#9 The Wise Men Visit

#9 The Wise Men Visit

Please Read: Matthew 2:1-12

The family now remains in Bethlehem to fulfill the responsibilities of the law. Mary’s days of purification are accomplished (40 days for a male child, 80 days for a female) and Jesus as the first-born male must be redeemed from a life of Levite priestly service to the Lord by payment of five shekels. This they do. While in the Temple the Holy Ghost reveals to Simeon and Anna, a Priest and Priestess, that Jesus is the Messiah and they testify to this truth. We now turn to the visit of the Wise Men (Magi).

Apostle James E. Talmage:

“Some time after the presentation of Jesus in the temple, though how long we are not told, possibly but a few days, possibly weeks or even months, Herod, king of Judea, was greatly troubled, as were the people of Jerusalem in general, over the report that a Child of Prophecy ... one destined to become King of the Jews ... had been born.” There came to Jerusalem certain men from afar, wise men they were called, and they asked, ‘Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.’ Herod summoned ‘all the chief priests and scribes of the people,’ and demanded of them where, according to the prophets, Christ should be born. They answered him, ‘In Bethlehem of Judea; for thus it is written by the prophet.’

“Herod sent secretly for the wise men, and inquired of them as to the source of their information …  Then he directed them to Bethlehem, saying: ‘Go and search diligently for the young child; and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also.’ As the men set out from Jerusalem on the last stage of their journey, the new star they had seen in the east was again visible. They found the house were-in Mary was living with her husband and the Babe, and as they recognized the royal Child they fell down and worshiped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts ... Preparing to return home, they would have stopped at Jerusalem to report to the king as he had requested, but “being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way.”

“...the appearance of a new star was a predicted sign recognized and acknowledged among the people of the western world as witness of Messiah's birth.”

The following excerpt is from an article entitled “The Christmas Star” that appeared in The Church News in December 25, 1983:

“The Wise Men saw the Christmas star in the east. It led them to Bethlehem. Somehow they had been taught about the Messiah. In some way they knew that the star was His and that it would guide them to His presence, so they followed it. They went first to Herod's palace, for evidently God wanted him to know of the Savior's birth, and chose this way to tell him.

“When the wise men left the palace to continue their journey, God warned them against further contact with Herod, and again provided the star to lead them to the place where the young Child and His mother lived. The scriptures say, “And lo, the star which they saw in the east went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.” (Matthew 2:9-10)

“Obviously, the star was not a part of some constellation millions of miles away in the heavens, nor was its light from any unusual alignment of planets in the skies. It was down to earth with them. It led the way and “stood over where the young child was.” A star in a galaxy millions of miles away could not stand over a particular house. It would not move like a beacon along the road to Bethlehem. This was a special light provided to guide these devoted wise men who brought their gifts to the young King.

“A star was seen in America, too. This was a sign to the faithful Nephites who had waited for this affirmation of the birth of the Lord, for whom they had suffered severe persecution. It was a joy to them as it was to the wise men of the east. How far above the earth this star was no one knows, but it was so different from all other heavenly bodies that the Nephites recognized it as the divine sign that Christ was born. Yes, the Christmas star was a reality in both hemispheres.”

Reynolds and Sjodahl:

“Other nations in the mid-east areas had religious leaders and wise men who were highly regarded and honored by their people as was the tribe of Levi in Israel. These were individuals “who had charge of religion, arts, and the higher culture generally.” The wise men who thus came to pay homage to Jesus could very well have been from among these personages.”

Frederick Farrar:

“Religious leaders and wise men, learned men, were well known in the east in antiquity. Their visits to western nations would not be an unfamiliar occurrence. Throughout the entire east at this time there was an intense conviction, derived from ancient prophecies, that ere long a powerful monarch would arise in Judea, and gain dominion over the world.

“The appearance of a new star in the heavens would fit right into the event of Jesus' birth. The Greeks and Romans of this time believed that heavenly signs signaled the birth and/or death of great men.”

In “The Life and Teachings of Jesus and his Apostles” from the CES Seminaries and Institutes of Religion:

“The wise men were familiar with the prophecies that foretold of the birth of Christ and recognizing the signs that had been given journeyed to Jerusalem to pay homage to the “King of the Jews.” They would merit an audience with king Herod.  Also, they received revelation warning them not to return and tell Herod where to find the Child.”

Apostle Bruce R. McConkie:

“In contrast to shepherds, and temple workers Simeon and Anna, we now learn of witnesses who could command an audience with kings. It would appear they were true prophets, righteous persons ... to whom deity revealed that the promised Messiah had been born among men.

“They were aware of ancient prophecies telling of the rise of a new star at his birth and were led by that star in their journey to where Jesus was. They found and worshiped the Christ child and received revelation to not disclose the Child's location.

“The probability is they were themselves Jews who lived, as millions of Jews then did, in one of the nations to the East. It was the Jews, not the gentiles, who were acquainted with the scriptures and who were waiting with anxious expectation for the coming of a King. And that King was to come to them first; he was to deliver his message to them before it went to the gentile world, and his first witnesses were to come from his own kinsmen, from the house of Israel, not from the gentile nations.”

The LDS Bible Dictionary provides the following information about the Wise Men:

"Magi. Called ‘wise men.’ Their identification is not made known in the scriptures, but it is certain that they were righteous men sent on an errand to witness the presence of the Son of God on the earth. Their spiritual capacity is evident: They were able to see the star when others could not; they knew its meaning, and brought gifts to the young child; and they were warned of God in a dream to return to their home by a safe route. Their knowledge was precise and accurate. It seems likely that they were representatives of a branch of the Lord's people somewhere from east of Palestine, who had come, led by the spirit, to behold the Son of God, and who returned to their people to bear witness that the King Immanuel had indeed been born in the flesh ... If they were serving in the capacity of witnesses, there would of necessity have been two or three.

“Wise Men of the East. Matthew 2:1-12 states that wise men (how many is not recorded), guided by a new star, came to Bethlehem to worship Jesus sometime after his birth. Who these men were we are not told, but it is certain they were not ordinary men. That they were privileged to search out the Son of God and give him gifts, and that they were spiritually sensitive and knowledgeable, suggests that they were actually prophets on a divine errand. The customary identification of them as astrologers is a gross misrepresentation. They evidently were holy men from a land east of Palestine. 

“The Jews were not the only people who had expectations of a deliverer. Even the emperor Augustus was viewed by some as a hero-ruler who would bring peace to the land. Such beliefs were not just throughout the middle east, but also in lands around the Mediterranean.   Astrology also had its influence here. Many peoples: Stoics, Babylonians, Romans, Seleucids, Greeks, Arabs, were much involved in this quasi-science.”

Albright and Mann:

“Astrology and the prevalence of magi as a professional class are both very well attested in the contemporary literature. In spite of the frequent condemnation of astrology in the O.T., in the inter-Testamental literature, and in the rabbinic writings, Judaism was deeply affected by the phenomenon. Josephus writes that the veil of the temple was adorned with stars and many excavated synagogues in Rome and Palestine have been found to have the zodiac depicted in them.

“Historically, there is nothing in the least improbable about magi traveling from Babylon west, or anywhere else in the Mediterranean world. They would find welcome audiences anywhere, from royal courts to market places. Consultation of magi by kings and prominent persons is well attested. “Messianism” of one kind or another was in the air almost everywhere. The news of magi coming to seek a king would guarantee Herod’s calling for them … Herod was constantly concerned with real or imagined usurpers after his throne.”

Glenn R. McGettigan

January 2012; Revised September 2018