The Wise Men
Following a star to a king
King Herod orders the killing of young boys in Bethlehem. It is told plainly, without graphic detail.
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- A verse number shows the Bible’s exact words.
- An underlined word shows what it means.
Story
What happened?
Tap a verse number, like , to read the Bible’s exact words.
Who’s who and what came beforePeople, places, and the story so far. Open it anytime.
Scene Card
Cast
- The Magi: Wise men from a land to the east. They studied the stars. The Bible does not say how many came.
- King Herod: The king of Judea. Rome let him rule the land. He was old, powerful, and afraid of losing his throne.
- The chief priests and scribes: Jewish leaders in Jerusalem who knew the Scriptures well.
- Jesus: The one the Gospels present as the promised Messiah and the Son of God. Here he is a young child.
- Mary: Jesus's mother.
- Joseph: Mary's husband. He was from the family of King David.
Setting
- Jerusalem, the capital city, where Herod had his palace. Then Bethlehem, a small town about 5 miles to the south. Then Egypt. Then Nazareth, a town in Galilee.
When
- About 2,000 years ago. Some time after Jesus was born, maybe as much as two years later.
Before the Story
Jesus was born in Bethlehem. Luke tells that part of the story, with the manger and the shepherds (Luke 2). You can read it in The Birth of Jesus.
God had promised a king from David's family. A prophet named Micah said this ruler would come from Bethlehem, David's hometown (Micah 5:2).
Herod already had the title "king." He did not want anyone else to have it.
Here's what you know that almost nobody in this story knows: The child these travelers are looking for is Jesus. And Herod is dangerous.
Map of the Story
| Scene | Verses | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Travelers from the east | 2:1-2 | Magi arrive in Jerusalem, looking for a newborn king |
| 2. Herod is troubled | 2:3-6 | Herod asks where the Messiah will be born |
| 3. A secret meeting | 2:7-8 | Herod sends the Magi to Bethlehem |
| 4. The star | 2:9-10 | The star leads them to the child |
| 5. The gifts | 2:11 | The Magi worship Jesus and give him gifts |
| 6. Another way home | 2:12 | A dream warns the Magi about Herod |
| 7. Escape to Egypt | 2:13-15 | Joseph takes Mary and Jesus to Egypt |
| 8. Herod's order | 2:16-18 | Herod kills the little boys of Bethlehem |
| 9. Home to Nazareth | 2:19-23 | The family returns and settles in Nazareth |
Plain Retelling
Scene 1 of 9Travelers from the East
A group of strangers walked through the gates of Jerusalem. They had come a very long way, from a land to the east.
They were Magi. Magi were wise men who studied the stars. They were not Jewish. They came from another nation, and most likely another religion.
Jesus had been born in Bethlehem, about 5 miles away. Herod was the king of the land.
The Magi had seen a star rise in the sky. They believed it meant a new king had been born. So they made the long trip west to Jerusalem.
The Magi asked people in the city a question. "Where is the One who has been born King of the Jews? We saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him" (2:2).
Scene 2 of 9Herod Is Troubled
King Herod heard what the Magi were asking. He was "disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him" (2:3).
The Bible doesn't say exactly why the whole city was upset. One likely reason: Herod was a king who did not share power. When Herod was upset, people had reason to be afraid.
Herod called together the chief priests and the scribes. Scribes were teachers of Moses's law. He asked them where the Christ would be born. Christ is the Greek word for Messiah, the king God promised to send.
They knew the answer. "In Bethlehem in Judea" (2:5).
Bethlehem was the hometown of King David, Israel's great shepherd king.
They pointed to the words of the prophet Micah. "But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah, for out of you will come a ruler who will be the shepherd of My people Israel" (2:6).
A shepherd takes care of sheep. This is a comparison. God's king would take care of God's people.
Scene 3 of 9A Secret Meeting
Then Herod called the Magi to a secret meeting. He asked them exactly when the star first appeared.
He sent them to Bethlehem. "Go and search carefully for the Child, and when you find Him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship Him" (2:8).
Here's what you know that the Magi did not know yet: Herod did not want to worship the child. He wanted to kill him.
Scene 4 of 9The Star
The Magi left the king and went on their way.
The star they had seen in the east appeared ahead of them. It led them south. It stopped over the place where the child was.
When they saw the star, they were full of joy. Matthew says they "rejoiced with great delight" (2:10).
Halfway thereThis is a good place for a break. Your spot is saved on this device.
Scene 5 of 9The Gifts
The Magi came to a house. Inside, they saw the child with Mary, his mother.
Matthew says a house, not a stable. By now Jesus was most likely a young child, not a newborn baby.
The Magi fell down on their knees and worshiped him. These important travelers bowed to a small child in a small town.
They had not found him in a palace. They had not found him in the capital city. God's king was living in an ordinary house.
Then they opened their treasure boxes. They gave Jesus gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Frankincense is a sweet-smelling tree sap that people burned in worship. Myrrh is another tree sap. It was used in perfume and to prepare bodies for burial.
