JESUS   THE   MESSIAH

His Life and Times

No. 15

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The Visit and Homage of the Magi

The Flight Into Egypt

     The story of the homage to the Infant Saviour by the Magi is told in Matthew.  The term Magi is used in the Septuagint by Philo and Josephus as referring to those Eastern (especially Chaldee) priest-sages.  These men are mysterious and pretty much unknown to us as far as knowledge about them.  They seem to have embraced much deep knowledge, though there was still some superstition about them.  They seem to have believed in the birth of the Saviour, but they also had beliefs and superstitions that couldn't be called Christian.  It is not known about the number of them that came to see the Saviour, nor what country from "the East" that they came from.  At this period in time the Medes and Persians were dispersed over many different parts of the east, and their presence is documented in Jewish history.  

     The very oldest opinion on where the Magi came from traces them to Arabia.  There is some evidence that this might be true because very close ties existed between Palestine and Arabia, and from about 120 B. C. to the sixth century the kings of Yemen professed the Jewish faith.  There is nothing concrete to prove this theory, however.  

     Shortly after the Presentation of the Infant Saviour in the Temple, the Magi from the East arrived in Jerusalem with strange tidings.  They had seen at its 'rising' a different kind of star, which they regarded as betokening the birth of the Messiah King of the Jews.  It was in this regard that they had come to pay homage to Him.  They may not have imagined that he must be born in the Jewish capital of Jerusalem, but they would have at least expected to find information about the Christ-Child there.  

     In their quest to find out the truth, they naturally presented themselves to the official head of the nation.  They knew that the rumors would spread quickly of their inquiries and they should be able to find out pretty quickly where the Christ-Child was located.  They must have naturally assumed that every Jew would be thrilled at the birth of the Christ-Child, but when Herod was told about their inclinations, he was definitely not as pleased as they were.

     He was a very cruel person who was always afraid that his rule would be usurped.  He had no clue that Jesus had come to rule in a different way than just a regular king.  Being pretty sure that the King of the Jews had been born, terror must have struck in the heart of Herod because he was afraid of losing his kingdom.  After the initial terror, then the rage, suspicion and apprehension must have set in.  

     The people  also accepted this news in a much different way than the Magi did.  Herod was a real tyrant and they were much afraid of him and what the consequences would be to them if they even so much as gave any support or sympathy to any other person that would claim title to the royal throne of David.  

     Herod took immediate measures.  He called together all the High-Priests - past and present - and all the learned Rabbis, and asked them what the Scripture said about the Christ-Child and where he would be born.  He felt that this would show him where Jewish expectancy looked for the appearance of his rival, and would enable him to keep an eye on things such as how the people acted and what they said.  He even went so far as to find out exactly from the Magi when they had seen the phenomenon in the sky.  His subsequent actions of slaying all the male children that were 2 years and under shows that he must have gotten pretty exact dates from the Magi.  The Rabbis also told him that Bethlehem would be the birthplace of the Messiah according to the Scriptures.  He must have felt that he had gotten all the information that he needed to make sure that this "King" would die before he had a chance to take over his kingdom.  

     Herod then sent for the Magi in secret and got further information from them, telling them to please let him know when they found this "Christ-Child".  He told them that he wanted to know where he was so that he could pay homage to the child also.  He must have thought that if his first plan had failed, surely this one would not fail.  

     As they started their homage toward Bethlehem, to their utter delight the same 'star' once more appeared on the horizon.  The text implies that they had not seen it for awhile, and they were joyous to see it again.  They noticed that it seemed to move before them and was guiding them until it stood directly over Bethlehem.  They were going there in the first place, because that is where Herod had told them the Christ-Child would be.  Because they were astronomers and loved the skies and believed in the stars, though, this must have been a definite confirmation that they had rightly been directed to Bethlehem.  By the time they got there, they must have had no doubts at all that the Christ-Child would be somewhere in the town.  They would not have had a hard time at all finding out about the Infant who was to be the Savior of the World.

