History has a way of making me
stand in awe of God’s sovereignty. Have you ever wondered who the Magi were and
why they looked to the stars for the Messiah? A few years ago I explored this
question and thought I would share a little of it with you. It was hard to condense
down into an acceptable blog length so this is a little scattered and random.
Who were the Magi?
There are many theories
surrounding the magi mentioned in Matthew two. For the sake of brevity, I
believe the Magi were Zoroastrian.
The Persian
Zoroastrian priests and the Median magi served together under the Achaemenian
Persian rulers. Eventually the two priesthoods were combined for political
reasons and the magi of the Medes became the priests of the Persian Zoroastrian
religion. Eventually, under Nebuchadnezzar, the magi were associated with the
Babylonian astrologers (known to the Greeks as Chaldeans).
Why were the Magi seeking a Messiah in Israel?
Zoroastrians already believed in
a coming kingdom and Saviour. However, how did they come to look for a Messiah
in Israel?
Nebuchadnezzar brought the
different wise men and astrologers of his conquered kingdom to Babylon. By
doing so, he created an environment where the different religions and beliefs
could interact. Under Nebuchadnezzar, Daniel rose to prominence among the magi
and astrologers. Because of this, Daniel had the opportunity to teach the
Zoroastrian magi about the prophecies concerning the coming Messiah, someone
they were also waiting for. It was a common belief a sign would accompany the
birth of a great ruler. Under the influence of the Babylonian astrologers some
of the Zoroastrian magi turned their eyes to the night sky to search for a sign
of the coming Savior.
While we may never know with certainty
who the magi of the Christmas story actually were, these men looked to the
skies for the sign of the coming Saviour. As David said, “The heavens declare
the glory of God... Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night
they display knowledge” (Ps 19:1). While I am not advocating astrology, the
magi looked to the heavens for directions to their Saviour and followed the
star to a little town of Bethlehem. God used their field of study to lead them to
Himself.
God is not governed by societal
convention. His Son was born among the animals instead of among kings. He
brought shepherds, the outcasts of society, in from the fields to spread the news
to the people of Bethlehem. He used a captive of Israel to lead the astrologers
and to teach them about the Messiah. Nearly seven hundred years later, these
intellectual elite from another religion brought the news of the Messiah’s
birth to the political ruler and religious rulers of Israel.
God’s hand is all over history. That
is why I find it so fun to study.
