Who Were the Wise Men? B

You say, well, why does Matthew present this?

Why? Listen. Matthew, all the way through his gospel, is trying to tell the world that Jesus Christ is what? King. And just to make sure nobody misses him, he has the most famous kingmakers in the world come and bow down at his feet. Welcome to Grace to You with John MacArthur.

I'm your host, Phil Johnson. If you asked the average person to describe the birth of Christ, they would probably mention animals, a manger, Mary, and three wise men. These men, the magi, have become a permanent part of the Christmas story, thanks to nativity scenes. But who exactly were they, and how many were there? And why did they visit Jesus, and when? Is what you think you know about the magi influenced more by Christmas traditions than by the Bible? John MacArthur helps you answer those questions today as he continues his study of the birth of the king. When you examine God's plan for the wise men, you just might think differently about how you worship Christ this Christmas.

And with that, here's John with the lesson. Who were the wise men? How many were there? Were they really kings? Did they really ride camels? Let's go back and see their history. According to the ancient historian Herodotus, the magi were a tribe of people within a larger people called the Medes.

Now listen to this. They were a hereditary priesthood tribe. Of all of the tribes within the Medes, they had selected one of them to function as priests in their pagan rituals. And that tribe which they had selected was the magi. Now, they always appear with tremendous political power.

Now this is very important for you. I'm going to have a little history lesson. They always appear with tremendous political power. I would say the majority of historians, at least the ones that I read and the ones that were referred to, see them as an eastern people who rose by virtue of their very unique priestly function, by their unique rather occultic powers of divination, by their astrological, astronomical knowledge. They rose to places of prominence. And they rose up in Babylonian government, Medo-Persian government, even in some cases in the east during the Greek period and for sure during the Roman period to be the advisors to the royalty of the east. And that's where they got the name the wise men. The magi were so powerful that historians tell us that no Persian was ever able to become king.

Now watch this one. Never able to become king except under two conditions. One, he mastered the scientific and religious discipline of the magi.

Two, he had to be approved of and crowned by the magi. Now that's something. That's power. Do you know what they called the wisdom of the magi? They had a name for it. The name for it was this, the law of the Medes and the Persians. That law was the law or the code defined by the magi.

And if you want to see that phrase, it's in Esther 119 and Daniel chapter 6 a couple of times. The law of the Medes and the Persians was the code, the scientific, religious discipline of the magi. And their wisdom was that which was required for anyone to be a monarch in Persia. Additionally, historians tell us that they controlled the judicial office as well as the kingly office.

In Esther 113, we have the indication that the royal bench of judges was all chosen from the magi. Man, they were powerful. And you have to remember when you talk about the Persian empire and the median empire and the Babylonian empire, you are talking about control of the orient.

This is a massive empire. And in the Babylonian time and the Medo-Persian time, they literally controlled the known world. These were powerful men and they were not only responsible for making every monarch that was made in that era, but they were responsible for setting up the judges as well. They had a check system for the despotism that could grow out of a kingship.

And so they were the judges that counterbalanced the dictator king. History tells us they knew astronomy. They were very good in mathematics. They knew natural history. They were good at agriculture and architecture.

And do you remember back in, I think it's Acts 7, it talks about the fact that Moses was raised up in all the wisdom of the Egyptians. Same thing was true of anybody who was raised in the nobility in the east. They were raised in the law of the Medes and the Persians. All nobility raised by them. Then they were the king makers. They were the king makers.

And no one ruled at all apart from them. Now, one of their special skills was interpreting dreams. And when they failed to do that and Daniel moved in on top of it and became the chief as we saw in Daniel 5-11, the setup was made by God to set the scene for Matthew chapter 2. Hundreds of years before Jesus was born, 600, God was setting up the situation for a great Hebrew prophet to rule a group called the Magi so that one day when a baby was born in Bethlehem, some of those Magi would find their way to the house where the baby was.

That's planning history. So the syncretistic hybrid religion of the Magi, very much like Judaism, monotheistic, a hereditary priesthood, blood sacrifice, believed also in supernatural revelation, believed in prophecy. These common things sort of made Judaism an easy thing for them to accept. And I believe in my heart, and this is just what I believe because of what I see happened in Matthew 2, I believe that apparently there were some God-fearing Gentile Magi historically existing in that eastern part of the world. Now I want to move to the time of Jesus. Look with me at Matthew 2. Time has gone on, century after century until Jesus is to be born. Somehow and by some marvelous way, God has managed to maintain some true seeking Magi. There were some, some from the Magi, high-ranking king makers in the great empire of the east. There were some at that time who were still waiting for Daniel's great hope to be fulfilled, you see.

