Who were the “wise men”?
They were the “wise men from the east” (see
Bethlehem of Judea)
who arrived in Jerusalem and declared, “Where is the
One who
has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east
and have come to worship Him.” (Matthew 2:2)
Were there three wise men?
There could have been three wise men, but there also could have been
more than three wise men, or just two. The Bible does not say
“three,” so the number of wise men could have been any greater than
one.
But didn’t the wise men present three “gifts”
(Matthew 2:11)?
Three gifts (see
gold, frankincense and myrrh) could have been presented by two, three or thirty wise men.
Why did Herod ask the wise men “what time the
star had appeared”?
He and/or they associated the
star of Bethlehem’s appearing with the conception or the birth
of the One “who has been born King of
the Jews” (Matthew 2:2). Herod was trying to deduce the age of
the threat to his throne whom he was going to kill (see
slaughter of the innocents).
Why did Herod call the wise men “secretly”?
The wise men didn’t know what kind of man Herod was (see
King Herod), but the Jews knew. If
the Jews heard Herod trying to deduce the age of the challenger to
his throne, they would have suspected that he will kill the child, so
his murderous plot risked being exposed.
Did the wise men believe Herod’s words at face
value?
Since they had to be “divinely warned in a dream
that they should not return to Herod” (Matthew 2:12), they
apparently did.
What should the wise men have grasped?
As soon as they realized that the “One who has been
born King of the Jews” whom they had come to worship is not
a
newborn son of the king reigning over the Jews, they should have
realized that the news of this birth would not be welcomed by the
reigning king. And when the reigning king questioned them about what
time the star appeared, they should have realized that he was trying to
gain intelligence on his target.
How wise were these wise men?
They were more naive than wise to believe that the king reigning over
the Jews will “worship”
(Matthew 2:8) the child who will
topple his throne.
Then why are they called “wise men”?
μαγοι (magoi), the original Greek word
translated, “wise men,” actually means
“astrologers,” “seers” or “sorcerers.” These were not men with
Godly wisdom. It could even be argued that they were used by Satan, who
was trying to kill Jesus before the appointed time (see
the hour has come).