Palace of light

Part 6 of 35 The star and the king

Some time later, wise men called Magi came from the east to Jerusalem, asking: "Where is the One who has been born King of the Jews? We saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him" (Matthew 2:2). King Herod was troubled, and he sent them to Bethlehem, secretly planning to harm the child.

The star went ahead of the Magi until it stopped over the place where Jesus was. "When they saw the star, they rejoiced with great delight" (Matthew 2:10). They bowed down and worshiped him, and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. Warned in a dream, they went home another way, and an angel told Joseph to take Mary and Jesus to Egypt until Herod died (Matthew 2:12–15).

Imagined The palace

At the heart of the city stands a palace with a huge gold dome and a star on top. Its doors glow, and light spills out from inside, so the whole city is bright even at night.

Real world Herod's hilltop palace

King Herod the Great was a famous builder. A few kilometers from Bethlehem he built the Herodium, a palace and fortress on top of a cone-shaped hill. In 2007, the archaeologist Ehud Netzer announced that he had found Herod's tomb on its slope.

Real world Gold, frankincense and myrrh

Frankincense and myrrh are sweet-smelling resins, a kind of dried tree sap, from small trees that grow in southern Arabia and the Horn of Africa. In Jesus's time they were used in perfume and medicine, and they could be very costly.

Think about it

1. Why do you think the wise men traveled so far?
2. What gift would you bring to Jesus?
3. Why might Herod have been afraid of a baby king?

Key words

Magi

Wise men from the east who studied the stars.

Frankincense

A sweet-smelling tree resin, burned like incense.

Myrrh

A fragrant tree resin used in perfume and medicine.