Author Archives: pastorjeremyhelmuth

10 Facts You Didn’t Know about the Magi

jesus-and-magi-2When I was in elementary school, I was one of the “three kings” in my church’s Christmas musical. I had one line and it had something to do with giving baby Jesus a gift. Growing up, I just assumed that the wise men who visited Bethlehem were simply three men who rode camels from an eastern land. Little did I know that these men were much more than three wandering wise men. When we realize who these men really were and what they represented, it helps make sense of other parts of the Christmas story. As I researched the history of the Magi, I found 10 facts which are fascinating. I understand that using the word “fact” might be a stretch for some of these, but the logical deductions based upon the evidence seem to point towards the validity of these statements.

 magi2FACT 1: The Magi traveled from the Parthian Empire. The Parthian Empire was a vast ancient empire, which ruled in Asia at the same time that the Roman Empire ruled over the Mediterranean region. It is believed that when Israel was exiled into this region centuries before, they settled there and eventually rose to power and actually had kings with Israelite blood who ruled over this empire.

FACT 2: The Magi were powerful members of the Parthian two-house body that elected Parthian monarchs and had great influence within the empire. The assembly was composed of a royal family (the Arsacids) and the priests (the “Magi”). The Greek word translated “wise men” is “magian” literally meaning “Persian astronomer or priest” from which we derive the word “Magi”. According to this theory, the Magi were descended from the tribe of Levi. When the Magi visited Jesus, there might have been 10-12 main leaders, all representing the tribes of Israel, instead of the traditional number of three.

FACT 3: The Magi were looking for a new king for Parthia, and Jesus was a descendant of the throne. Since Matthew 1:3-17 tells us that Jesus Christ was a descendant of King David, Jesus was a distant relative of the Parthian ruling dynasty. At the time of the birth of Jesus, the recent Parthian emperor, Phraates IV (reigned 37-2 B.C.), had killed many male relatives, including his own father and almost thirty brothers. Male descendants at the time of Jesus’ birth were in very short supply. The Magi who arrived in Jerusalem knew that Jesus was “royal-born,” and it implies that they knew He was related to Parthia’s kings.

FACT 4: Herod (and all of Jerusalem) was disturbed because he wondered if the Magi came to besiege Jerusalem and start a Roman-Parthian war. The Parthian caravan probably had so many armed escorts that many feared it was an invasion force coming to besiege Jerusalem and start a new Roman-Parthian war. Israel was in a strategic location and whichever nation controlled Israel would control the surrounding area. These two empires had fought over this area in the recent past, and Herod feared with a new born king in his midst, it would give the common people motivation to rebel against the Roman government and join forces with Parthia.

The Magi’s caravan might have had over 10,000 men and 1,000 camels. Since the Magi were high officials of the Parthian government, they would routinely travel with a substantial escort of Parthian soldiers to guarantee their protection. Their escort may have been unusually large, including servants, animals, cooks, etc.

FACT #5: Herod controlled his response to the Magi, proving the power of the Parthians. The Magi came directly to King Herod, quite open about their reasons for being in Roman-occupied Palestine. “He that is born king of the Jews” (Matthew 2:2). Herod could have flown into a rage, and yelled “How dare you ask to see another king of the Jews beside me; I am king of the Jews!” The fact that Herod swallowed his pride, and meekly answered the Magi is noteworthy. Herod may even have suspected that the Magi’s question was designed to provoke an incident, which would lead to an outbreak of hostilities and his removal from the throne. Herod may have been expecting to hear an ultimatum for the surrender of Jerusalem to Parthia when the Magi were ushered into his presence.

The fact that the Magi spoke directly to Herod, who was Rome’s “king of the Jews,” about wanting to find a “new king of the Jews” could be seen by the Romans as very close to a declaration of war, given the region’s history.

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FACT #6: The Magi visited Jesus several months after his birth. Matthew 2:11 states that this visit of the Magi took place in a house when Jesus was old enough to be called “a young child.” Matthew 2:8 adds that Herod sent the Magi “to Bethlehem” after conferring with the Jewish hierarchy about the prophesied location of the Messiah’s birth.