Now let me set the stage. Politically speaking, Rome was scared of the eastern empire. Now if you'll just focus in your mind a little map of Europe, and that was the Roman Empire, this massive chunk of Europe.

And technically it swept to the east. But by virtue of distance, across the Mediterranean, across the blazing desert to get to the east, there was a certain isolation in the east which caused Rome a lot of anxiety. And they were always fearful that what then became known as the Parthian Empire, the eastern empire made up of the Medes and the Persians and the old Babylonian territory, that Parthian Empire was always kind of an anxiety for Rome.

Rome, you know, had stretched its tentacles out as it were to rule the world, but they never really felt very secure about the Parthian Empire. And they had become violent enemies, violent enemies. And they fought. In 55 B.C. they fought.

In 40 B.C. they fought. And what's fascinating is you know where they always fought? The great empire in the west, the great empire in the east came together and guess where they always fought? Right along the coast of the Mediterranean, Syria, Jordan, Palestine.

Israel was a little no man's land between the powers of the east and the powers of the west. Now Rome was afraid of them. And if you look at verse 3 of Matthew 2, it says, when Herod the king heard these things, he was what?

Troubled. When he heard that Magi, oriental Parthian kingmakers had arrived in Jerusalem, he was rattled. And we'll see more about that in a few minutes.

Now, let me tell you a little more about what happens. By the time we get to the time of Christ, the Magi are still in tremendous power in the east. Some of them used their power, their position, their skills with a great amount of human wisdom.

Some of them just really turned into awful people. Like any scientist, any priest, any preacher, any other skilled person of modern days, we can either ply our craft deceitfully or we can ply it honestly. Some of the Magi were honest and they exalted the craft of wisdom and political advice. Some of them were corrupt and they prostituted it. Both kinds were very common in the Mediterranean era when Christ was born.

Let me introduce you to a couple of corrupt ones. Turn in your Bible to Acts 8, Acts 8, verse 4. Therefore they that were scattered abroad went everywhere preaching the word, Acts 8 says. Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria and preached Christ to them and the people with one accord gave heed unto those things which Philip spoke, hearing and seeing the miracles he did.

And it tells all about those. And you come to verse 9, but there was a certain man called Simon who previously in the same city used sorcery and bewitched the people of Samaria, giving out that himself was some great one, some great one, to whom they all gave heed from the least to the greatest, saying, This man is the great power of God. Now here is Simon, Simon Magus, if you will, Simon the Magi. And here is a man who has prostituted his position into deceit. As it were, he has sold himself to Satan. He used sorcery.

You notice that? The root of that word is magi, maggevo in Greek. He used his magi art in a prostituted manner. And later on he tries to buy the Holy Spirit and Peter really lays him out. He says in verse 20, Your money perish with you. You have, verse 21, neither part nor lot in this matter. Verse 22, repent of your wickedness. Verse 23, I perceive you are in the gall of bitterness and the bond of iniquity.

Boy, old Peter didn't mince any words. Look at the 13th chapter of Acts, Acts 13, 6, and when they had gone through the isle of Depephos, and this is, of course, Paul and Barnabas starting on the first missionary journey, and they're in Cyprus, the little island there on the east coast of the Mediterranean. The isle at Depephos, they found a certain sorcerer, a false prophet, not a Jew whose name was Bar-Jesus. And it goes down in verse 8 and it says, Elamis, Elamis the sorcerer.

The Greek is Elamis the magus, Elamis the magi. Here's another one who also has prostituted this craft, prostituted this strange pagan religion in order to seek the ends of Satan. And, of course, he tried to mess up Paul, and Paul says, O full of all deceit and mischief, you child of the devil, you enemy of righteousness, will you not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord? And now behold, the hand of the Lord is upon you, verse 11, and you will be blind, not seeing the sun for a season.

Immediately there fell on him a mist in the darkness, and he went about seeking some to lead him by the hand. Paul dealt with this one. Now you see, both Simon and Elamis were brought into the bondage of Satan himself, who is the God of all astrologers and the God of all sorcerers. And frankly, these were the kind of people that made intelligent folks in the Roman Empire despise such sorcerers. Milo, the Roman, says they are vipers, they are scorpions, and they are other venomous creatures.

You see, these were the kind of people, the kind of magi the Romans despised. But in the East, as I said, they were tremendously powerful men, and some among them, no question in my mind, were genuine men. Now at the time of Christ, at the time of Christ, in the Eastern Empire, there was a ruling body called the Megastanis.

