The song "We Three Kings" leads the listener to believe that there were three members of Oriental royalty who followed a beautiful, bright star across many miles to find a baby who had been born in Judah and was destined to become king. Well, first of all, scripture does not refer to the men as "kings," it does not say how many there were, and based on what is known about the men, they definitely were not from the Orient.
The story of the Magi (pronounced "may-jee") was told by Matthew Levi, the tax collector of Capernaum and eighth aspostle of Jesus Christ, in the first book of the New Testament, written in about 50 AD. The Magi were Gentiles (not belonging to the commonwealth of Israel) who inhabited what is now Arabia, which was part of Persia at that time. "Magi" is from the Greek "magoi," a Persian word for men expert in the study of the stars. (Translated into Modern English, the word becomes "magicians.") To the Jews, the Magi were known as sorcerers, and some believed they dealt in unlawful practices. To the Persians, they were their philosophers and their priests. By historical fact, the Magi were scholars, i.e., wise men, who specialized in what was considered curious art -- astrology, medicine and natural science. By our standards today, they were brilliant scientists!
While still at home in Persia, the Magi saw an extraordinary star, such as they had not seen before. They determined that the star was hovering over Judea, and that it was an indication of the birth of a special king. The star continued to hover over the same location for some time, and this star differed so much from any other heavenly body any of them had seen, that they concluded it to signify something very uncommon.
According to biblical historians, it was between several months and two years following the birth of Jesus that the Magi arrived (following a very long journey on camelback) in Jerusalem, having followed the same star they had seen at home. They began asking people in the area, "Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him." (Matthew 2:2) They KNEW from the star that a Jewish king (or prince) had been born....this was no speculation on their part.
King Herod (known historically as "Herod the Great") was an Edomite turned Jew. He was credited with erecting the great temple in Jerusalem and for increasing the splendor in the region. He was also known for his falsehood and cruelty (which makes one wonder why he was considered "great"). When King Herod received word about the Magi inquiring about the birth of a Jewish king, he, along with virtually all of Jerusalem, was disturbed. He called together all the chief priests and teachers of Jewish law, asking them where this king was supposed to be born. Citing the writings of the 8th century BC prophet, Micah, the priests and scholars advised Herod that the new ruler of Judah would come out of Bethlehem.
The sneaky and cunning Herod secretly sent for the Magi, and when they appeared before him he asked them for the exact time the star first appeared to them. He sent them to Bethlehem and instructed them to "go and make a careful search for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him." (Matthew 2:8)
The Magi embarked on their 7-mile journey, following the star they had seen in the East into Bethlehem, "until it stopped over the place where the child was." When they saw the star had rested they were overjoyed. Upon coming to the meager cottage they saw the child with his mother, and they bowed down and worshiped him. (It is interesting to note that there is no mention of the Magi bestowing the same honor upon the "great" King Herod, though he was in the height of his royal grandeur; but to this babe they gave this honor not only as to a king, but as to a God.) The Magi then opened the treasures they had brought with them from their homeland, and presented the child with gifts of gold, incense and myrrh. (In the Eastern nations at that time it was customary to present meaningful gifts when paying homage to one's king.) The gold paid tribute to the child as a king; the incense, as God, for they honored God with the smoke of incense; and myrrh, as a man who should die, for myrrh was used in embalming dead bodies. (Considering the extravagance of the gifts, the assumption was probably made that these men were kings. Since there were three gifts mentioned, it was probably also assumed that there were three of these Magi, thus the story of the Three Kings or Three Wise Men.)
According to the scriptures, the Magi had been warned in a dream not to return to Herod. Perhaps it wasn't really a dream, but a very strong hunch that Herod intended to use them as tools in a wicked plot. Either way, they used another route to return to their land to take the news of the newborn king to their countrymen.
Shortly after the Magi had left Bethlehem, Joseph, the child's father, was warned in a dream that Herod was going to search for the child to kill him and that he should take the child and his mother into Egypt. So during the night the family fled into the neighboring country.
When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he became enraged and gave orders to his soldiers to kill all male infants aged 2 years and under in and around Bethlehem. By all accounts, Herod never did know for sure if the future King of the Jews was disposed of or not. Jesus and his family remained in Egypt until after Herod's death, returning to their homeland thereafter. And the Magi were truly "wise men" to follow their dreams, their instincts and their hearts.
