Wise Men

I was asked by my friend the RS president to help her in her Christmas Lesson in Relief Society. She asked me to read the scriptures about the Wise Men, to focus on what the scriptures tell us, and then find those character traits that they (the wise men) had and how can we apply those to our lives.

So that started a lot of studying about the wise men. I thought that since I had it typed up and everything, that I should add a bit more that I learned and put it on my blog. So this was my talk with a bunch of changes from what I actually said during the lesson.

Matthew 2:1-12

1 Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judæa in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem,

2 Saying, 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.

3 When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.

4 And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born.

5 And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judæa: for thus it is written by the prophet,

6 And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel.

7 Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, enquired of them diligently what time the star appeared.

8 And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, 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.

9 When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was.

10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.

11 ¶And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.

12 And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way.

That is all the information that we have about the Wise men from the scriptures. We know a little about the wise men from this but there is a lot that we DON’T know and a lot of what we think we know is from tradition, not the scriptures.

According to verse 11, the wise men didn’t go to a stable, but to a house. The verse says, “They saw the young child”. It was probably between 1 and 2 years after the birth of Jesus that Wise men appeared. Think about transportation in those days. Even if the wise men started their journey immediately after the star appeared, it would take a while to get there. Also, in verse 7 Herod “enquired of them diligently what time the star appeared”. Later when the wise men did not show up, Herod used that information to kill all babies 2 and under. He was looking for a small child.

Other things that are mostly tradition and we do not know are, how many wise men there were, where they were from and if they rode camels. We just don’t know and those things really don’t matter. The only clue from the scriptures is that they were from the East. Bruce R. McConkie wrote, “It would appear that they were true prophets, or righteous persons like Simeon, Anna, and the shepherds, to whom Deity revealed that the promised Messiah had been born among men.”

Other clues from the scriptures are that from the Book of Mormon. Book of Mormon people were a righteous branch of Israel that were led away from Jerusalem area. They were given a sign and told of his birth. Where they lived it was impossible to travel to see the young child. It is possible that there were many righteous groups of people living away from Jerusalem. The whole earth would have seen this new star. Those who knew what it meant, and could go to Jerusalem, would have wanted to go.

So that raises another question. They saw the star in their home country and traveled from the East. How did they know where to go? Nephi’s family had the brass plates and prophets to guide them. These men from “the East” might have had similar thingsthat the Book of Mormon people had. They may have had traditions, scriptures or prophecy to guide them. They said, “Where is he that is born King of the Jews?” They came to Jerusalem and to the king’s palace. They knew they were looking for a Jew and a King. They followed the information that they had.

They brought gifts to the young child. These were gifts fit for a king, but also Symbolic. Gold was symbolic of his Kingship, Frankincense of his divinity, and Myrrh, His suffering and death. This showed that they knew of his life and what he was to do for all of us. When they found Jesus, “They fell down and worshipped him.” They did not just follow a star to see where it would take them, they were prepared.

The wise men were warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, so they left to their homeland another way. This is another example that these were good people who were open to revelation and guidance from God.

Bible dictionary sums it up.

“Magi. Called “wise men” (Matt. 2:1). 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. We are not told how many wise men there were, but tradition usually speaks of three, because of the three gifts of gold, myrrh, and frankincense. If they were serving in the capacity of witnesses, there would of necessity have been two or three.”

OK, Nephi says to “liken all scriptures unto us, that it might be for our profit and learning”. So what can we take from these scriptures to improve ourselves?

First we find him.

“And when they saw the star they rejoiced” The wise men were so happy to see the star- they knew what it meant. That the Savior of the world had come. We can have that same happiness as we live our lives. As we live the commandments we feel happy. Happiness comes through following Christ and his example. The happiest people that I know are the most righteous- have repented or are repenting of their sins. Those that are always complaining usually have not used Christ’s gift of repentence in their life.

We need to follow the star. What is OUR symbolic star. I have thought a lot about this and it may be different for each individual person. What is it that brings us to Christ? Find that and do it. BUT there is one thing that is for all of us. That is the Holy Ghost. He always leads us to Christ. He can be our star if we follow his promptings. If we are in church and we hear something that we are not doing or not doing very well, we usually feel something push us and invite us to start doing it. This is the Holy Ghost. Do we follow those feelings? It is our choice to follow the Holy Ghost just as it was the wise men’s choice to follow the star.

