What Can the Story of the Magi Teach Us About Knowing Jesus?
You’re probably familiar with the story in Matthew 2 about the magi, or wise men, who came from the east to worship Jesus after He was born in Bethlehem.
But have you ever thought how this story might apply to our Christian life? In this post, we’ll look at Matthew 2:1-11 with notes from the New Testament Recovery Version to discover its relevance to us today.
The magi saw His star
Matthew 2:1-2 says:
“Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star at its rising and have come to worship Him.”
The word magi is a translation from the Greek word magoi, which means “a wise man of foreign origin.” These magi weren’t Jews from Israel. They were pagan men from the east, where a shining star had appeared to them. They realized the star they saw was “His star,” the star of Christ, who was born King of the Jews. Guided by that star, they left their land and traveled to find Him and worship Him. Eventually, they arrived in Jerusalem.
Why did the magi leave their country and journey to the land of Israel? The first part of note 2 on star in verse 2 in the New Testament Recovery Version explains:
“The Jews had the Scriptures concerning Christ. The magi from the east saw Christ’s star (Num. 24:17). The Jews had mental knowledge in dead letters concerning Christ, whereas the magi received a living vision concerning Him.”
These pagan magi didn’t know the Scriptures, but they received a living vision, signified by the star, concerning Christ. That vision caused them to travel a long distance to find Him and see Him for themselves.
The priests and scribes had mental knowledge in dead letters
TThe story continues in verses 3-6:
“And when Herod the king heard this, he was troubled and all Jerusalem with him. And gathering together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. And they said to him, In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written through the prophet: ‘And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah, by no means are you the least among the princes of Judah; for out of you shall come forth a Ruler, One who will shepherd My people Israel.’”
Unlike the magi, the Jewish chief priests and scribes in Jerusalem did possess the Old Testament Scriptures. They knew all the prophecies concerning Christ’s birth, even the exact city where He would be born.
Yet after the priests and scribes gave King Herod the accurate information about Christ being born in Bethlehem, they remained in Jerusalem. They didn’t travel the short distance to Bethlehem to see the newborn Ruler, let alone to worship Him. Why didn’t they?
Note 1 on priests and scribes in verse 4 in the New Testament Recovery Version explains:
“The priests were those who taught people the law (Mal. 2:7), and the scribes were those who knew the Scriptures (Ezra 7:6). Both the priests and the scribes had knowledge concerning the birth of Christ (vv. 5-6), but, unlike the magi from the east, they did not see the vision, nor did they have the heart to seek after Christ.”
The knowledge the priests and scribes had concerning Christ was accurate, but it was only mental knowledge in dead letters to them. Because they only had this mental knowledge, they were unmoved and unmotivated to go and actually see the One who was foretold in the Scriptures. They had no heart to seek Christ. In contrast, the magi had received a living vision of Christ, and they had the heart to seek after Him. This is what made the difference.
We need proper scriptural knowledge and a living vision
But having a vision alone is also not enough. Since the Scriptures are the solid foundation for our Christian life, we need to read and know God’s Word. The Word of God testifies to us concerning the Lord Jesus Christ, so we can’t have the proper knowledge of Him without reading and knowing the Bible.
In fact, because the magi didn’t know the Scriptures concerning Christ, they went to Jerusalem, wrongly assuming the King of the Jews would be born in the capital city. But once they were corrected by the Scriptures, they went on from Jerusalem to Bethlehem. Matthew 2:9-11 tells us what happened next:
“And after they heard the king, they went their way, and behold, the star which they saw at its rising led them until it came and stood over the place where the child was. And when they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. And they came into the house and saw the child with Mary His mother. And falling down, they worshipped Him; and opening their treasures, they offered gifts to Him, gold and frankincense and myrrh.”
Note 1 on star in verse 9 says:
“When the magi were corrected by the Scriptures and restored to the right track, the star appeared to them again. Living vision always accompanies the Scriptures.”
Having the proper knowledge of the Scriptures plus the living vision, the magi were led to the exact spot where the Lord was. There, they saw Him with their own eyes, worshipped Him as God, and offered Him precious gifts.
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Having a heart to seek the Lord
How can we apply the important points of this story to our Christian life today?
The Bible reveals the wonderful person of Christ in so many aspects. It’s an amazing thing to have access to the Scriptures and be able to learn about Him through His Word. But we shouldn’t be satisfied with just knowing about Him.
In fact, Jesus Himself said to the Jews in John 5:39-40:
“You search the Scriptures, because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is these that testify concerning Me. Yet you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life.”
Note 1 on verse 39 on the phrase search the Scriptures says:
“To ‘search the Scriptures’ may be separated from ‘come to Me’ (v. 40). The Jewish religionists searched the Scriptures but were not willing to come to the Lord. These two should go together; because the Scriptures testify concerning the Lord, they should not be separated from the Lord. We may contact the Scriptures, yet not contact the Lord. Only the Lord can give life.”
It’s certainly possible to come to the Bible and receive knowledge concerning the Lord. But we don’t want the things we learn about Christ to be only mental knowledge in dead letters to us. Our coming to the Bible should be accompanied by coming to Him with a seeking, loving heart that desires to know Him personally.
With this in mind, we can pray simple prayers like this:
“Lord Jesus, I want to see more of who You are in the Word. But I don’t want to be satisfied with simply knowing about You. I want to come to You and know You in my experience. So, Lord, give me a heart that always seeks after You.”
We’re blessed that we can read the Scriptures, which reveal the wonderful Christ to us. May we also receive a living vision of Christ and have a heart to seek Him, come to Him, and experience Him.