You don't need to...that's not going to be on the quiz so you don't need to worry about it. But there was a ruling house called the Megastanis, and this would be like the United States Senate, okay? That's just the name, Megastanis, in case you want. And this ruling house ruled in the Parthian Persian Empire at this time. Now listen, it was totally composed of magi whose duty it was, now watch this, to have absolute choice for the selection of a king. They were kingmakers, and you know what happened? They had some real problems with the king they had had. They wanted to fight Rome and knock off Rome, but they had a loser for a king, Frades IV.

And Frades IV had been deposed, and listen, the magi were looking for a new king, a new king of the East, a new king of the Eastern Empire who could come against Rome. When they arrived in Jerusalem, Herod knew what was going on. They were kingmakers, and when they wandered around town saying, where is this new king of the Jews, Herod got panicky. When suddenly these Persian kingmakers appeared in Jerusalem, no doubt traveling in full force with all their oriental pomp and they used to wear conical hats with points on the top and big deals clear down to the bottom of their chin, and they rode Persian steeds, not camels. And when they came in, they didn't come alone.

The estimates of history are that they came with a Persian cavalry. When they came charging into the city of Jerusalem and Herod peeked out his little palace window, he flipped. These are powerful men, and to make it worse, his army was out of the country on a mission. And the Bible says Herod was troubled. I guess he was. The word in the Greek is he was agitated, like your washing machine.

He was shaking. You see, Herod had a title. You know what Herod's title was? King of the Jews. He got it from Caesar Augustus. Caesar Augustus crowned him king of the Jews. And he realized the great dream of his life was to get that little buffer state under his power, and here he was in the middle of two huge contending empires. And all of a sudden, this massive coterie of Persians arrive in the city, and he is panicked. And they say, we're coming to find the new king. Now, at the time, Herod was close to death, and Caesar Augustus was really old and hanging by a thread.

And since the retirement of Tiberius, the Roman army didn't even have a commander in chief. And they knew that this would be the time to bring about an eastern war against the west. It was right. And so Herod was shaking. You say, well, what were the magi thinking?

I don't know. Maybe they looked at it politically. Maybe they thought, oh, man, here comes the king.

And I think that's probably true. But additionally, I think they looked at it spiritually. Because, when they got to that little room in Bethlehem, the Bible says they worshiped him. They saw more than just a king. I believe they saw the Messiah they had heard about from the days of Daniel. I think we've got God-fearing seeking Gentiles.

And it was twofold. I'm sure they were thinking, maybe this is the Savior, the Savior who is called the anointed one, which is a term describing a king. And maybe he will not only be the Savior, the Messiah, but maybe he will be the one who will gather all this people of the east together and go against the oppression of Rome. By the way, the magi knew that the people of Israel were on their side, not Rome's. And so that's why they came into town and started asking the people where this new king was. They thought the people of Israel would be just as excited as they were. But you see, the people of Israel were blinded by their unbelief. Isn't it fascinating to you, it is to me, that the first people in the world to recognize the arrival of the king were Gentiles.

Gentiles. Does that tell you something about history? He came unto his own and his own what?

Received him not. And Matthew follows that all the way through. The rejection of the king. Could this be the invincible monarch? They could crown him. They could take him back and they could make him king and they could unify the east. And with this great Messiah that Daniel had prophesied, they could go against Rome with invincibility.

And so into Jerusalem rides the group of magi, kingmakers of the east, on their fine Persian steeds, escorted by mounted cavalry. And so the stage is set. Let me close by saying this. Isn't it exciting to you how God controls history? Does that excite you? Now see, you looked at everything I said and you listened to it. And you know why it was so fascinating to you? Not because it was just a bunch of historical facts, but because you were seeing God at work. History is His story. Long ago, He picked out a man named Daniel, put him in a place to influence some men who would arrive in perfect timing. You say, well, why does Matthew present this?

Why? Listen. Matthew, all the way through his gospel, is trying to tell the world that Jesus Christ is what? King. And just to make sure nobody misses it, He has the most famous kingmakers in the world come and bow down at His feet.

You see? It's all part of Matthew's strategy. He's the king. And if Israel isn't going to acknowledge it, then God's going to drag a bunch of people from Persia to acknowledge it.

He's king. God has master-planned history. And the sad part of it is that the people who should have known, the people who should have known, missed it. And the people from way off, who should never have guessed, showed up and worshiped.

That's history. Jesus came. Paul said to the Jew first, also to the Gentile. Jesus came and said, I am come not but for the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Israel turned his back on Christ and he called a people from a no people.

He reached out to the Gentiles, Romans says, and grafted us in. And the hint of that was right here in the very beginning. Remember what it says? The Bible says if we don't praise Him, what? The very rocks will cry out. And when the king arrived, beloved, when the king arrived, if his people wouldn't praise Him, then God will make sure there's somebody there to do it.

