What does scripture say?

  • What is a wise man?
    • Context is everything
    • In New Testament, Greek “Magos”
    • Can mean magician, astronomer, scientist, doctor, etc.
    • True meaning usually derived from text
    • Acts 13:6 – Bar-Jesus (Elymas)
  • Hebrew “Chakam”
    • Wise men – 124 times
    • Cunning – 10 times
    • Unwise – 2 times
    • Wiser – 2 times
    • Subtle (shrewd) – 1 time
    • Not the same as sorcerer (Kashaph) or magician (chartom)

Wise men in Old Testament

  • Pharaohs had wise men AND sorcerers
    • Genesis 41:8
    • Exodus 7:11
  • Nebuchadnezzar’s wise men – Daniel 2:2
    • Magicians – occult knowledge
    • Sorcerers
    • Conjurers – astrologers
    • Chaldeans – smartest people in the land (compare Bohemian)
  • There were men who were wise
    • Their virtues were extolled
    • Deuteronomy 1:13-15
    • Proverbs 13:20; 29:8

Wisdom in the New Testament

  • Compared to foolish – Matthew 7:24-27
  • Their wisdom compared to God’s majesty – Romans 1:20-23
  • Wisdom desirable for a Christian – Romans 16:19; Ephesians 5:15
  • But not in one’s own eyes – Romans 11:25
  • Not in the wisdom of this world – I Corinthians 1:20

What about the magi?

  • Translations divided between “magi” and “wise men”
    • Transliteration versus translation
    • Selection of “wise men” over other possibilities
    • Dodging the issue by transliteration
      • Similar to “baptism”
  • What happened
    • Matthew 2:1-12
      • Matthew 2:6 – This is a quote from Micah 5:2.
    • Took place “… after Jesus was born in Bethlehem …”
      • Not the night of His birth
      • Wise men from “the East”
        • Likely Persia (Iran)
        • One-way trip of 800-900 miles
        • Daniel 9:24-27
          • Written in Persia
          • Timeline given
        • Balaam’s prophecy? Numbers 24:17
      • Were they Jews?
        • Many had remained after the captivity
        • At the time, outnumbered Jews in Judea
        • “His star” was their signal of the event
    • Went to Jerusalem
      • Began inquiring whereabouts of Jesus
      • Stated intent to worship Him
      • Herod’s trouble
      • Scribes and priests understood prophecy of Micah
      • Herod got the timing of Jesus’ birth from appearance of star
      • Herod’s lie – intent to worship
      • Wise men go, find, give, worship
        • Star indicated where Jesus was
        • They rejoiced
        • Three gifts or gifts of three things?
          • Gold
            • Valuable, could fund journey to Egypt
            • Representative of royalty, divinity
          • Frankincense
            • Sap from the Boswellia tree – Arabian Peninsula, East Africa, South Africa, India
            • Also valuable in trade
            • Used in offerings (see Leviticus 2:1-2 – grain offerings)
            • Exodus 30:34 – Kept in the testimony of the tabernacle
            • Symbolic of Jesus as high priest?
          • Myrrh
            • Sap of Commiphora tree
            • Purification ritual – Esther 2:12
            • Anointing tabernacle, high priests, kings
            • Bitter taste – Mark 15:23
            • Embalming – John 19:39-40
        • Aided in Jesus’ escape
      • How did they know not to go back to Herod?
      • Herod’s subsequence action – Matthew 2:16-18

What can we say about the wise men?

  • Read, understood, believed God’s word
  • Sought Jesus – despite great effort involved
  • Saw Him as God – to be humbly worshipped
  • Saw Him as valuable – opened their treasures to Him
  • In conflict of commands – Herod and God
  • Chose to obey God