Matthew 2.1-12
After fulfilling their responsibilities at the Temple, Mary and Joseph would have returned to their temporary home in Bethlehem. But their lives would be anything but normal. They were soon to experience yet another unusual encounter. Magi from an eastern land would make a long journey to see Jesus, the King of the Jews. Although we often think of the wise men visiting Jesus in the stable, it makes much more sense to place their arrival sometime after Jesus’ consecration at the Temple. After all, shortly following the arrival of the magi, Mary and Joseph had to flee to Egypt for safety. Jerusalem and the Temple would be unsafe for their precious son.
Matthew’s Gospel alone tells us about the magi from the east. Their identity is puzzling, but they were apparently scholars and astronomers to whom God graciously revealed the arrival of Jesus. The magi, guided by a star, possibly the radiant revelation of God’s glory, journeyed to Jerusalem where they met with King Herod. Herod was a cruel man by every measure, as even secular history reveals. The magi informed Herod that a new King of the Jews had been born. Herod was threatened by any hint of challenge to his throne. He called together the religious scholars who informed him that the Scriptures pointed to Bethlehem as the birthplace of the Messiah. Herod sent the magi to Bethlehem to seek the child, feigning a personal desire to follow later and offer his own worship to this new king.
The magi left for Bethlehem, and the star appeared again to guide them to the house in which Mary, Joseph, and Jesus were living. There the magi presented the infant Jesus with costly gifts, gold, frankincense and myrrh. Then God warned the magi in a dream not to return to Herod, so they avoided Jerusalem as they made their long journey home. Mary and Joseph must have once again been baffled by such an unusual visit, and this poor couple was greatly assisted by the gifts these magi brought.
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