Who were the wise men (magi)?
"The Wise Men went to the house. There they saw the child with his mother Mary. They bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures. They gave him gold, incense and myrrh" (Matthew 2:11).
"God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son. Anyone who believes in him will not die but will have eternal life. God did not send his Son into the world to judge the world. He sent his Son to save the world through him" (John 3:16–17).
The magi were probably rulers and priests from Persia who believed the stars told the future.The Bible calls these men "wise men," "kings," or "magi." There may have been more than three wise men—the Bible doesn't tell us how many. For a long time people have believed there were three, but all we know is that they gave three gifts to Jesus: gold, incense, and myrrh. Legends tell us that their names were Gaspar, Melchior, and Balthasar, but the Bible doesn't say their names so we can't be sure that's true. We are pretty sure, though, that the wise men came from ruling families in Persia, where they served as priests.
The wise men didn't visit Jesus when He was in the manger. Because they were astrologers (people who believe the stars tell the future), they followed the star of Bethlehem to Nazareth, where Jesus and His parents were living.
