves sacrificially, and then went home another way—and in a spiritual sense, that’s what happens with us. When we encounter Christ and are changed by him, we worship him and offer our lives as an offering to him, and then in the end, there’s another way home for us. We may give him our time and treasures here on earth, but he has treasures waiting for us in heaven.
That will be our new home, and so just like the wise men, we are to encounter and worship him, avoid evil, and walk in a new way. There is so much to this simple story when we seek to understand it in context. Surely the main point of it is to show us God’s divine plan—the sovereignty of God over evil and the inclusivity of the gospel by virtue of Gentiles who worship the rightful Jewish King—not just any king, but the King of kings. But there are other spiritual lessons as well.
So when it comes to our faith, we should measure all our traditions to the literal teaching of the Bible, understood properly in context. We should still sing and worship him in songs, in hymns, and in carols. But let us study the Word carefully so that we can sing joyfully about the truth—the truth about God and the truth about us. And like the wise men, we should offer worship, seek to avoid evil, and walk in a new way home.