Today is the feast of the Epiphany. We remember the wise men visiting Jesus.
Matthew Chapter 2: Jesus was born in the town of Bethlehem in Judea, during the time when Herod was king. Soon afterwards, some men who studied the stars came from the East to Jerusalem. (Some Bible translations calls them Magi - It means wise men; that's where we get the word magic.)
So Herod called the visitors from the East to a secret meeting and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared.
They went into the house, and when they saw the child with His mother
Mary, they knelt down and worshipped Him. They brought out their gifts of
gold, frankincense, and myrrh, and presented them to Him.
NOTES: The baby Jesus was born in a cave/barn where animals were kept. The
first people to be told of the birth were shepherds. In those days
shepherds were considered the lowest of the low and despised by society
for their ignorance, poverty and unkempt appearance. Yet they were the
first the Angel Gabriel announced the birth to; not to high society and
kings.
The wise men arrived from "the East" some time later. At
least two years later. Hence Herod ordering the slaughter of all males
aged two and under.
The Bible does not say there were three wise
men. We have assumed this because the Bible mentions three gifts which
they brought. The wise men are only mentioned in the Gospel of Matthew
and no names are given. The names Gaspard, Melchior and Balthazar were
invented later. I believe the names first appeared in a theatre musical
and got associated with the story of the Nativity.
The arrival of the wise men is significant. At the time, the Jews believed that Jesus would come to save their nation and their people; the chosen people of God. But the wise men were not Jews. This signifies that Jesus came for all of us - including you and me.
...but when did they finally arrive, in two years?
ReplyDeleteYes Tom, the assumption from the Bible passage above is that they took some time to arrive. This is the only passage in the Bible which mentions the visit by "the wise men". It does not name them nor mentions the number there were.
DeleteWe assume they arrived two years after the birth of Jesus because on the way there they stopped and asked the way from Herod. Herod asked them to find where Jesus was and return to tell him so that he may also go and pay homage. He was lying of course. He meant to kill Jesus whom he considered would take over the throne of Israel.
The Angel Gabriel told the wise men to go back home by another route. Herod realised he'd been tricked so he ordered the slaughter of all male children aged 2 years and under to make sure Jesus was killed.
The Angel also told Joseph to take Mary and the child to Egypt to escape the slaughter that is to happen.
That is why we assume the wise men arrived 2 years after the birth of Jesus. Remember, in those days travel was slow. And the words "from the East" could mean anything - Jordan, Iran, India or as far away as China. The Bible dos not say where they came from.
God bless, Tom.
Hi Victor, yes I believe that Jesus was sent to Earth for all of us, as God wants all to be saved and have eternal life. God bless you with all He has for us in Jesus - the Word made flesh.
ReplyDeleteAmen Brenda. Jesus came to earth for everyone; but not everyone received Him.
DeleteGod bless.
Most of us picture the wisemen being with the Shepherds in the beginning of Jesus. I know different, as you mention, but still see them there earlier because of the Nativity scenes that have pictured them there. But when you said:
ReplyDeleteThe arrival of the wise men is significant. At the time, the Jews believed that Jesus would come to save their nation and their people; the chosen people of God. But the wise men were not Jews. This signifies that Jesus came for all of us - including you and me.,,,,,,,,,,,
reminds me, he came for me.
Love you my friend...
It's true Jack that in the Nativity scenes we have come to associate the shepherds and the wise men arriving at the same time.
DeleteIndeed, Jesus came for you and me and for everyone.
God bless you and Sherry and family.
Yes, Jesus is not just the King of the Jews, but the King of the Universe. He came for all of us that we might be saved.
ReplyDeleteBlessings, Victor!
I suspect that distinction was missed by the Jews at the time, Martha. They believed that Jesus came to overthrow the Roman occupation of their land and wanted to crown Him King.
DeleteGod bless always.
Happy 2025 Victor: It is amazing that so many do not believe in the Birth of Jesus, we are so lucky that the Magi had the dream to not return to Herod and let him know where the Child Jesus was. I hope you are having a very beautiful week.
ReplyDeleteCatherine❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️
Best wishes for 2025, Catherine. Sadly, to this day, many people refuse to believe in Jesus as the Son of God.
DeleteGod bless you and yours.
Thanks for the explaining the arrival of the wise men. I bet there is a lot of confusion about that.
ReplyDeleteBecause of the Nativity scenes over the years, many people confuse the story and believe the wise men arrived at the same time as the shepherds at the birth of Jesus. The film by David Jeremiah I mentioned a few days ago explains this and shows their journey from "the East".
DeleteGod bless, Bill.
How wonderful that Jesus never showed partiality!
ReplyDeleteIt never occurred to me (that) the Magi weren't identified ... or, their arrival never coincided with the newborn Nativity scene.
Thank you for these splendid videos; I really enjoyed them.
Truly wonderful that Jesus never showed partiality. He came for everyone. Two instances that come to mind:
DeleteJohn 4:7-42. Jesus asks the Samaritan woman at the well for a drink even though Jewish men typically didn't speak to women they didn't know, especially Samaritan women.
Matthew 15:27-28 A Canaanite woman asks Jesus to heal her daughter. He refuses saying, "It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs." meaning He came for the Jews. (He was testing her faith). She replied, "Yes, Lord, but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table." Then Jesus answered, "Woman, you have great faith! I will do what you asked." And at that moment the woman's daughter was healed.
Jesus makes the point here that God's invitation is for everyone, not just for the Jews. A theme taken up by Paul in his journeys to spread the Gospel.
I'm glad you enjoyed my videos, Mevely. God bless you.
The second video/song was a blessing to me. Thank you for sharing this encouragement to look on the bright side, to expect things to get better.
ReplyDeleteThank you Barbara. When things go wrong, really wrong, we must hold on to hope as best we can and praise God. We're not praising Him for things going wrong; but because He is always in control. Our Faith in God should always expect things to get better.
DeleteGod bless you.
Love and kindness always. ❤️
ReplyDeleteGod bless, CM.
DeleteI enjoyed singing Epiphany songs at church this weekend.
ReplyDeleteGod bless you, Kathy.
DeleteGreat post. I agree with all you said.
ReplyDeleteThank you, K. God bless you.
DeleteYes, indeed in the Nativity scenes we have come to always associate the shepherds and the wise men arriving at the same time!
ReplyDeleteMany thanks for this post Victor.
All the best Jan
Thank you so much, Jan. God bless always.
DeleteEvery time I tell people about the 3 gifts, not 3 magi, they look at me as if I am crazy, but it's true. Traditions get started, and it's hard to set the record straight.
ReplyDeleteIndeed, over the years the message has been blurred. God bless you and yours, Mimi.
Delete