“Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying: “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him” (Matthew 2:1-2).
After a long, strenuous journey through the desert, they finally arrived in Jerusalem. These wise men, also known as Magi, probably came from Babylon or Persia (present-day Iran), where astronomy and astrology were practised. They studied the position of the stars and planets and were able to deduce certain events from this. To their surprise, they had seen an extraordinarily bright star rise, indicating the birth of a King in Palestine.
But why did they associate this special star with the birth of the King of the Jews? Had the Magi perhaps studied the ancient scriptures and read Balaam’s prophecy, which states: “A star shall come out of Jacob, and a sceptre shall rise out of Israel” (Numbers 24:17b)?
That is possible, but Matthew does not mention it. However, he is clear about their reason for going on this journey: the Magi are interested in King Jesus. He is worthy of their worship and praise.
Are you also searching for Him?