Was Jesus in the house when when the wise men came?

Answer 1

No. According to the book of St. Matthew, chapter 2:

11 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.

Matt 2:11 (KJV)

As you can see, they came "into the house". The Greek word used for "house" in this passage is one that means residence, household or home. This was clearly not a stable.

Answer 2

A very good question, my friend.

To answer it, we must look in The Bible, not to any religious organisation today.

The Bible says that the magi or "wise men" ( more likely astrologers ) visited Jesus in the house.

So, all the nativity scenes you see with the three men standing around a crib is historically and Biblically incorrect.

Matthew2:11 "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.

Answer 3

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This question is understandable, as Luke's Gospel says that Mary and Joseph came from Nazareth to Bethlehem only for a census and then returned to Nazareth via Jerusalem just forty days after the birth of Jesus. However, Matthew's Gospel tells us that Bethlehem, not Nazareth, was the home town of the young couple and that the wise men found Jesus in their house, not in a stable. Although it is usual to attempt to harmonise the two accounts, we should recognise their independence if we wish to understand each story on its own terms.

In Matthew's Gospel, the wise men need not have come all that long after the birth of Jesus. Although some think they only came two years after the birth, Matthew 2:1 tells us "Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea ... there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem." They told Herod of the baby born to be king of the Jews and he asked them to come back and tell him where they had found Jesus, secretly planning to have Jesus killed. It was only after the visit of the wise men that Mary, Joseph fled with Jesus to Egypt (not to Nazareth, as in Luke). After the death of Herod they began to return to Bethlehem, but being warned in a dream, turned aside and travelled to Nazareth instead.

Whether or not we believe that Matthew was writing Christian midrash, as Bishop Spong suggests, we should expect in this story that Jesus remained in Bethlehem until King Herod placed his life in danger.

Answer 4

He was in Nazareth when the wise men came. He was approx two years old when the wise men came.