The Wise Men Visit Jesus-Part 1

In Babylon, some astrologers (Magi) see a hovering star. Who were these people and why would they travel 1,700 miles to pay homage to a Jewish baby? There are many myths surrounding the Magi. They were not Kings. They were astrologers, men of wisdom who were well versed in medicine and natural science. They served as advisers to the king not unlike a presidential special council would do today. The fact that there were three gifts brought to Jesus has led us to generally accept the notion that there were three wise men. In fact, some scholars speculate that several hundred may have traveled in the caravan. People were safer traveling in large groups and never traveled at night, as robbers and thieves were abundant. What would cause them to leave home and family and make a journey of this magnitude? How did they know to follow the star and where it would lead? The answer is found in the Old Testament.

The role of Daniel: One night the king had a dream that caused him great distress. He called together his advisers who were astrologers (wise men) and demanded that they interpret his dream. But the king was smart. He also demanded that they tell him what the dream was about so that he would not be tricked with a false answer. If these wise counselors could not deliver, they were to be killed. One night God speaks to Daniel a vision concerning the dream. He tells the king both the content and meaning of the dream. Daniels action saves all of the astrologers from death and he becomes a kind of folk hero among generations of grateful "wise men" and their families. Because of their admiration for Daniel and because most of the book of Daniel was written in Aramaic (the common language of Babylon). The wise men would have been able to calculate the number of years until the star would indicate the coming of the Messiah. So these people, because of their gratitude to Daniel for saving their ancestors and their deep interest in his writings, would have spent much time looking into the skies as the appointed time approaches. (From:When The Good News Gets Even Better)