Why does God show himself to the wise men of the Orient?
God wants people from all parts of the world to get to know him as King and Lord, regardless of their origin!
Who are these scholars?
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Who were they? Where did they come from? What did they want?
It is worth following in the footsteps of these scholars, who are often mistakenly referred to as three kings.
In his account of Jesus (the Gospel of Matthew), Matthew describes them as astrologers, in other words astronomers. They come from the East and are looking for the newborn King of the Jews.
Matthew writes in his account into God’s word:
After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”
Matthew 2, verses 1-2
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.®
For these wise men, it is clear that this Jesus is the King to whom God has pointed them through the prophecies and the star.
Jesus is the KING.
How did they know the meaning of the star?
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The 70 Weeks
605-536 B.C. As an exiled Jew, Daniel works as a high scholar and advisor at the Babylonian imperial court. God reveals future events to him.
Daniel’s prophecy of the 70 Weeks of Years
In 444 B.C. the Persian king Artaxerxes decreed that the Jews should rebuild the city wall of Jerusalem (Nehemiah 2, verses 1-8). (=year 0 from which the years are counted)
In 395 B.C. Daniel’s prophecy speaks of 7 times 7 years (=49 years) in which the wall of Jerusalem was rebuilt and the city restored. This probably refers to the time from 444-395 BC when this happened.
In 33 A.D. In Daniel’s prophecy, 62 times 7 years (=434 years) follow until the chosen one is executed. That is a total of 483 Jewish years (360 days each). This corresponds to 476 years according to the Gregorian calendar (365 days plus leap years). This brings us to the year 33 AD, when Jesus Christ was executed. The birth of God’s chosen savior was expected beforehand!
These wise men were probably priests and scholars from Medes. They belonged to the highest educated class in the Medo-Persian region. This region includes modern-day Iran and Iraq.
In 539 BC, the Jew Daniel served as such a scholar at the royal court under King Darius (cf. Daniel 6, verses 1-4).
Daniel received extraordinary wisdom from God and various revelations about the future. One is about a future king and savior (Daniel 9, verses 25-26).
Daniel received the following revelation from God:
Now listen and understand! Seven sets of seven plus sixty-two sets of seven will pass from the time the command is given to rebuild Jerusalem (444 B.C.) until a ruler—the Anointed One—comes. Jerusalem will be rebuilt with streets and strong defenses, despite the perilous times.
After this period of sixty-two sets of seven (395 B.C.), the Anointed One will be killed (33 A.D.), appearing to have accomplished nothing, and a ruler will arise whose armies will destroy the city and the Temple (70 A.D.). The end will come with a flood, and war and its miseries are decreed from that time to the very end.
Daniel 9, verses 25-26
Holy Bible, New Living Translation copyright 1996, 2004, 2007, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation
Note: The years in brackets refer to the years in which the prophecy was fulfilled. They are derived from the 70 weeks (actually 70 sets of years times 7) of Daniel 9.
The knowledge of this prophecy was carefully preserved in the city of Ekbatana (Medes). As were other predictions, for example by Balaam, about a rising star (ruler) among the Jews (Numbers 24, verse 17).
I see someone in the distance. He’s not there yet, but I can already recognize him. A star is rising among the descendants of Jacob, a sceptre is rising in Israel.
Numbers 24, verse 17
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.®
So it is not surprising that astronomers, probably from Ekbatana in the East, recognized the sign of God in the sky. They knew Daniel’s predictions about the promised Savior and King of the Jews, and thus even the approximate year!
Why did they acknowledge Jesus as king?
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God’s sign in the sky was clear to these wise men. They never doubted for a moment that the promised savior and king had been born in Israel. They prepared their journey and gifts for the newborn ruler.
Then they set off on their journey. This took them more than 1000 km from the north of modern-day Iran to Jerusalem, the seat of King Herod’s government in Israel.
Herod himself had enquiries made as to where the Messiah was to be expected. On the basis of the writings of the prophet Micah, he sent the wise men to Bethlehem.
The prophet Micah predicts:
But the Lord says to Bethlehem in the region of the clan of Ephrath: “You may be one of the smallest towns in Judah, but from you comes the man who will lead the people of Israel in my name. His origins lie far back in the distant past.”
Micah 5, verses 2
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.®
Herod asked them to tell him when they had found the Messiah. The star led the wise men to the young family. They reverently presented the King of Kings with their precious gifts (gold, frankincense and myrrh). In doing so, they showed their gratitude at being allowed to be in his presence, at having found him. And so they worshiped Jesus.
Matthew tells it like this:
The same star that they had been watching when it rose in the sky was now guiding them. It stopped over the house where the child was. When they saw this, their joy knew no bounds. They entered the house where they found the child with his mother Mary, fell down before him and honored him like a king. Then they unpacked their treasures and presented the child with gold, frankincense and myrrh.
Matthew 2, verses 9-11
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.®
JESUS is the promised king!
In a dream, God instructed the wise men to return home directly and not to seek out King Herod. Herod wanted to kill the newborn king.
Interesting detail
The star probably only appeared when Jesus was born. As the journey takes several weeks, they will not have reached Jesus until weeks or even months after the birth. This is also confirmed by the fact that King Herod had all the boys in Bethlehem who were two years old or younger killed.
Since God (after the astronomers’ visit) instructed Joseph in a dream to flee to Egypt, Jesus was able to escape.
What do these astronomers teach us?
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God wants ALL people to meet Jesus the Savior. He shows himself so that EVERYONE can understand, even astronomers from Medes!
When God shows himself to you and speaks to you, you should take it seriously. Go on a search and don’t give up immediately if it is different than expected.
Keep observing how God shows himself to you until you find Jesus. Jesus wants to be your king! Give him the most precious thing you have, your trust and your heart.
One way to get to know God and his son Jesus Christ better are the Bible courses at godtime.online.