Who Were the Three Kings, or Magi, Who Visited Jesus?

Three Kings – Wise Men from the East

Who Were the Three Kings, or Magi, Who Visited Jesus?

The Three Kings recognized Jesus Christ as the Messiah while he was still a child, and traveled thousands of miles to worship him. They doggedly followed a star which led them to Jesus. By the time they met Jesus, he was in a house and was a child, not an infant, implying they arrived a year or more after his birth. Their gifts symbolize Christ's identity and mission: gold for a king, incense for God, and myrrh, used to anoint the dead. God honored the wise men by warning them in a dream to go home by another route not to report back to King Herod.

Strengths of the Three Kings:

The Three Kings were among the wisest men of their time. Discovering that the Messiah was to be born, they organized an expedition to find him, following a star that led them to Bethlehem. Despite their culture and religion in a foreign land, they accepted Jesus as their Savior.

Life Lessons from the Three Kings:

When we seek God with sincere determination, we will find him. He is not hiding from us, but wants to have an intimate relationship with each of us.

These wise men paid Jesus the kind of respect only God deserves, bowing before him and worshiping him. Jesus is not just a great teacher or admirable person as many people say today, but the Son of the Living God.

After the Three Kings met Jesus, they did not go back the way they came. When we get to know Jesus Christ, we are changed forever and cannot go back to our old life.

Hometown:

Matthew says only that these visitors came from "the east." Scholars have speculated that they came from Persia, Arabia, or even India.