The wise men were prepared BEFORE the sign of the new star came. They knew what it meant. We can be prepared. We will never find him if we do not seek for him. President Monson wrote a talk on this subject. He says, “the formula for finding Him has always been the same—the earnest and sincere prayer of a humble and pure heart.” President Monson also said, “We must prepare Time for him in our lives. There are many who have time for golf, shopping, -- but no time for Christ.” In MY life I think of the time I make to check my email, facebook, blogs etc… but where is the time that I set aside for Christ? Not as it should be for sure.

Also, the wise men knew the sign when they saw it. They had studied and were prepared. We have the scriptures, the prophet, conference, stake conference, church each week. We live in a time where the most information about the gospel of Jesus Christ is at our fingertips online. Are we using it to study and improve our lives. There are signs that we should be looking for... do WE know what they are?

Then when we find him what do we do? The wise men brought gifts with them. They worshipped him.

Will we be prepared as the wise men were to provide gifts? The wise men’s gifts were symbolic. Our gifts to him will not be a wrapped gift that we bought at the mall, He has asked for specific things. He asks that we give of ourselves. D&C 64:34 says, “Behold the Lord requireth the heart and a willing mind.” Every member of the Church who has been baptized has covenanted to stand as a witness of God “At all times and in all things and in all places” and are willing to “bear one another’s burdens that they might be light.”

By fulfilling these covenants, we are preparing ourselves. We are making our gift for Christ. How many people have we helped, and taught, and loved? These are gifts to the Savior. By doing these things we are getting to KNOW our savior, and we will want to fall down and worship him.

Another thing to learn from the wise men is about Personal Revelation. The Wise men were warned in a dream. When personal revelation comes to alter the plans that we have made, we can obey, having faith and trust that God know what is best for us.

The words, “Come unto Christ” is an invitation and it is up to US to accept this, the most important invitation just by preparing ourselves.

In the Name of Jesus Christ Amen.

This article below was one of the sources that I used in my talk. It had a lot of other information that I found interesting. I didn't use most of it in my talk but I loved reading it.

John A. Tvedtnes, in the October 1981 Ensign

Many are the myths surrounding the first Christmas. Most of them are designed to explain details lacking in the biblical account, but many are certainly incorrect or unsubstantiated.

We know, for example, that the wise men didn’t go to a stable but to a house (see Matt. 2:11), but we are not so sure when they arrived. It probably was close to two years after the birth of Christ. Based on their information, Herod ordered the destruction of all children two years old and under in Bethlehem, the implication being that the child he was seeking was near two years old. On the other hand, Herod could have sought a margin of security and added a year or so in his death request. (See Matt. 2:7, 16.)

We don’t know if the wise men rode camels. We don’t even know for sure how many there were. While some traditions indicate there were twelve of them, three is the most popular number because of the three expensive gifts—gold, frankincense, and myrrh. (See Matt. 2:11.)

We are also uncertain about what they were and where they were from. It is possible that they were Jewish, for at that time there still lived in Babylonia and Persia a very large Jewish community—perhaps more numerous than the Jews under Herod’s rule. Some traditions use Old Testament passages to support the idea that they were kings. (See Isa. 49:7; Isa. 60:3–7.) Others cite Psalm 72:10, 15, [Ps. 72:10, 15] as evidence that the alleged three kings were from Tarshish, Sheba, and Seba, identified in medieval times with Spain, Ethopia, and Arabia.

Other scholars believe the wise men were from Persia because the Greek word behind the King James Version translation of wise men (in Matt. 2:1, 7, 16) is Magoi, a Persian word sometimes rendered in English texts as Magi. This word, the origin of our English word magic, refers to priests in the Zoroastrian religion of ancient Persia. Early Christian tradition associates the coming of the Magi with a prophecy attributed to Zoroaster, whom ancient Persians accepted as a prophet. (See I Infancy Gospel 3:1, in The Lost Books of the Bible, New York: The World Publishing Co., 1926, p. 40.)