FACT #7: The gifts from the Magi might have made Jesus’ family wealthy. It takes financial resources to travel. When God warned Joseph to flee to Egypt quickly, he had the financial resources on hand to afford a rapidly arranged, indefinite stay in a foreign nation. Either Joseph was not a poor carpenter, or these funds came from the gifts of the Magi at Jesus’ birth. Jesus’ financial resources were confirmed by the fact that He and His large band of disciples traveled for years without any visible means of support (John 12:3-6; 13:29). Could it be that these initial gifts given to Jesus at his birth supported Him throughout His entire ministry?

magi4FACT #8: Herod vented his pent-up rage by murdering all boys (under 2) in Bethlehem. After the Magi left, Herod became “furious” (Matthew 2:16) and vented his pent-up rage by murdering all male children in Bethlehem under age two. Official reports surely had to be filed with Augustus Caesar in Rome about this highly unusual event. It appears that Herod was trying to squelch any kind of potential for a new king to arise in his land.

FACT #9: The star the Magi followed was most likely an angel. No comet or celestial phenomenon could pinpoint a single city. The Bible sometimes uses the word “star” to represent angels (Job 38:7; Revelation 1:20). Only an angel, a spirit being, could literally “stand over” the baby Jesus to designate one specific child to the Parthian nobles.

The star seemed to only be visible to the Magi. If a unique celestial object had appeared in the sky, Herod and his astrologers would already have known the exact date and hour on which it had appeared. Also, the star appeared and disappeared. After leading the Magi to Judea, the star disappeared, forcing them to ask Herod for directions. After the Magi left Herod, the star again appeared to them, and led them directly to Bethlehem (Luke 2:9) and finally stood over one specific child. Matthew 2:10 states the Magi rejoiced that the star had again appeared to show them where to go!

 It should not seem odd for us to believe that this star was an angel because God used an angel during several events surrounding the birth of Jesus (i.e. Zechariah, Mary, Joseph, shepherds). Since God used angels to direct the movements of people in the events surrounding Christ’s birth, it would have been completely consistent for God to also send an angel to guide the Magi’s movements.

magi5FACT #10: The Magi might have monitored the events of Jesus’ life. It is possible that the Magi discussed the possibility that this child Jesus, born under such unusual circumstances, might one day take the throne of the Parthian Empire. This delegation of Parthian Magi likely would have stayed in contact with Jesus in future years and monitored the events of His life.

Maybe you were like me and believed that the Magi were “3 Kings” who visited Jesus when He was a little baby lying in a manger. Hopefully, this new information impacts your view of the Magi, the Empire of Parthia, and ultimately the grand plan of God that is so much greater than what we can sometimes imagine. It is my hope that this can help you realize that the history of this planet is really “HIS-story.”

The Biggest Lie America Believed

This last weekend, my wife and I took our daughters to an art museum.  As we were walking from gallery to gallery, enjoying the art from the past several centuries, my eye caught a particular painting.  At first, I noticed this work because of the peculiar scene of monkeys dressed in human clothing.  Since we have a two year old, the theme of any trip is to “keep it moving,” so I knew that I needed to be careful not to spend too much time studying this picture, but I am glad that I took the time to learn more about the background of this fascinating piece of art.

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The painting is called THE DISCOVERY OF ADAM.  The artist, William Holbrook Beard, created this artwork 32 years after the publication of Charles Darwin’s On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection.

This was my favorite painting in the entire museum.  I could have spent quite a while gazing at the details of the ironic picture.  In the few minutes I was able to study it, I noticed the following: Seven monkeys dressed in suits were standing on a beach poking at, observing, discussing and wondering what this turtle-like creature could be on the shore.  As I looked closely at this creature, the shell had the inscription of 2000 000[0?] / B C / Adam.  And in the background of the painting, I saw pterodactyls fighting.

What truth was the artist trying to convey?  I believe he was trying to show us that civilized monkeys of ancient times could no more believe that they descended from such a primitive Adam than logical human beings could accept that human beings evolved from monkeys.

The painting is a brilliant display of rational thinking.  The persuasive power of this painting proves how important art is to every culture and civilization.  Art can often shout the truth of a situation louder than a thousand page book on the same subject.

The rest of the afternoon, my mind continued to shift towards this picture of a strange turtle surrounded by monkeys.  On the long drive back home, I kept picturing this painting and the significance of it in my own life as a believer in a Creator.  I thought about how the acceptance of the idea of random, chaotic evolution has changed our nation’s culture.  As I kept staring ahead into the endless miles of highway, I couldn’t stop thinking about how this lie, called evolution, has changed America’s philosophy in almost every fundamental area over the last century.  This fundamental shift from believing in an “intelligent designer” to a meaningless “big bang” has brought about some of the most horrific justifications any civilization has ever encountered.

Our nation has shifted from living out a “Creator Worldview” to a “Darwinian Worldview” and the change is shocking.  Allow me to present a few examples.

