Who were the Magi?

January 31

Christmas cards and Christmas pageants are not the best resources for understanding the Bible. A case in point is the birth narrative of Jesus. Luke tells us that shepherds visited Joseph, Mary, and the baby Jesus in a manger. Matthew tells us that the Magi followed a star to a house where Joseph, Mary, and the child Jesus were staying in Bethlehem. Further, in Christmas pageants, the Magi are presented as kings, complete with their own song. These details easily distract us from the truth. We won’t go into the detailed differences between Matthew and Luke right now, other than to say that these visits did not happen at the same time.

So, what about the Magi? Who were they and where did they come from? Magi were highly educated men from ancient Persia (modern-day Iran) who studied astronomy, medicine, and natural sciences. It’s easy to miss their mention in the book of Daniel.

“Then the king promoted Daniel and gave him many generous gifts. He made him ruler over the entire province of Babylon and chief governor over all the wise men of Babylon.” (Daniel 2:48, CSB)

Did you catch that? King Nebuchadnezzar promoted Daniel, an exiled Jew, as the chief wise man over the Persian wise men (Magi). Among other things, Daniel taught them about the coming King of the Jews—some six hundred years before Jesus’ birth.

Regardless of how well they knew Jewish theology, the Magi were very determined. The distance from Babylon to Bethlehem is about 500 miles. At ten to twenty miles per day, their journey would have taken one to two months.

The Magi played the role God ordained for them, regardless of the fact that they were Gentiles, the biblical term for all non-Jewish peoples. They came from hundreds of miles away over an extended period of time, demonstrating the global reach of a self-revealing God.

Application

We need to be cautious about where we obtain our Bible knowledge. Obviously, Christmas Cards are among the worst, but the Bible itself is the best resource for gaining Bible knowledge! Study Bibles, commentaries, and Christian books can be helpful, but they are neither inspired nor infallible.

I knew a man who referred to his Study Bible notes as “the uninspired part” in Bible study discussions. His comments helped to differentiate between truth and speculation. Be careful about taking other people’s word for it. Test things for yourself. (1 Thessalonians 5:21) And, the only way to test is to know the Bible by reading and studying it for yourself and with other believers. (Acts 17:11)

© Copyright 2026 Craig Beaman