Who Were the Magi and What Was Their Purpose?
The Gospel of Matthew is the only one of the four gospels that gives an account of the visit by the Magi or wise men from the East. Although Christmas traditions tell the story of the three wise men coming from the East to present their gifts to the baby Jesus, the scriptures do not tell that account. The Magi were highly educated scholars and astronomers who were part of a religious sect. They came from the East (Media, Persia, Assyria, and Babylonia). They came based on the Jewish prophecies of the birth of the King of the Jews.
Several hundred years before the birth of Christ, the prophet Daniel was the leader of the Magi or magicians, also known as the wise men. He had favor with the King of the empire at that time because God was with him and he was able to interpret dreams. Daniel was the wisest of all of the wise men of his time. This was the same Daniel that had been thrown into the lion’s den and came out unharmed. Daniel prophesied that a virgin would give birth to a Son, and they would name Him Emmanuel (God with us). The teachings of Daniel would have been passed down so that the wise men during Jesus’s birth would have recognized the signs in the sky.
The wise men traveled to Israel as an entourage carrying valuable gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh to present to Jesus. They had seen the star and knew the season for Jesus’ birth. They traveled to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.” King Herod and those in Jerusalem were greatly troubled about this announcement. King Herod called his chief priests and scribes and asked them about this question. The religious leaders told King Herod that the scriptures state that the Messiah would be born in the town of Bethlehem. Herod met with the wise men and told them to go to Bethlehem and after they find the child to come back and let him know so he could also go and worship the child.
The wise men left for Bethlehem and the star went before them and stood over the area of where the child was located. Jesus was no longer a baby in the manger, but a young Child under two years of age. The wise men and the entourage were extremely overjoyed to see Jesus and they brought their gifts and worshiped Him. The gifts were very valuable and included gold, frankincense, and myrrh. The gifts were highly valuable, practical, and symbolic. Gold symbolizes Christ’s divinity, frankincense, a fragrant oil, is used for worship, and myrrh, another oil/perfume is used in embalming a dead body. Jesus was the Divine King who left His divinity to be born as a man. He was also the sacrifice for mankind and came to die to pay for our sins and put us back into a relationship with God the Father.
The wise men were warned in a dream not to return to Herod. They went home another way. Joseph was also warned in a dream to take his family to Egypt because Herod would be coming to kill Jesus. Joseph immediately took his family at night and left Bethlehem for Egypt. The family had money to travel and remained in Egypt until King Herod had died.
King Herod expected a visit from the wise men but realized that they were not coming to see him. He was so angry because he wanted to kill Jesus. There was no way that he would allow another king to take his place. He was a ruthless leader who killed his own sons, siblings, and anyone who would threaten his position as King. He immediately ordered all male children under the age of two in Bethlehem to be killed. This was a horrible and sad event.
When Herod died Joseph had another dream where the angel of the Lord told him to take his family back to Israel. Those who wanted Jesus dead had all died. Joseph took his family back but settled in Nazareth. The account of the wise men is important to show that our enemy, Satan, does not know everything. God has His plans and His written Word that reveals what is coming. All the prophecies regarding the birth of Jesus were written hundreds of years before the actual event. The Word of God is not only powerful and full of God’s promises for us as His children, it is our guide to living today, and it is a true historical account of what God has done in the past. There are still many prophecies that have not come to pass especially regarding the last days. We are not to be afraid, for God says we are to put Satan under our feet and take our authority and do the works of Jesus. Let’s spread the good news of God’s love, heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, and cast out demons. Our God is more powerful than what the enemy can do. We are to occupy enemy territory until He comes back again. (Matthew 10:8; I John 4:4; Luke 19:11-13)
Personal Development Tip of the week:
2022 will be the best year of your life. I truly believe that. I also believe that if you put God first and create for yourself a Spiritual Development Plan that helps you build your relationship with God it most definitely will!
What’s your spiritual development plan for 2022? Have you taken some time to think about that and put a plan together? If not, I will be a Livestream on TikTok and Instagram towards the end of the year to help you do this.
If you do already have a plan, comment below and let me know your plans for your spiritual development!
Prayer for the week:
Thank you, lord, that you care about my feelings when I’m going through emotional pain and suffering. You said that You came to heal the brokenhearted and wounded. I am asking You to mend my heart and make it whole. Fill me with your peace, love, and joy so that I can live an abundant life, In jesus name, Amen.
-Dayne
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Who Were The Magi and What Was Their Purpose?