     By the time they got there, Mary and Joseph had moved from the stable to a house.  There has been much supposition as to why the 'star' and why the 'Magi' - who were not even devout Jews at the time.  There seems no logical connection between this astrological interpretation of the Magi, and any supposed practice of astrology among the Jews.  Even though there were Jews, and even Rabbis, who believed in the astrological signs and stars, it was expressly forbidden in the Talmud.  

     Writers have endeavored to show that Jewish expectancy of the Messiah was connected with a peculiar sidereal conjunction, such as that which occurred two years before the birth of our Lord.  A well-known Jewish commentator at the time wrote these words in his commentary on Daniel:

     that the conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn in the constellation Pisces betokened not only the most important events, but referred especially to Israel.  

     There is also another account in antiquity that says "A star shall come out of Jacob..... and the Star shall shine forth from the East, and this is the Star of the Messiah.   And it will shine from the East for 15 days, and if it be prolonged, it will be for the good of Israel."  In another place in antiquity it states that a Star in the East was to appear two years before the birth of the Messiah.  

     Did a star really appear in the East at this time in history?  It was recorded in history that there was a most remarkable conjunction of the planets Jupiter and Saturn in the constellation of Pisces.  This occurs only once in 800 years, and it did take place three times (May, October and December) in the year 747, which was 2 years before the birth of Christ.  This conjunction is admitted by all astronomers.  It was not only extraordinary, but presented the most brilliant spectacle in the night sky. This would definitely have attracted the attention of all who studied astronomy.  This does not account for the Biblical account of the star moving and showing them the way, though.  But it could account for the attention of the Magi being aroused and making their inquiries.  This would have been an extraordinary thing, even if they didn't know firsthand about the expected birth of the Saviour.  

     A man named Kepler, who was a scientist, noticed in later years that when the three planets came into conjunction, a new, extraordinary, brilliant, and peculiarly colored evanescent star was visible between Jupiter and Saturn, and he felt that maybe this was what had happened hundreds of years ago under the same circumstances that led the Magi to the Christ-Child.  This is only speculation, though, as the Bible does not mention this exactly.  If his theory is correct, then this could be the 'star' of the Magi, 'in its rising' as the Bible says.  

     The Chinese have also kept records for thousands of years of the stars, and it was about that same time that they noted the appearance of an evanescent star.  They recorded it as some kind of comet, and calculated its appearance at about the same time that the Magi would have left Jerusalem for Bethlehem.  There is none of this that can be totally proven, though, and we can only suppose what actually happened.

     There are only two things that are actually recorded of this visit of the Magi to Bethlehem:  their humblest Eastern homage, and their offerings.  The incense and myrrh probably would have seem inappropriate as gifts, but they were evidently received as tokens of the products of the country the Magi were from.  In this sense, they could have represented the Gentiles of the world, even at this early time.  In any case, they were truly honored to be in the presence of this Christ-Child and must have brought items that were some of the best from their country.

     God could not let the Christ-Child be terminated, though, so He warned the Magi in a dream that it was a trap and they should go on home another way.  He also warned Joseph and Mary in a dream that they should leave Bethlehem and move to Egypt away from Herod.  When Herod realized his plan had failed to find out exactly who the Child was with the help of the Magi,  then he gave the order that the babies 2 and under should be killed.  Considering the population of Bethlehem, there were probably 20 babies killed at most, but it was still a heinous thing that Herod did.  These babies could be called the first martyrs for Christ.  

     Josephus, the Jewish Historian, doesn't even mention this event in his records.  The slaughter was entirely in accordance with the character and former measures of Herod.  There had been so much bloodshed since he had taken over, that perhaps Josephus didn't think such a small number of people killed amounted to anything much.  Also, Josephus may not have mentioned this event, because he was afraid of the repercussions that would follow when the Romans read what he had written.  It certainly could have caused him much inconvenience.

     The flight of Mary and Joseph into Egypt fulfilled the prophecy of Hosea that said "out of Egypt have I called my Son".  These words were in the highest sense 'fulfilled' in the flight to, and return of, the Saviour from Egypt.

     For more information from this book, go to the archives page at my site  www.cathydeaton.com  There are other articles of interest there also.  

     This text has been taken from the book Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah written by Alfred Edersheim.  This book has been used by permission.