Summary: The Magi were wonderful men who traveled from the Parthian Empire, likely close to ancient Babylon, to see the young Messiah. Despite clear information about them in the Bible, traditions about the Magi, who were astronomers, have clouded who they were and when they came to Bethlehem. This teaching about the Magi opens many of the great truths and wonderful things the Bible says about these men. Their ancient ancestors had been trained by Daniel the prophet. They were Gentiles, but they were looking for a Redeemer, and knew he would come from Judah. They came to Bethlehem more than a year after Jesus was born, so they were not at the birth of Christ like the shepherds were. They never followed a star to find the Messiah; they went to Jerusalem, the capital of Israel, asked where he was, and were told, “Bethlehem,” so they went there. Also, there would have been many more than three of them. There is value in truth, and knowing the truth about these wonderful men helps us to understand why God would spend a whole chapter telling us about them.
