Pastor Sue
Pearls From Above
It has always been assumed that the wise men from the east were Persian, or Babylonian pagans. Matthew 2 gives us this story, Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, in the days of Herod, the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, 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.”
Is it very probable that they were Jews descended from the Babylonian captives.
We know from scripture that there were many Jews who chose to stay in Babylon and the east when Cyrus released them to go back to Judah and Jerusalem. We know that Daniel was called a wise man whom Nebuchadnezzar relied on during his reign. Jewish wise men (scholars) would know this also, and that Balaam (Numbers 24) prophesied there shall come a Star out of Jacob. They knew a messiah was coming, according to scripture. The Jews followed Judaism, studied the Jewish calendar for feast days, sun, moon, and stars for times and seasons, they knew the Old Testament scriptures concerning the birth of a coming king. The phrase king of the Jews was in reference to the Messiah. They said they came to worship this newborn king, something only a Jew would do. They knew scripture said he would be born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2). They brought gold (referencing his kingship), frankincense, used in the tabernacle of Moses and Solomons temple by the high priest in worship (referencing to his high priest hood after the order of Melchizedek ), and myrrh (referencing to his future death and burial). All these are something only Jews would know concerning the coming Messiah. So then why did they go to Jerusalem instead of Bethlehem? Because it had taken them several months or more to travel from the east to Jerusalem, and they were probably expecting to see this new king of the Jews already in Jerusalem, and we notice in v.2, that the wise men made it clear that they were there to worship the one that was BORN King of the Jews. Herod was put on the throne over the Jews by the Romans, he was from the lineage of Esau, that’s why he was troubled, and why he sent soldiers to kill the children age two and under. If we are saved and Born again of the Spirit, we have also seen his star, for Jesus is the root and offspring of David, and the bright and morning star (Revelation 22:16)…God bless.