Matthew 2:1-4 "Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him. When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born."
We often see a number of myths surrounding the coming of the wise men. They are often referred to as three wise men. In truth, the Bible does not tell us how many there were. These wise men brought three gifts (gold, frankincense, and myrrh), but the only thing we can know for certain about their number is there was more than one.
The manger scenes we see often show the wise men at the manger with the shepherds and a star standing brightly over stable. Again, the Bible does not support this scene. If we read a little farther in this chapter, we are going to find that the star led the wise men to a house (not a stable – Matthew 2:11). These men did not present the gifts to a baby in a manger, but to a young child (Matthew 2:9).
Knowing the word of God matters. The wise men first came to Jerusalem. This was where Herod the king was. This was where the temple was. This was where the chief priests and the scribes were. Surely, if there was anywhere they would find Jesus, or at least the people who knew who (the King of the Jews) and where He was born, it would be here.
Herod and the legally religious people in Jerusalem did not know that Jesus had been born (that message was given to shepherds). They were troubled by the news of the wise men, but not because they had not gone to worship the Messiah. Herod and rulers in Jerusalem felt their positions were threatened by His birth. Not only did they not know it had happened, but as much as two years may have passed by the time the wise men came (Matthew 2:16).
Dear ones, Jesus was born in Bethlehem which is between five and six miles from Jerusalem. There were chief priests and scribes in Jerusalem that had read the scriptures and knew where it was supposed to happen, but they had no idea that it had. Yet, God brought strangers from a far land to find the child, and the night of His birth was shown to “ignorant” shepherds out in the fields. If you know in your heart that Christ the Saviour is born, then give glory to God who has been pleased to bless you with this knowledge because it did not come from any other source.