Bible Stories - The Wise Men From the East | Biblical Magi | Stories of Jesus |

This is the story of the Three Magi, who are also known as the Three Wise Men from the East. Their names were Melchior, Gaspar, and Balthazar, and they were very respected wise men from a land east of Judea. They were some of the most learned scholars in their land, and spent a lot of time studying science and the movement of the stars. One day, from far away in their land to the east, the Three Magi spotted a new star in the sky, and knew that it meant something very special and very important was happening to the west in the land of Judea. They discussed what it could mean, and realized that it was the fulfilling of the ancient prophecy of the Messiah. A long, long time before Jesus was born, God sent prophets to tell the people about the Messiah who would save them. When the time came for this prophecy to be fulfilled, many dangers lay waiting for the young Messiah before he was even born. The first of these was the King. At the time of Jesus' birth, the land of Judea was ruled over by a king named King Herod. King Herod was known for being mean, selfish, and cruel. He was afraid of losing power, and this led him to be violent and treat his people badly. Herod, like many others, had heard tales of the prophecies of Jesus' birth. He knew that the arrival of the Savior of the world would be a threat to his own power. Even before Jesus was born, Herod was determined not to let the young Messiah take any of his power away from him. One day, as King Herod sat on his throne, three wise men arrived from the east and asked to be brought before the king so that they might tell him of some important news. The wise men were learned scholars who studied the stars and the movements of the heavens. Before coming to see King Herod, they had seen a very special star that they believed signaled the birth of a great king, the king of the Jews. They had traveled a long way to find this new king and offer him gifts. Well, wise men, what is it? What has brought you on this long journey all the way to Jerusalem? Your Majesty, we have come with very important news. We have been watching the stars and believe that a great change is coming. And why is that? We saw in the stars that the king of the Jews has been born. We followed its lead and it brought us in this direction. We wish to find the boy who will be king and savior of the world and worship him. This news was very shocking to King Herod. Just as he had feared, the Messiah had been born to be the king of the Jews. King Herod came up with a plan to stop the baby Jesus from taking away any of his power. He would pretend to also wish to worship the child and send the three wise men to find the baby and then lead King Herod and his men to the child. What excellent news! You must go and find this holy baby at once. When he is found, I wish to worship him as well. But deep down, Herod did not want to worship the child. He wanted to find the baby Jesus and stop him. The three wise men did not know this dark secret, of course. So they sat out on their journey to find the newborn baby Jesus. The three wise men, Melchior, Gaspar, and Balthasar, set out on a long journey to find the newborn king. They traveled through deserts and over mountains, following the star that shone brightly in the sky, leading them to their destination. As they traveled, the wise men spoke to the people they met, asking if they knew where the newborn king was. They also stopped to rest and eat along the way, but they never lost the sight of the star that guided them. The wise men followed the star to a small town called Bethlehem, where the star stopped above a stable. Look, the star hangs here in the sky. This must be the place where the king of the Jews was born. Let's go inside and look for our Messiah. And so, the three wise men entered the little wooden stable. There they found the newborn king, who was lying in a manger, surrounded by his parents and some animals. The baby's parents, Mary and Joseph, turned around and were surprised to see three such wise men in fine clothes, entering the tiny stable where they slept with their baby boy. Oh, hello, who are you? Do not be afraid. We are here for joyous reasons. We are three wise Magi from the East. We followed a star that told us that the future king of the Jews had been born in this very spot. Is this child your son? Yes, this is our son. His name is Jesus. I am Joseph, and this is my wife Mary. Well, Joseph and Mary, your son is the Messiah that has been promised in the old prophecies. For centuries, we have waited for the arrival of this holy child who has been sent to save the world. Indeed, he is the Son of God. We would be honored to pay our respects to your baby Jesus and present him with these gifts we have brought. Mary and Joseph were glad to receive the kindness of the three wise men and invited them to pay their respects to the newborn baby Jesus. Each of the three wise men presented the child with a gift they had brought especially for this moment. The first, Melchior, came forth and offered Jesus a gift of gold. Please accept this offering of gold, Lord Jesus. Gold is made for kings, and you are to be the king of kings. Then, Balthazar stepped forward and presented the gift of myrrh, a special perfume used at funerals to the baby Jesus. Take this gift of myrrh, my Lord. It is a symbol of how you will overcome death. And then the third of the wise men, Gaspar, offered the child the gift of frankincense, a special incense used for worship and prayer. This is to represent that you will be worshipped by many, my Lord. Thank you all for coming and presenting our baby Jesus with such precious gifts. And so, once the three wise men had paid their worship to the baby Jesus, it was time for them to return on their way home. That night, they stopped to take rest and all shared a common dream. In the morning, the three wise men gathered, just as they were about to head back to King Herod. Last night, a terrible dream came to me. It foretold that King Herod was lying when he said he wanted to join in worshipping the baby Jesus. In fact, the king wishes to harm the young Messiah. I myself had the very same dream, and I too. And so the three wise men hatched a plan. Instead of returning to King Herod and revealing the whereabouts of the precious baby Jesus, they would return east to where they came from. Only, they would take a special route and avoid the home of King Herod, so that the king would not be able to track down which way they went and would not be able to find the baby Jesus. When King Herod discovered that the wise men had escaped from Judea without revealing where the baby Jesus was, Herod became angry. More than ever, he was determined to stop the young Messiah from fulfilling his destiny and becoming the king of kings. But thanks to the faith and loyalty of the three wise men from the east, the young Jesus was left in good hands for now and would grow up in a loving home with his mother and father while the people waited for the day he would save the world and bring love and faith to all.