Visitors from the East
It's entirely consistent with their respective points of view that only Luke reports the visit of the shepherds to venerate the newborn Christ child, and only Matthew records the visit by the wise men. Luke's intended audience might have been more impressed to know that the child had been born and first worshipped under humble circumstances, whereas Matthew wanted to stress Jesus' divine royalty as a descendent of the house of David.
St. Matthew's recording of the visit by the “kings from the east” is consistent with his tracing of the royal lineage of Jesus. His Jewish audience would demand evidence of royal patronage or notice of the Messiah's birth. The Magi were most likely from Persia and most likely followers of Zoroaster, known as “the king of the Magi” and the founder of what is widely thought to be the world's first monotheistic religion. The gifts the wise men brought were precious commodities, so they must have been wealthy, and even if there was only one wise man for each gift (which provides the theory that there were three of them), they most likely had a retinue providing security.
Matthew's account of the visit of the Magi is short and simple:“And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense and myrrh” (Matthew 2:11).
symbolism
Gift giving was part of ancient feasts and celebrations, much like gifts today are given to newlyweds or graduates. Christmas gifts symbolize this universal practice and reflect the Gospel account that the Magi brought gifts of great value to the Child of Bethlehem. But pre-eminently, they recognize the Father's “indescribable gift” to us (2 Corinthians 9:15).
Scholars generally agree that the Magi arrived after the Christ child had been removed from the stable to a house, after the influx of taxpayers to Bethlehem had abated. They were most likely “kings” only in the sense that they had wealth and could move about freely in a dangerous environment. Indisputably, they are the first gentiles who worshipped Jesus.
An explanation of how the Magi found the star and the Messiah is provided by Moses in Deuteronomy, “if you shall seek the LORD your God, you shall find him; if you seek him with all your heart and with all your soul” (Deuteronomy 4:29); and the Prophet Jeremiah reiterated, “you shall seek me, and find me, when you shall search for me with all your heart,” Jeremiah 29:13.
