The Most Misused Stories in the Bible by Eric J. Bargerhuff

Author:Eric J. Bargerhuff
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: REL006000
ISBN: 9781441231024
Publisher: Baker Publishing Group
Published: 2017-03-12T16:00:00+00:00

9

The “Three” Wise Men

“For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”

—Matthew 2:2 ESV

It is a common question that comes to those in church leadership, a question that sounds like this: “Where does the Bible talk about [insert topic here]?” These inquiries come often and are a good reminder of why it’s important for all Christians to be committed to studying the Bible for themselves.1

As you can probably imagine, pastors field a wide range of Bible-related questions. Some are easy to answer, and some are more difficult. The Bible directly addresses many topics, but not all. And it’s also not uncommon to be asked about ideas and concepts that are not actually in the Bible, such as the popular but erroneous idea that God helps those who help themselves. It is precisely because we can’t help ourselves that God sent his Son Jesus to save us from our sin.

Further, many ideas that people think are in the Bible stem from church tradition rather than Scripture. The concept of purgatory is one of those. The idea that there is a place where the souls of the departed go to be purified before they are eligible for heaven is nowhere found in Scripture and is theologically problematic, as it would be an affront to the sufficient sacrifice of Christ on the cross to fully atone for our sins.2

Still others confuse sacred holiday tradition for Scripture. One of the more famous misuses of tradition that is often read back into Scripture comes from a familiar Christmas carol written by John Henry Hopkins Jr. in 1857, which we know today as “We Three Kings.” At the time of its composition, Hopkins served as the rector of Christ Episcopal Church in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.

It is said that Hopkins wrote the piece for a Christmas pageant, although it wasn’t formally published until 1863. Its original title is “Three Kings of Orient,” and it is found in his work entitled Carols, Hymns, and Songs. It is a delightful piece to sing with a catchy tune that has found its way into children’s programs at churches and schools across the country for decades.

It has become a part of sacred American Christian tradition to recount the story of the wise men from the East who came to offer gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh to the Christ child as an act of worship.

But a closer look into the account as recorded by Matthew will reveal many differences between the actual history of the event and the carol that we know and love. Now, to be fair, no one likes people who take something fun and spoil it for everyone by attempting to be technical about everything. Indeed, that is not my intent.

The reason why I have included this chapter is because I believe we need to understand what Scripture teaches when it comes to the various practices and traditions of the church, the songs that we sing, and what it is that shapes our view of the story of Christ.

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