Wise Men Still Seek Him-Part 1
“Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, Saying, where is He that is born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the east, and are come to worship Him.” Matthew 2:1-2
The Jews looked for the Messiah to come in pomp and splendor, even though they had Isaiah’s prophecy that the Messiah would be “born of a virgin (Isaiah 7:14) and not of a wealthy princess, and that He would have “no form or comeliness” (not handsome or of a pleasing physical appearance) nor “beauty” (Isaiah 53:2). I think that this just points to the fact that folks, rather than taking God at His word, try to reinvent scripture if it happens to differ from what they desire or expect. Another proof of that is how so many believe that there are different “paths” to God, but scripture makes it crystal clear that Jesus is the only way to the Father (John 14:6). If only folks could or would understand the truth, but people prefer to seek their own way even if it is a lie. Pride has been, is, and will be man’s downfall.
At this time of the visit by the wise men, it is believed that Jesus was under two years of age. Scripture doesn’t explain why Joseph, Mary, and Jesus were still in Bethlehem, but apparently they had found a house in which to stay for a while. The King of kings and Lord of lords had been on the earth for one to two years, yet no one could tell the wise men where He was or who He was when they enquired as to His whereabouts. Only a select few, chosen by God, namely the shepherds (Luke 2:15), Simeon and Anna in the temple (Luke 2:25, 36), Elizabeth and Zacharias, parents of John the Baptist (Luke 1:13,41), and the wise men were the ones to whom God had entrusted the knowledge of this supernatural event. We might wonder how the wise men from the Gentile world knew about Jesus. My guess is that apparently they had studied Isaiah and the other prophets in scripture and were intrigued. It is possible that they were familiar with the prophecy of Balaam, a heathen fortuneteller, who, by the hand of God, prophesied of the Messiah: “…there shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Sceptre shall rise out of Israel…” (Numbers 24:17). The wise men saw this brilliant star in the east and set out on a journey to find the new King.
The song, “We Three Kings”, portrays these men as three in number because of the three gifts that were presented to Jesus and His mother, but their number is unknown. Also, they were not kings, but were magicians, called the Magi, from Persia (present day Iran). The Magi were philosophers and priests who watched the skies for signs which might appear to foretell of future events which would occur. In our day, we don’t depend too much on “signs”, but in ancient times it was quite common. Ships were guided by the stars. The Bible has many references to “signs and wonders”, particularly approaching the end times. In Nativity scenes, the wise men are portrayed wearing royal garments, but that would have been very impractical for men traveling across the deserts likely on camelback.
The word on the streets of Jerusalem concerning the wise men’s search for this new King reached the ears of King Herod, a horrible and brutal man. He was not a full-blooded Jew, but was an Idumean of the Edomites, the tribe which were descendants of Esau, Jacob’s (Israel’s) brother. Herod was a descendant of Abraham, but was not among God’s chosen people. He had been appointed king over the Jews by Marc Anthony and the Roman government. As reported in Unger’s Bible Dictionary, “he was a heathen in practice and a monster in character”. When Herod heard about this Child who was to be King, he immediately felt threatened, and what do those in power do when they feel they are about to lose their power? They lash out anyway that they can.
Herod first called a meeting of the chief priests and scribes, demanding to know where this new King was born. They told him that the prophets had foretold the birth of the Messiah was to be in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2). This brings up a question. If they knew all about the prophecy, why were they not out seeking the new King? These were the religious leaders of Israel. Wouldn’t they be thrilled to know that their new King had finally arrived on earth? They were not because they were just as fearful of losing their positions as was Herod, and their fear and jealousy came to the forefront when Jesus began His ministry at the age of 30. Herod then called in these wise men to enquire of them the time of the star. He then sent them on their way to Bethlehem, ordering them to bring back the location of this new King so that he could go and worship Him too, except that he had no plan to worship this new King who was threatening his position as king of the Jews. Tomorrow: Part 2