Around the beginning of the first century A.D., a special Child was born, who was the promised Messiah of Israel and the world.

First thing to note here is that the Bible never claimed that the wise men that came to visit were three in number. Not at all. The number was never mentioned. The only thing that was specified was the number of gifts they brought for Jesus (3)—gold, frankincense and myrrh.

These wise men, referred to as Magi, are believed to have been way more than three, according to Eastern traditions. They were scholars and astrologers from a very far country who were led by a star to Jerusalem. They were not Jews.

Matthew 2:1–16(NKJV)

1 - Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem,

2 - saying, "Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen 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 - And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.

5 - So they said to him, "In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet:

6 - "But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, Are not the least among the rulers of Judah; For out of you shall come a Ruler Who will shepherd My people Israel."'

Verse 6 above is a quote from Micah 5:2. The chief priests and scribes made inquiries and found their answer in the prophecy of Micah. This helped the wise men to locate the city in Judea where the Child was—Bethlehem.

7 - Then Herod, when he had secretly called the wise men, determined from them what time the star appeared.

This was Herod cunningly trying to find out how long ago the star appeared, knowing they had journeyed down from a very far country. Knowing that the star must have appeared when the Child was born, he was trying to determine the Child’s age by calculating the time period between when they saw the star and set out on their journey, and when they arrived in Jerusalem.

Herod felt threatened that a King was born—“King of the Jews.” His plan was to locate the Child and kill him.

8 - And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and search carefully for the young Child, and when you have found Him, bring back word to me, that I may come and worship Him also."

9 - When they heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was.

10 - When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy.

You’d notice the consistent use of “young Child” for Jesus instead of “baby.”

11 - And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

Herod was infuriated because they did not return to give Him feedback.

12 - Then, being divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed for their own country another way.

13 - Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, "Arise, take the young Child and His mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I bring you word; for Herod will seek the young Child to destroy Him."

14 - When he arose, he took the young Child and His mother by night and departed for Egypt,

15 - and was there until the death of Herod, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, "Out of Egypt I called My Son."

Now see this:

16 - Then Herod, when he saw that he was deceived by the wise men, was exceedingly angry; and he sent forth and put to death all the male children who were in Bethlehem and in all its districts, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the wise men.

Since he did not know exactly where the Child was in Bethlehem, he decided to kill all male children two years old and below in that city, “according to the time the star appeared which he had determined from the wise men” (verse 7, 16).

From this, we realize that it was already approximately two years since the star appeared and the wise men began their journey to Jerusalem, meaning by the time they arrived, Jesus was approximately two years old already. This is why we see no reference to a manger or him being referred to as a baby. So the wise men’s journey from their country to Jerusalem took approximately two years.

The people that met Jesus as a baby in the manger were actually Jewish shepherds.

Luke 2:7–17(NKJV)

7 - And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

8 - Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night.

9 - And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid.

10 - Then the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people.

11 - For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.

12 - And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger."

13 - And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying:

14 - "Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!"

16 - And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger.

17 - Now when they had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child.

So the story of the encounter of the shepherds with Jesus and that of the wise men get sandwiched many times, but they are completely different stories.

But one thing we can deduce from this analysis is that the wise men probably saw the star the same day the shepherds received the good news from the angel of God.

Victor Ibosiola © 2025