And there was. And you know, in our world today, they celebrate Christmas, pass around the Christmas cards, look at the wise men. They don't understand the point. They don't know the meaning.

They don't see who He is. But here and there, hither and yon, some of us do, right? And there are some of us who bow to the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.

Let's pray. Father, it's just really beyond us to see how you work in history. With our little finite minds, we look at things and we think we understand, and then we dig deep and deeper and deeper. And all of a sudden, we discover a world we never knew existed, a world of information, a world of insight that expands in our minds your incredible greatness, your unequal power and wisdom. God, I thank you for the wise men, the magi, however many there were and whatever their names were, who were seeking the king. And I feel grieved in my heart for the people of the king who didn't want him. And I would pray, Lord, that if there are some who have been like the people of the king and turned their back on him and said, I don't want him, we will not have this man to reign over us, they said. Father, I pray that you'd convict their hearts.

They'd be like those who came from afar and rejoiced with great joy and fell down and worshiped him. Thank you also that you planned us to be a part of the church that bows before him in worship. We'll give you praise, Lord, for all that you've done that shows us your mighty hand. In Jesus' name, amen. That's John MacArthur, chancellor of the Masters University and Seminary, helping you cut through the holiday clutter and focus your thoughts on the birth of the king.

That's John's current series here on Grace to You. Well, John, with Christmas coming and the new year following close behind, something our listeners ought to be thinking about and planning for both now and in the days to come is how can I redeem the time? How can I grow spiritually next year more than I did this year?

So what advice would you have for them? What habits do we need to cultivate? You know, I was just thinking about Psalm 19, where the psalmist says that the word of God was more precious than gold, than fine gold, sweeter than honey from the honeycomb. What he was saying is that the word of God is his greatest treasure, his greatest joy, his greatest delight. And I hope that you have studied the word of God to the point where you have that same attitude toward scripture, that it is priceless, it is precious, it is satisfying to your own heart.

That would be the high point, really, of devotion to God, where you literally feed on his word regularly. With that in mind, getting you to be able to dig down into the sweetness and the treasure that the word of God is, let me suggest some items for Christmas. First of all, the MacArthur Daily Bible gives you a verse-by-verse read through the entire Bible, one day at a time, and some insights into the word of God. You read a portion of the Old and the New Testament, Psalms and Proverbs every day, and some helpful notes to enrich you along the way. A year in the Bible will transform your life. And then two classic devotional books that we've had for many years. One is called Drawing Near, and the other, Strength for Today.

You can use them as I do, year after year. Drawing Near works through a different Bible passage each month, and Strength for Today looks at a particular Bible theme each month. Each book is about 400 pages long, covers the full year. And then, just a final word about the MacArthur Study Bible. For 25 years, the MacArthur Study Bible has helped millions of people study Scripture more effectively. The Bible, in whatever your favorite translation is, is the NAS, the NKJV, or the ESV. And you can get it in Spanish, Russian, German, French, Italian, Chinese, Arabic, and Portuguese.

And it's full of 25,000 detailed footnotes that explain every passage. And by the way, MacArthur Study Bible through December 21st is reduced 25%. Today is the last day we recommend using second day shipping for Christmas orders. So place your order online before 2 o'clock Pacific time, and choose second day shipping. Or place a phone order, and you can speak directly to a customer service operator today before 4 o'clock Pacific time to get the shipping you need.

That's right. These are resources that make a life-changing spiritual impact long past Christmas Day. So don't wait. Take advantage of second day shipping and place your order today. Again, today is the last day you can use second day shipping and get your items in time for Christmas. You'll need to call our customer service line by 4 o'clock p.m. Pacific time today, December 19th. Our number is 800-55-GRACE. That's 800-55-GRACE. Or you can order online and choose an express shipping option at GTY.org. Again, the books John mentioned, all of them excellent Christmas gifts, the MacArthur Daily Bible, the two devotional books, Drawing Near and Strength for Today, and the MacArthur Study Bible. And remember, the MacArthur Study Bible is available now at 25 percent off the regular price. To order, call us between 730 a.m. and 4 o'clock Pacific time, 800-55-GRACE. Or use our website.

Go to GTY.org. And while you're at the website, you can also download any of John's sermons. That's more than 3,500 sermons free of charge. And that includes all the lessons from this current study, The Birth of the King. Now for John MacArthur, I'm Phil Johnson. Be here tomorrow when John continues his look at the life-changing truths in the Christmas story and the birth of the King. It's another 30 minutes of unleashing God's truth, one verse at a time, on Grace To You.