Feast of the Epiphany – Mark S. Winward
There are a lot of popular misconceptions surrounding the wise men we celebrate this evening in the Christmas story. One of the most persistent is the assumption that they were kings. The biblical text, unlike our lovely opening hymn, never calls them kings. Matthew refers to them as magoi, or magi. While magi is often translated as “wise men,” there is no linguistic or historical basis for believing they were royalty. Rather, the magi were a caste of shamanic or priestly sages from Persia. Because they were experts in astrology and the interpretation of dreams, they were frequently sought out as advisors to pagan kings, but that does not make them kings themselves.
Another widespread assumption concerns the number of wise men. Scripture makes no reference at all to how many people were in their traveling entourage. The gospel tells us only that three gifts were presented to the Christ child. Over time, the church assumed that each visitor would have brought a gift, and since three gifts are listed, there must have been three wise men. In fact, the Eastern Church traditionally held that as many as nine wise men visited Jesus. The reality is that no one knows how many magi made the journey.
A third misconception is that the wise men visited Jesus in the manger on the night of his birth. Matthew’s account tells us that the star “went before them, till it came to rest over the place where the child was,” and then continues, “and going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother.” Most scholars believe this visit occurred some time after Jesus was born, possibly as much as two years later. Matthew later tells us that Herod ordered the killing of all male children in Bethlehem who were two years old and under. If Jesus had still been a newborn infant, there would have been no reason to include toddlers in that decree. It is also reasonable to conclude that a journey from Persia to Bethlehem would have taken considerable time.
We all come to God with many preconceived ideas. Yet God’s Word speaks most clearly to our hearts when we truly listen to the text itself, rather than relying on assumptions or traditions we have absorbed over time. When we do that, it can feel as though we are hearing the story for the very first time.
What distinguishes the wise men in this story is their sincere and persistent search for the child born “King of the Jews.” They sought after the Christ child with all their might. Their path to the truth may have involved a mixture of astrology, interpretation, and careful investigation, but God honored their seeking hearts. Even when our understanding is imperfect and our methods incomplete, God cherishes a heart that genuinely seeks him.
The wise men also worshiped the Christ child with all their hearts. Matthew tells us that when they found him, “they fell down and worshiped him.” It is striking that the first people to worship Jesus in the Gospel narrative are not members of the Jewish religious establishment—those who should have known what to look for—but outsiders. They are Gentiles. From the very beginning, it is clear that this King of the Jews has come for all the peoples of the earth. No matter who we are or where we come from, God longs for us to recognize his rightful place and to worship him wholeheartedly.
Finally, the wise men offered the Christ child the best they had. Though they were not kings, they gave what amounted to a king’s ransom. For priests and sages, these gifts were not merely offerings but sacrifices. They did not give what was left over or what was convenient; they gave from their most precious resources. And beyond the gold, frankincense, and myrrh, they offered something even more important: they offered themselves. God calls us, too, to set aside our presuppositions and to seek him earnestly with all our hearts. God desires our worship—not halfhearted or distracted, but with heart and mind fully engaged. And God, who gave even his own Son for us, calls us to respond in the same spirit: offering ourselves and living lives marked by joyful sacrifice toward God and toward one another.