Our nation once believed that all human life is sacred because God made humans in His own image.  This gave humans significance and inherent value from the time they were in their mother’s wombs to the moment they breathed their last breath confined to a hospital bed.  Today, our nation teaches us that life evolved through chance, and is therefore meaningless and purposeless and abortion is an acceptable option since the forming animal inside of you is merely tissue.

Our nation once believed that death was not the end, and that heaven or hell awaited the human soul because the Creator has placed something eternal within each human.  Today, our nation teaches us that this life is all there is; therefore, eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die and will return to the dust and exist no more.

Our nation once believed that the Creator set a standard by which all humans were to live by and that standard was written on each of our hearts.

Today, our nation teaches us that there is no God and therefore no standard by which to live.

This belief system has given us situational ethics where everyone is allowed to make their own decisions based upon their own convictions.  Anyone with the ability to think logically should be horrified at this reality.  Sadly, we are witnessing this take place in many, if not most of our universities.  Students are paying thousands of dollars to be brainwashed into thinking that everyone can believe whatever they want and that it will not affect anyone around them.

Our nation once believed that the Creator, as part of His creation, gave us the gift of marriage between a man and a woman.  Within this union, a family could be born.  Today, our nation teaches us that marriage and family are relative terms and the definition of each can be changed depending on our belief system.  If we have simply evolved over millions of years, then marriage is also something that can and should evolve over time.  This is why many are fighting for marriage to be a thing of the past and for us instead to tap into our animalistic instinct to breed with whomever we want whenever we want.  I am appalled at what is subtly taught about the family unit in many cartoons and consistently have to discuss these godless viewpoints with my children after we watch an episode of a seemingly innocent television show.  The Evil One understands that the foundation of civility rests upon the shoulders of the family unit and if this family unit can be destroyed, then most of the other institutions of this nation will follow suit.

Our nation once believed that the Creator presented humanity (Adam and Eve) with the first set of clothing after sin entered the world and shame entered the human heart in realizing nakedness.  Today, our nation has turned the shame of public nakedness into a billion dollar industry.  The bold acceptance of pornography in our nation proves that humans are simply animals to look at and lust after with no consequences to his or her actions.  But with this acceptance, people are learning false intimacy.  More alarming is the fact that many individuals are solely committed to a computer screen and find their satisfaction through a fake, touched up photo of someone who doesn’t really exist.  This digital depravity can trace it roots to rejecting the idea that God made human beings with dignity.

Our nation once believed that “all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”  This belief was reinforced in the late 1800s when the Statue of Liberty stood for this important aspect of the gospel: “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore.  Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me.”  Just read the Bible…the poor is important to God.  But today, there seems to be a great neglect of the poor.  Could it be that many people, including Christians, live out the idea of the survival of the fittest?  How many people have simply blamed the poor for being poor, saying things like, “If they would not be lazy, then they would not be poor.”  It takes a wise and discerning heart to differentiate between “the poor” and “the lazy,” and tragically, our nation is filling up with “the lazy” at an alarming pace.  But this doesn’t mean that our hearts shouldn’t respond to those who are genuinely in need.

Could it be true that the theory of evolution is responsible for the justification of abortion, promotion of existentialism, empowering selfishness, the breakdown of the family, the booming industry of pornography, and the neglect of the poor?  I am not saying that these issues have not been problematic in past civilizations.  But I am saying that our cultural values have changed.  And I believe that the fundamental question that we all must ask is this: is there a God who created all of this stuff, or did I evolve from a monkey?  Depending upon how you answer, I can tell you where you reside upon most of the plagues of our society.

Could it be that the answer to the problems in our society is a belief in God?  But not just any god…the God of the Universe who is named Jesus Christ.  Could it really be this simple?  Until we are ready to face this truth, we will continue to crumble from within.

monkey-axeLately, I have heard from many people that their greatest hope is that everyone in the United States could just come together and be unified in some kind of harmonious agreement.  It appears that the divide in America is getting greater by the day. “Can’t we all just get along?” we plead to each other.   Is it even possible for everyone to just come back together? Is this even what Christians should hope for?  The answer is a resounding “No!”  I would like to present a more divine approach.  We should hope for people to turn to God before we believe that they will ever consider coming together in unity.  Until people see the light of their Creator shining through the darkness into their soul, there is not much hope that they will live out the will of God.

Our only hope is for people to turn their hearts to God.  Two conflicting philosophies will never live in harmony together.  Start praying for people to awaken to the truth so that they realize that they have a loving Creator who made them and has a purpose for them that is greater than what they can even imagine.  This is the hope we can hold onto, and this will be my prayer every time I see our country sinking deeper into division.  Simply stated, our hope is GOD.