The Magi

“After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, ‘Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.’” Matthew 2:1-2
Matthew’s gospel presents Jesus as the King, the Son of David, so it is fitting that it is only his gospel that mentions the coming of the Magi to the infant Jesus. (The Magi did not arrive on the night Jesus was born - in fact, Jesus was probably about two years old at this time: Herod killed the babies in Bethlehem from this age and under, after enquiring of the Magi when they first saw the star (Matt. 2:16). Mary and Joseph were no longer in a stable, but were living in a house (Matt. 2:11).)
So who were the Magi? They were not kings themselves, as commonly portrayed in Christmas carols, nor do we know their names – in fact, we don’t know how many of them came (people assume there were three because they presented three gifts to Jesus, but Scripture is silent. In fact, there were probably more, because everyone in Jerusalem heard about it, Matt. 2:3). The Magi were priests of an ancient Persian sect, who studied astronomy extensively. The word ‘mag’ means priest, and it is from this word that we obtain our English words ‘magician’ and ‘magistrate’. The Magi had a role as those who appointed kings. No wonder Herod was deeply troubled when they came and asked, ‘Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews’ – Herod himself had not been born a king, but had appointed himself to that position.
There is an interesting tradition that during Daniel’s time in Babylon, he received certain prophecies from God concerning signs that would accompany the coming of Messiah, which were passed on through the traditions of the Magi. Over time the details were corrupted, but the central message remained. Christ had come to earth, and He is worthy to be worshipped.