JESUS AND THE MAGI

When did the Magi present their gifts to Jesus? Was it at the time of his birth or two years later?  You may have heard it said, “The Magi don’t belong in the Manger scene, because they came two years later.”   

The confusion comes because the time line of events of the story of Jesus birth is told only in part by two different books of the Gospels.  Let’s look for the facts of the time line of Jesus birth as recorded in the gospels of Luke and Matthew with the help of NAVE’s Topical Bible to find a chronological order to bring clarity to these questions.

As a brief summery, let’s follow Mary’s travels before Jesus in born.

1) The time line begins when the angel Gabriel appears to Mary in Nazareth. (Lk 1:26-38)

2) Mary visits Elizabeth in Jerusalem. (Lk 1:39-56) Mary’s magnificat (Jerusalem) Lk 1:46-55

3) And Mary stayed with her about three months, and then returned to her home. (Nazareth) Lk 1:56 (NASB) Three months away from Joseph and her pregnancy is starting to show.

4) An angel appears to Joseph concerning Mary 

Informing him of his wife to be is fulfilling (Mt 1:18-25) “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel.” Isa 7:14 (NASB)

5) Jesus’ Birth in Bethlehem 

Now in those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus, that a census be taken of all the inhabited earth. [2] This was the first census taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. [3] And everyone was on his way to register for the census, each to his own city. [4] Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David, [5] in order to register along with Mary, who was engaged to him, and was with child. [6] While they were there, the days were completed for her to give birth. [7] And she gave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. Lk 2:1-7 (NASB)

6) Angels appear to the shepherds

The shepherds go and find Jesus telling everyone what was told them about the child. Lk 2:8-20

7) Jesus’ circumcision and dedication

And at the end of eight days, when [the Baby] was to be circumcised, He was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before He was conceived in the womb. [22] And when the time for their purification [the mother’s purification and the Baby’s dedication] came according to the Law of Moses, they brought Him up to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord. Lk 2:21-22 (AMP)

In Luke is recorded the order of Jesus circumcision and dedication, but without knowing the Jewish Law the period of time in between these two events is not clear.  We need to go back to Leviticus 12:1-4 to get the time period.  The Amplified Bible gives more clarity.

And The Lord said to Moses, [2] Say to the Israelites, If a woman conceives and bears a male child, she shall be unclean seven days, unclean as during her monthly discomfort. [3] And on the eighth day the child shall be circumcised. [4] Then she shall remain [separated] thirty-three days to be purified [from her loss] of blood; she shall touch no hallowed thing nor come into the [court of the] sanctuary until the days of her purifying are over. Lev 12:1-4 (AMP)

Jesus was circumcised in Bethlehem on the eight day, but could not be dedicated to The Lord at the Temple in Jerusalem until his mother finished her forty days of purification.  Which gave Mary time to regain her strength after the blood lost in child birth.  Jerusalem is five and one half miles from Bethlehem and would take around six hours to walk.

8) The Magi arrive in Jerusalem to find where the “King of the Jews” was born.

“Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, [2] “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.” [3] When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. [4] Gathering together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. [5] They said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for this is what has been written by the prophet: [6] ‘AND YOU, BETHLEHEM, LAND OF JUDAH, ARE BY NO MEANS LEAST AMONG THE LEADERS OF JUDAH; FOR OUT OF YOU SHALL COME FORTH A RULER WHO WILL SHEPHERD MY PEOPLE ISRAEL.’”  Mt 2:1-6 (NASB)

Respectfully,

Robert Ver Beek

January 4, 2016

This topic intrigued me so much, on and off for the next three years, I dove much deeper into this topic.  If you enjoyed this blog and would like more details of this event, be sure to get my book on Amazon and / or Kindle.  

Published December, 2019