Scene 6 of 9Another Way Home
God warned the Magi in a dream. They must not go back to Herod.
So they went home to their own country by a different road.
The Magi never told Herod where the child was. God had given them a different way.
Scene 7 of 9Escape to Egypt
After the Magi left, an angel of the Lord came to Joseph in a dream.
The angel said, "Get up!... Take the Child and His mother and flee to Egypt" (2:13). The angel told Joseph to stay there until the angel told him to leave. Herod was going to search for the child to kill him.
Joseph got up. That same night, he took Jesus and Mary and left for Egypt.
Egypt was far to the southwest, across a desert. Herod did not rule there. One likely reason God chose it: the family would be out of Herod's reach.
Jesus and his family became refugees. A refugee is someone who must run from home to stay safe.
They stayed in Egypt until Herod died. Matthew says this matched the words of the prophet Hosea: "Out of Egypt I called My Son" (2:15). Long ago, God had brought his people Israel out of Egypt. Now God's Son would come out of Egypt too.
Scene 8 of 9Herod's Order
Herod waited. The Magi did not come back. He saw that they had tricked him, and he was filled with rage.
Herod sent orders to Bethlehem. All the boys two years old and under were to be killed, in the town and all around it. He picked that age from what the Magi had told him about the star.
It was done. Little boys died, and their families were left with terrible grief.
Matthew says this fulfilled the words of the prophet Jeremiah. "A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more" (2:18).
Rachel was the wife of Jacob, a mother of Israel, long ago. This is a comparison. It is as if she were crying for the children of Bethlehem. She would not be comforted. The Bible lets that grief be heard.
Scene 9 of 9Home to Nazareth
Then Herod died. An angel of the Lord came to Joseph in Egypt, again in a dream.
The angel told him to take Jesus and Mary back to the land of Israel. The people who wanted to kill the child were dead.
So Joseph got up, and the family went back.
But Herod's son Archelaus was now ruling Judea. Joseph was afraid to go there. God warned him in another dream. So Joseph took the family north, to Galilee.
They made their home in a small town called Nazareth. This was the town where Mary and Joseph had lived before Jesus was born (Luke 2:39). Matthew says this matched the prophets' words: "He will be called a Nazarene" (2:23).
The Magi had asked where the king was. God had kept that king safe, through dreams and a long road, all the way home.
Meaning
What does it mean?
Read It
What Does This Mean?
| The text says | It means |
|---|---|
| "Magi from the east" (2:1) | Wise men from another nation who studied the stars. They were outsiders to Israel. |
| "King of the Jews" (2:2) | The Magi were looking for a new king. That was the title Herod had. It is also the title on the sign placed over Jesus on the cross (Matthew 27:37). |
| "He was disturbed" (2:3) | Herod was afraid a new king would take his place. |
| "The shepherd of My people Israel" (2:6) | God's promised king would care for his people the way a shepherd cares for sheep. |
| "They fell down and worshiped Him" (2:11) | People from far away bowed to Jesus. Matthew shows that Jesus is king for the nations too. |
| "Out of Egypt I called My Son" (2:15) | These words were first spoken about Israel (Hosea 11:1). Matthew sees Jesus's life repeating his people's story. |
| "Rachel weeping for her children" (2:18) | Jeremiah first wrote these words about Israel's children being taken away into exile (Jeremiah 31:15). Matthew hears the same grief in Bethlehem. In Jeremiah, God goes on to promise that the children will return (Jeremiah 31:16-17). |
Back Then
The Magi were a priestly group from Persia and Media. They advised kings and studied the stars. Later the word was used for wise men from the east in general. (Smith's Bible Dictionary)
Herod the Great was known for cruelty. He had members of his own family killed. (Smith's Bible Dictionary)
Frankincense and myrrh come from trees. Both are dried sap. Frankincense was part of the incense burned in worship at the sanctuary. Myrrh was used in perfume and in burial. (Easton's Bible Dictionary)
Bethlehem was a small town. It sat about 5 miles south of Jerusalem. It was the hometown of King David. (Easton's Bible Dictionary)
Rachel was buried near Bethlehem, on the road there (Genesis 35:19). That may be one reason Matthew thought of her.
Literal Reader Alert
Were there three wise men? The Bible doesn't say. People often guess three because there were three gifts. Matthew never gives a number.
Were they kings? The Bible doesn't say that either. Matthew calls them Magi. Later Christians read verses like "Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn" (Isaiah 60:3). So they began to call the Magi kings. That is a tradition, not the text.
What were their names? The Bible doesn't give names. Centuries later, church tradition named them Caspar, Melchior, and Balthasar.
Were they at the manger with the shepherds? No. Luke tells about the shepherds on the night of the birth (Luke 2). Matthew tells about the Magi coming to a house (2:11), probably later. Herod's order about boys up to two years old also points to a later time (2:16). Many nativity scenes put both stories together. That is a way to celebrate, not a mistake about the Bible. It's okay to notice things like this. Careful readers have asked about it for centuries.
