How old was Jesus when the wise men visited him?
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Asked December 27 2013
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Steven Draves
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Jennifer Henkel
We know that the wise men did not arrive at the stable the night Jesus was born, as they enter the "house" where He was (Matthew 2:11). King Herod decides to kill all boys in Bethlehem 2 years and under, which leads some to believe Jesus was two at the time of the visit. But I think Herod was just covering all his bases by killing toddlers on down. Besides, how long would Joseph and Mary have stayed in town after being counted, her purification rites completed and Jesus being presented in the temple, since Nazareth was their home? So Jesus was probably under two months old. I have always wanted a nativity set that is more true to the historical account, one in which there are many Wise men, not just three (we assume there were three due to the number of gifts, but for ALL Jerusalem to be troubled by their visit, it must have been quite a crowd)! Maybe a setup across the room from the nativity, with a bunch of guys, camels and servants, heading in the direction of "Bethlehem."
Carl Heald
Probably 1 to 2 months old. The Magi or Wise Men traveled close to one thousand miles to get there. It sounds like they were only able to see the bright star, they were following, in the early morning hours. So we don't know how many hours they traveled each day or if some days they rested. Also it sounds like the gifts of gold, frankincense & myrrh were heavy and the terrain was rough, so they might have been riding some animals like donkeys. If they averaged 20 miles a day it would take about 50 days.
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