The Magi and the Escape
After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, Matthew 2:1 · Berean Standard Bible
Wise men from the East traveled a great distance because they saw a special star. They came to Jerusalem looking for a newborn king. Outsiders recognized what the insiders missed.
These weren't Jewish scholars. They were foreign stargazers who somehow knew that this birth mattered. God speaks to seekers wherever they are.
Matthew introduces the Magi arriving in Jerusalem.
From the very beginning of Jesus's life, people from other nations were drawn to Him. This is a preview of the Gospel going to the whole world.
The Magi (magoi) were likely Zoroastrian priest-astronomers from Persia or Babylon. Their arrival in Jerusalem during Herod the Great's reign (37-4 BC) places Jesus's birth before 4 BC.
Herod the Great was a Roman-appointed client king known for paranoia and brutality. The arrival of foreign dignitaries seeking a newborn 'King of the Jews' directly threatened his power.
Matthew, narrating the arrival of the Magi.
Gentile seekers arrive to worship the Jewish Messiah, foreshadowing the universal scope of Jesus's mission.
1After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem,
2asking, “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.”
3When King Herod heard this, he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him.
Read all of Matthew 2 — Foreign stargazers arrive bearing gifts while a jealous king plots murder. From the start, following Jesus means danger.
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