What do the gifts mean? Matthew doesn't say. An old Christian tradition says gold is for a king, frankincense is for God, and myrrh points to Jesus's death and burial. That is a tradition, not the text. Myrrh does come back later: Nicodemus brought myrrh to bury Jesus (John 19:39).
Where does it say "He will be called a Nazarene"? No Old Testament verse says those exact words. Matthew says "the prophets," not one prophet. One likely reason: the Hebrew word for "branch" sounds like "Nazareth." Isaiah called the promised king "a Branch from his roots" (Isaiah 11:1).
Why did God let the boys of Bethlehem die? This is one of the hardest parts of the Bible. Christians have struggled with this passage for a long time. The Bible doesn't say why God did not stop Herod. It says plainly that Herod did this, out of fear and rage. It does not call it good. It lets the mothers cry and refuse comfort. When God seems hidden, Christians look to Jesus to see who God is. Jesus himself was hunted by the same king. Years later, another ruler put Jesus to death on a cross. If this story brings up big feelings, talk with a parent, pastor, or trusted adult.
How People Feel
| Who | Feeling | Why |
|---|---|---|
| The Magi | Hopeful | They had followed a star a long way to find a king (2:2) |
| Herod | Afraid and threatened | Someone else was being called King of the Jews (2:3) |
| The Magi | Full of joy | The star led them to the child (2:10) |
| Herod | Filled with rage | The Magi did not come back to him (2:16) |
| The families of Bethlehem | Heartbroken | Their little boys were killed (2:18) |
| Joseph | Afraid | Herod's son was ruling Judea (2:22) |
For you
What does it mean for me?
Your Turn
Where are you in this story today? Tap one.
Far from home
Jesus knows what that is like. He was a refugee in Egypt. God kept his family safe on a long, hard road.
Feeling like an outsider
The Magi were outsiders too. They were the first people in Matthew who came to worship Jesus. God led them by a star.
Grieving someone
Matthew does not hurry past the mothers' tears. Neither does God. You can cry and still belong to him.
Still looking
The Magi did not know the way at first. They asked questions. God led them the rest of the way.
It's really bad right now
Please tell a trusted adult today. If you are in danger, call 911 or your local emergency number. In the U.S., you can call or text 988 any time. Outside the U.S., findahelpline.com lists free helplines.
You Might Have Heard
"Wise people still seek Jesus. Be like the wise men."
What's true: The Magi searched, asked, and worshiped. Their joy and their gifts are a beautiful picture.
What the story is mainly about: God did the leading. God gave the star. God gave the warning dreams. God kept the child safe. The Magi did not find Jesus by being wise enough. God brought outsiders from far away to his king.
Where Jesus is: He is the child at the center, the king the Magi came to see. Herod wanted a throne. Jesus came to be the shepherd of his people. At the end of Matthew, Jesus sends his eleven disciples to "make disciples of all nations" (Matthew 28:19). In this story, people from the nations came to Jesus first.
Good News
The Magi were strangers to Israel's Scriptures and Israel's God. God still called them, and they came. God's promised king is Israel's king, "the shepherd of My people Israel" (2:6). And he is for the nations too. That includes you.
This story also holds real grief. The mothers of Bethlehem wept, and the Bible does not tell them to stop. God does not ask you to hide your tears either. Jesus knows what fear, running, and danger are like. He was hunted as a child. He grew up. He died on a cross, and he rose again. One day God "will wipe away every tear from their eyes" (Revelation 21:4).
God led outsiders to his king, and he stays near to people who are grieving.
From the Wider Church
Many churches remember the children of Bethlehem on December 28. The day is called the Holy Innocents. It is a day to grieve for them, and for children who suffer today.
Big Idea
God led outsiders from far away to his promised king, and kept that king safe through danger and grief.
If this story brings up big feelings, talk with someone you trust, like a parent, pastor, or counselor.
For leaders and parentsLuther, church readings, and notes for teaching.
From Luther
An old hymn by a poet named Sedulius, from the 400s, asks Herod why he is so afraid of Christ. Luther translated it into German in 1541 for Epiphany. The hymn's point is that Christ does not come to grab earthly thrones. He comes to give the kingdom of heaven.
In Church
January 6 is the Epiphany of the Lord. Epiphany means "showing." It celebrates Jesus being shown to the nations, starting with the Magi. Many churches follow the Revised Common Lectionary. It reads Matthew 2:1-12 on Epiphany every year. It reads Matthew 2:13-23 on the First Sunday after Christmas in Year A.
We quote Luther for what he got right about grace. He also wrote terrible things about Jewish people. Read our note on that.
Memorize
How do I keep it?
One line from this story to learn by heart. Practice a little now. It will come back later so it sticks.
When they saw the star, they rejoiced with great delight.
How did that feel?