Does the Bible Say “We Three Kings of Orient Are…?”

“In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, “Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage.” Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the had star appeared. Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage.” When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.” Matthew 2:1-2, 7-12

There are many theories about who these “Wise Men” were and from where they traveled. The textual references call the men “Astrologers” or “Magi”. They have traditionally been referred to as “Kings”. They most likely came from Persia, but there are at least five other countries that claim the “Wise Men”. The number of “Three” has been the tradition because they brought three gifts. But that does not mean that there were only three – there may have been three hundred. We just do not know.

The Bible does not clear up the conjecture. So, as is often the case, the writers of songs and stories have set the number at three and called them Kings or Magi. You see, in the absence of “hard facts”, people will create their own for the sake of simplicity. And yet, this does not really change the significance of the visitation. Their presence in the story remind us that the birth of the Christ child was a world-wide, world-shattering phenomenon – crossing religious and political boundaries. It seems Jesus was shaking things up from the very beginning, from his birth – up to his death and resurrection – which, thank the Lord, was not the end.

Pastor Dave