The Christmas Blogging Bash: The Mystery of the Magi

Hello Everyone!
Due to popular demand, the Christmas Blogging Bash is back! This year, a couple of people will be doing a blog post. At the bottom of this post, you will find links to their posts. However, you need to read this post first!

This year, my topic is the Mystery of the Magi. So here we go.
While there is a lot of tradition around the Magi, I'm going to try to avoid that and just state what we know, and what we suspect. 

What is a Magi Anyhow?
First of all, the word Magi is kind of made up. The word in Greek means astrologers, or magicians that watch and predict the future. But who wants to say that instead of being visited by kings, Jesus was visited by a bunch of geeky astrologers who were the leaders of a cult! So they just took an old French term that meant 'the magicians' and dropped the end of it, making the word Magi. Some versions also say Wise Men, which is probably a better translation, but less magnificent sounding.

Who Were the Magi?
The Wise Men were astrologers, or people who watched the stars. They were probably a part of the far eastern cult Zoroastrianism. This brings up an interesting question; Did God use astrology to announce the birth of Jesus? The answer is yes. God sent the message to the Magi using the stars. The Magi tell Herod such in Matthew 2:2, "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." (Italics added by me). God can sometimes use evil practices to show people the truth, but that's a whole other post. 

What Were Their Names and Where did They Come From?
While we don't know the names of the Magi, how many there were, or exactly where they came from, we can make an educated guess. The Greek word used is generally used when referring to China or India. However, Isaiah writes in chapter 60 that "Herds of camels will cover your land, young camels of Midian and Ephah. And all from Sheba will come, bearing gold and incense." This chapter is generally seen as a prophecy about Jesus coming back to earth. The reference to Sheba is interesting, because in the Bible, especially the Old Testament, Sheba refers to Ethiopia. Now, that is a long way from China! So it seems like the Magi actually came from different parts of the world, and actually met in Jerusalem! That is a miracle within itself. That three different men from different parts of the world would all see the same star and then come to Jerusalem to worship him and then meet is simply miraculous. According to tradition, the other Magi was from Persia, but I can find no evidence of this. 

When Did They Come?
According to Matthew, the Magi came and visited Jesus while he was living in a house; "And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother..." So, he was not still in the manger as many images and nativities show today. Jesus was between 41 days and 2 years old when the magi arrived. Jesus was taken to the temple to be dedicated after Mary's 40 day period of uncleanliness was over.The magi had to have come after Jesus' presentation in the temple, that is, after Jesus was 40 days old. Why? Because, Matthew tells us that after the magi departed, an angel warned Joseph to flee to Egypt, because Herod would try to kill Jesus. According to Scripture, Joseph, Mary and Jesus left that very night and went to Egypt. This would have left no time for the presentation in the temple, which we know happened. To see when Jesus was born, please read this article that I wrote last year. Basically, The Magi came sometime after 6 B.C. but before 4 B.C.


What Did They Bring and Why?


Everyone knows the Magi brought gold, frankincense, and myrrh, but what is the significance of that? Actually, there is a lot of significance. In the ancient times, gold was only given to kings. Thus, the gift of gold to baby Jesus was quite an astonishing thing. It was a less then subtle hint as to what the Magi believed about Jesus. Frankincense was used as a perfume, and an expensive one at that. Myrrh was used for medicinal purposes, and was believed to be able to cure many diseases. These were all very expensive gifts, and were only given to the most important of people. Tradition says that Mary and Joseph sold the gifts to finance their time in Egypt!

Why Does It Matter?
Now you've read the rest of the post and you're thinking, "Interesting, but why do I care?" And that's hard question. Why do the Magi matter? Well they matter in three ways:
1. They financed the trip to Egypt that save Jesus and fulfilled a prophecy,
2. They fulfilled the prophecy from Isaiah 60
3. The main significance of the Magi is that God so wonderfully revealed the identity of Jesus as Messiah and King of the Jews to these Gentile Magi. (And to the rest of us who aren't Jewish and are considered Gentiles.) It seems to be a wonderful fulfillment of the prophet Simeon's prophecy, that Jesus would be, "a light of revelation to the Gentiles" Luke 2:31.


Thanks for Reading!
JM


Here are the links to my friends' posts for the Christmas Blogging Bash:

Hannah posted about Christmas Traditions, Ellen posted about Christmas Recipes, Caleb posted about Desperation for Christmas, and Spencer posted about Old Testament Prophecies and New Testament Fulfillment.


Bibliography:
The Holy Bible
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magi
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midian
http://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/people-cultures-in-the-bible/jesus-historical-jesus/why-did-the-magi-bring-gold-frankincense-and-myrrh/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biblical_Magi
http://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/people-cultures-in-the-bible/jesus-historical-jesus/bible-scholar-brent-landau-asks-%E2%80%9Cwho-were-the-magi%E2%8
Dr. Eric Smith Prof. Old Testament
http://www.orlutheran.com/html/magifaq.html