Reading the Bible Badly. Karl Allen Kuhn
and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. 8Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage.” 9When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. 11On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure-chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 12And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.
Set in the opening pages of Matthew’s narrative, the account foreshadows what will become clear as the Gospel unfolds. These magi are Gentiles from distant lands. Perhaps framed by Matthew as a fulfillment of Isaiah 60:1–6, which speaks of non-Israelites journeying to Israel to behold and even participate in its restoration, these magi recognize the importance of this child and who he will become. This story introduces recipients of Matthew’s gospel to the profession that this child, Jesus, is to be Savior and Lord for all of humanity, Israelite and Gentile alike.
The magi also serve as an example of how to welcome the Christ child. The magi undertake an arduous journey from afar, compelled by their earnest desire to come before this new king. Upon seeing Jesus, they worship him and present him precious gifts. Their actions parallel those of others in the pages to follow who respond to Jesus with almost immediate trust and devotion.
And so, in their remembrance of this story, American Christians often emphasize that Jesus is Savior to all humankind, and celebrate those who embrace Jesus with eyes and hearts of faith. These are aspects of the story that are certainly good and faithful to remember. But they are not the whole story. Again, we need a lens adjustment in order to see this account more clearly.
Lens Adjustment: The Not So Three, or Wise, or Even Men
In our remembrance of the magi we tend to add several elements to their story that are actually not found in the Gospel of Matthew, the only Gospel which tells us about them. In Christian tradition, the magi are commonly regarded as kings: “We three kings of Orient are . . .” the carol goes. But there is nothing in Matthew’s gospel to suggest this.
We also commonly remember the magi as being three in number, and several different sets of names throughout the centuries have been suggested for them. Again, there is nothing in Matthew’s account that tells us that there were three magi or the names they were called. The magi’s gifts being three in number simply does not indicate that there were three magi.
The gifts also do not, as many assume, necessitate that the magi were wealthy. Gold, frankincense, and myrrh were indeed valuable commodities, but Matthew does not indicate the amounts that were gifted to Jesus. The gifts could represent the collective wealth of this group of magi and further underscore the sacrifice implied in their journey.
Just as strangely, we (including the NRSV translators!) have commonly regarded the magi as wise men, even though there is nothing in Matthew’s gospel that tells us that they were wise, or that they were all men.
Really.
From what we can piece together from surviving historical evidence, it appears that magi were astrologers and interpreters of dreams, especially in Eastern cultures that had been influenced by Persian customs.28 They were not kings themselves, but some of them served in the courts of kings, functioning as advisors, like the “magi” (NRSV: “magicians”) described in Daniel 2:1–11. It is likely that most such advisors were men, but some could have been women. After all, in ancient Persia women served as priests and astrologers, and even in Israelite tradition women served as prophets. There is also evidence suggesting that some magi may have been itinerant, traveling in large groups, including their families—like roaming gypsies.
By Gentile folk, some magi would have been regarded as wise. But to others, especially Israelite folk, this was not likely the case. We can find no ancient Israelite text that presents the magi as wise persons. In fact, in every surviving Israelite text of the time, including two that would have been widely known by Israelites in Jesus’ day, the magi are regarded not as wise, but fools!29 As surprising as this may be, it makes perfect sense. How do you discern the will of God if you are a faithful Israelite? By reading the Torah and Prophets, not the stars, not by magic!
Accordingly, it is very likely that most recipients of Matthew’s gospel—most of whom were likely Israelite Christians—would not have held the magi in high regard. Rather, they and most early Christians would have heard this story very differently than how many Christians hear and tell this story today. For first-century Jesus folk, this is not a story about the wisest, wealthiest, and most discerning among the Gentiles coming with great reverence to honor the Israelite King. Instead, they would have heard it as an almost comical, puzzling tale, about a bunch of silly, Eastern astrologers who are led by a star to see Jesus. “What was God up to?” many of the original recipients of Matthew’s gospel would have asked. “Why, of all people, them?30
Note too that if we carefully attend to Matthew’s account, we are not encouraged to regard the magi as all that astute. Just the opposite. While in the East, the magi see the star rising and follow it to Judea. Yet even with the guidance of the bright and luminous star, the magi still get lost! So they stop off in Jerusalem and ask for directions. Eventually, King Herod gets wind of this and secretly summons the magi (vv. 7–8). He sends them off to Bethlehem, saying “Go ahead, find the Christ child, and then come back and let me know where he lives, so that I too can go and worship him” (camera cue: focus in on Herod as he turns aside, rubs his hands, and laughs evilly under his breath). But the magi are oblivious to Herod’s ulterior motives, and to the fact that he has just gained information from them that puts Jesus at great risk (see Matt 2:16–18). The magi then head off to Bethlehem and the star leads them to the very place where Jesus lives. Finally, the still clueless magi need to be warned in a dream not to return to Herod (v. 12).
The Magi as Faithful Fools
If we read this story without the assumption that the magi are three discerning, wise men, then we can see how this story may have been understood differently by those who first told it and first heard it. Then we too might ask concerning the silly magi, along with the earliest tellers and hearers of this tale, why these folk? What was God up to?
Asking these questions can help us to recognize another important element of Matthew’s gospel that is in view here already in its opening chapters. As we will see later on in the narrative, Jesus picks fishermen, sinners, rebels, and tax collectors—basically a bunch of nobodies and no-goods—to be his disciples (4:18–22; 9:9). For this he is upbraided by the Pharisees, to whom he responds: “I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners” (9:10–13). He commends a Canaanite woman for her great faith (15:21–28). He tells his disciples, “Whoever wishes to be first among you must be your slave” (20:27). He defines righteousness as concern for the least among us (25:31–46), and emulates that in his own miracles of healing.
Then at one point, Jesus proclaims regarding his followers, “I praise you Father, Lord of Heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned and revealed them to little children” (11:25).
In short, through this story and others to follow, Matthew is concerned to tell us that those whom the world often finds silly, naïve, trashy, powerless, and childish are more likely to open their hearts and minds to Christ. The saving reign of God makes little headway among those who hoard their riches, who seek to preserve their privileged positions, who celebrate their status at the expense of others, who so trust in their own manner of “wisdom” that they are blind to the way of blessing God is making known in plain sight before them. The kingdom of heaven comes to the ones “foolish” enough to set the lies of this world aside, and rest their hearts in the truth and love of God made known in Emmanuel.
The Magi through the Centuries
Very few Christians throughout history have celebrated let alone remembered the foolish and childlike character of the magi as Matthew presents