Marco Polo’s account supports the Persia theory. He reported that three Magi had set out from Saba in Persia, where their tombs were still shown in his day. Local tradition named three kings: Gaspar, Melchior, and Balthasar. (See The Travels of Marco Polo, New York: Grosset and Dunlap, n.d., p. 33.) The same names are used in Christian tradition today for non-Persian wise men. The Armenian Gospel of the Infancy, chapter eleven, names the Magi as Melkon, King of Persia; Gaspar of India; and Balthazar of Arabia. (See The Apocryphal New Testament, trans. Montague Rhodes James, Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1924, p. 83.) The names appear to be Akkadian, however, common at Babylon from whence they spread through other parts of the Persian Empire from the fifth century B.C.

Marco Polo also reported that the three Persians who went away to worship the newborn prophet took gold, frankincense, and myrrh. (Marco Polo, p. 34.) Christian tradition refers to these gifts as symbolic, respectively, of Jesus’ kingship, divinity, and passion (myrrh being used for perfuming the dead before burial, as seen in John 19:39–40).

The star is perhaps the most puzzling aspect of the story, because the wise men are generally depicted as following the moving celestial body from their homeland (or a central meeting point) to Jerusalem, and then to Bethlehem. Our modern knowledge of astronomy makes it difficult to accept such a view. And since the new star was also seen by inhabitants of the American continent (see Hel. 14:5; 3 Ne. 1:21), it obviously couldn’t have hovered over the wise men. Their report to Herod that they had “seen his star in the east” (Matt. 2:2) may have meant that they themselves were in the east at the time, not that the star was in the east and moved westward. An alternate translation sometimes given to the Greek text is not “in the east” but “at its rising.”

If the wise men weren’t following the star from their homeland, how were they able to pinpoint the country where the new king would be born? We must attribute their knowledge to some tradition or prophecy in their homeland. They knew enough to come to Judea, but did not go directly to Bethlehem. Instead, they went to the palace in Jerusalem—a place where one would expect the birth of a king. When they appeared in Herod’s court, they asked, “Where is he that is born King of the Jews?” (Matt. 2:2.) Quite obviously, they knew they were looking for a Jew.

While there is no hint in the Matthew account that the star “led” the wise men to the west from their homeland, there was some sort of directional indication when they went from Jerusalem to Bethlehem. (See Matt. 2:9–10.) Since Herod’s people had instructed them that the Messiah was to be born in Bethlehem (see Matt. 2:4–6), there was no need for the star to show the way there. But it would have been helpful in pinpointing the spot where they could find Jesus. (See Matt. 2:9.) We do not know exactly how it did this. It may have been a phenomenon other than the star seen two years previous, since the Nephite record makes no mention of a second appearance of the star. Interestingly, one source indicates that it was an angel in the guise of a star. (See 1 Infancy Gospel 3:3.)

The Book of Mormon indicates that the new star was accompanied by a tremendous brightness in the heavens which made the night appear as day. (See Hel. 14:2–6; 3 Ne. 1:15–21.) This phenomenon is not mentioned in the New Testament account. However, it is confirmed in early Christian tradition. In a letter from Ignatius to the Ephesians, written about A.D. 100, we read:

“How then was our Saviour manifested to the world? A star shone in heaven beyond all the other stars, and its light was inexpressible, and its novelty struck terror into men’s minds. All the rest of the stars, together with the sun and moon, were the chorus to this star; but that sent out its light exceedingly above them all.

“And men began to be troubled to think whence this new star came so unlike to all the others.” (Ignatius to the Ephesians 4:11–12, The Lost Books of the Bible.)

But why did God send the wise men to Bethlehem? It is true that Herod began his search for the young Messiah as a result of their visit. But news from the tale of the shepherds was bound to find its way to the court ultimately anyway. (See Luke 2:17–18.) Sooner or later, he would come searching for the child to destroy him. Joseph and Mary were poor and would not have had the means to travel out of Herod’s reach. Their poverty may, in fact, have been the reason they remained in Bethlehem rather than returning to Nazareth. But with the precious gifts brought by the wise men, they could escape into Egypt. Thus, it is likely that the arrival of the wise men was part of God’s plan for fulfilling prophecy and for preserving the family from danger.

Another purpose may have been served by the wise men. We cannot know with whom they shared their experiences, but it is possible that they spread the knowledge of the Messiah’s birth to the Jewish community throughout Babylonia and Persia.

Merry Christmas Everyone!