Magi

Biblical Account

The Magi appear only in Matthew 2:1–12. When Jesus was born in the days of King Herod, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem asking where "he that is born King of the Jews" was. They said they had seen "his star" in the East and had come to worship him. When Herod heard this, he was troubled. He gathered the chief priests and scribes and asked them where the Christ was to be born, and on the basis of Micah 5:2 they answered that it would be Bethlehem. Herod inquired of the Magi exactly when the star had appeared and sent them on their way, asking them to report back to him once they had found the child.

The star went before the Magi until it stood over the place where the child was. The Magi entered the "house," saw the young child with Mary, fell down and worshiped him, and presented gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Frankincense is a fragrant tree resin, and myrrh is a tree resin used as a spice and as a medicine. Afterward the Magi, warned in a dream not to return to Herod, departed into their own country by another way. In the passage that follows, Jesus' family flees into Egypt, and Herod kills the children in and around Bethlehem who were two years old and under, according to the time he had learned from the Magi (Matthew 2:16).

Significance Within Scripture

Matthew records a scene in which Gentiles are the first to come and worship Jesus, who was born King of the Jews. At the news that the long-awaited king had come, Herod and Jerusalem were troubled, while the Magi rejoiced and worshiped. The text sets these two responses in contrast. Many interpreters read this scene in connection with Isaiah 60:3–6, where the nations come bringing light and gifts, and see it as part of a theme that culminates in the Great Commission to all nations at the end of Matthew.

Interpretations and Issues

• Meaning of "Magi": The original Greek term magoi is understood to refer either to a Persian priestly class or to scholars who observed the stars. The Korean Bible's term baksa ("learned men") is reported to follow the rendering used in Chinese Bible translations. Opinions differ on their place of origin, with proposals including Persia, Babylon, and Arabia.
• The star: Some regard it as a special sign brought about by God, while others have tried to explain it as an astronomical phenomenon such as a planetary conjunction or a comet. A related question is whether the Magi's finding their way by a star amounts to an endorsement of astrology. A common interpretation holds that God called them through a means they understood, but that the final destination was revealed through Scripture (the book of Micah).
• Traditions not found in the text: Scripture does not say how many Magi there were. The tradition that there were three arose from the fact that there were three gifts. Calling them kings or giving them the names Caspar, Melchior, and Balthazar is a later tradition of the Western church. The interpretation that gold signifies kingship, frankincense divinity, and myrrh death has likewise been handed down since the early church. In addition, the text says that the Magi entered a "house," and Herod used the age of two years and under as his benchmark. For this reason, many interpreters do not believe that the Magi, like the shepherds, came to the manger on the day of the birth.
• Feast day: Western church tradition commemorates the visit of the Magi on January 6, the Feast of the Epiphany. The Eastern Orthodox Church places greater emphasis on the baptism of Jesus on that same day.

In the Korean Church

The Magi frequently appear in sermons, Christmas pageants, and Sunday school lessons around Christmas. In pageants they are commonly portrayed as three wise men standing at the manger alongside the shepherds. Sermons often apply the Magi's worship and gifts to the worship and devotion of believers. Churches that follow the church calendar, including Anglican and Methodist churches and some Presbyterian churches, may read this passage at Epiphany.