Prayer Tents Bible References - Prayer Tents

WISE MEN

Figures from Matthew’s Infancy narrative who visit the infant Jesus in Bethlehem (Matt. 2:1-12). These wise men (Gk. mágoi) from “the East” are led to Judea sometime after Jesus’ birth in order to “pay him homage.” Having been led by a star “at its rising,” they inquire of Herod the Great the exact location of the “king of the Jews.” Herod, fearful of a rival king, consults the chief priests and scribes regarding the location of the birth of the Messiah. Herod responds by calling for the wise men “secretly,” inquires of them the time of the star’s appearance, and requests them to find the child Jesus and report back to him so that Herod, under a ruse, might himself pay homage. The wise men in turn set out to find Jesus in Bethlehem, being led by the star. They pay homage to the child and offer gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. The story concludes with their departure for their “own country by another road,” since they are warned in a dream not to return to Herod. This infuriates Herod, who responds by slaughtering young male children in and around Bethlehem in an attempt to kill the child Jesus (Matt. 2:16-18).

In Matthew’s overall narrative, the pericope (Matt. 2:1-12) functions as the first of two acts that depict the recognition of Jesus as “king of the Jews” and Herod’s sinister response to it (vv. 13-23). The story of the wise men is a necessary component to Matthew’s narrative since their visit results in Jesus and his family fleeing to Egypt to avoid Herod’s wrath. It is likely, too, that Matt. 2:1-12 anticipates the passion of Jesus where he is again identified as “King of the Jews” (27:11, 29, 37) and is not recognized as such by his own people. The visit of the wise men also demonstrates Matthew’s continued interest in the OT, alluding to Ps. 72:10-11, 15; Isa. 60:5-6.

It is no accident that the wise men are portrayed as Gentiles. As such, they are the first to worship Jesus, who is both the son of David and the son of Abraham, according to Matthew’s genealogy (Matt. 1:1). While Gentiles are the first to pay homage to Jesus, his own people are the first to seek to destroy him, which is seen on various subsequent occasions in Matthew’s Gospel. Both narratively and theologically, the story is significant in that, as royal delegates from a foreign land, the wise men are the ones who worship the child Jesus, while Herod, the royal representative of Jesus’ land and people, attempts to destroy this rival king.

Various efforts have been made to identify the “wise men” as astrologers, interpreters of dreams, or magicians. Most scholars identify them as astrologers since their visit is in response to the appearance of a star, whose “eastern” home is possibly Parthia or Persia, Babylon, or the Arabian or Syrian deserts.

Bibliography. R. E. Brown, The Birth of the Messiah, rev. ed. (New York, 1993), 165-201, 608-10; W. D. Davies and D. C. Allison, The Gospel according to Saint Matthew 1. ICC (Edinburgh, 1988), 224-56.

Robert A. Derrenbacker, Jr.

Prayer Tents Bible References - Prayer Tents

WISE MEN

Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible (2000)