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Matthew 2:1-12
The Magi Visit the Messiah
1After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem 2 and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”
3 When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. 5 “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:
6 “‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for out of you will come a ruler
who will shepherd my people Israel.’”
7 Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. 8 He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”
9 After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 11 On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. 12 And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.
Today, January 6, is the day observed as the Epiphany of the Lord on the calendar of the church. We celebrated the occasion in worship on Sunday, but for the benefit of those who weren’t able to be with us, we’ll devote today’s Reflection to thinking about this passage from Matthew, the story of the coming of the Magi, which is the traditional reading for the occasion.
You might remember that we said in past Reflections the Epiphany was observed throughout the Christian world for centuries before Christmas became the major celebration it is today. The Epiphany is celebrated more widely among our Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox brothers and sisters than among Protestant believers. But it seems like a mistake on our part to neglect the occasion. You could probably make an argument for the idea that the Epiphany has just as much theological meaning as Christmas. The story of the coming of the Magi leads us to reflect on some important aspects of God’s incarnation in the form of the baby Jesus.
According to historians, the Magi were priests of an ancient and mysterious religion practiced in lands to the east of the Holy Land – probably in present-day Iran and Armenia and the surrounding region. Some historians believe they were an early form of Zoroastrians — a religion that’s still practiced in the world today. We don’t know all the details about what the Magi believed and about how they practiced their religion, but it’s pretty well accepted that the they practiced spells and incantations. (It’s from them that we get our word magic.)
The historians also agree that the Magi were astrologers – they studied the stars watching for signs. And one of the prophesies that guided their astrological observations was that a bright star that would mark the birth of a great leader to the west. So when a bright star appeared at the birth of Jesus, some of the Magi followed it westward. And eventually, of course, they wound up in Jerusalem where they consulted with Hebrew scholars to find out where the Messiah – or as they put it, “the king of the Jews” – was supposed to be born.
For us as followers of that Messiah, the coming of this group of mysterious pagan priests from the east is significant for several reasons.
First of all, it’s important to keep in mind that the coming of the magi was the result of an act by God. They were invited to Bethlehem by God’s action in the form of the star. And in a sense, that contradicted a central idea about the relationship between God and his people. Throughout their history, the Hebrews had thought that being faithful to God meant separating themselves from others – walling themselves off as much as possible from the outside world.
And when you look at the religious practices of the Jewish people, that belief in walling off the outside world is pretty evident. Outsiders – gentiles – weren’t allowed to come into the inner part of the temple courtyard. (On pain of death, actually.) Even the Samaritans, who worshiped God and read the Torah but had a lot of gentile ancestry, were excluded from the temple.
But by sending a ‘birth announcement’ to the Magi, God was opening the door for the outsiders to come in. He was posting a brilliant star in the sky to invite gentiles to come to the birthplace of the Son. And not just gentiles, but also outsiders from within Hebrew society. The others God invited to Bethlehem included shepherds, who were thought of as outsiders by polite society. And when he began his ministry, Jesus would say that it was for those outsiders that he had been sent into the world.
And by the way, the Magi were not just outsiders, but also sinners – and people who would have been considered guilty of serious sins. As astrologers and also sorcerers, they were guilty of capital offenses according to the laws of Moses. But it’s important to notice that God did not demand that they quit sinning before inviting them to look for Jesus. God literally extended a gracious call to them – a call they couldn’t claim to have earned.
So in a sense, the Magi are a symbol of God’s grace – a sign of the way God extends that grace, not just to people who know and keep all the religious rules, but also to people who need be relieved of the burden of their own sins.
The word ‘epiphany’ means the revelation of an important truth. And in this case, God was revealing the truth about his character to the whole world – by coming into that world in the form of Jesus. Through Jesus, God began the process of making people of all nations aware of what he was doing in the world. And this group of mysterious gentile priests was the first of a river of foreigners who would be drawn out of the world to find and worship the Christ. That’s a river that still flows, when you think about it – and a river that includes each of us.
The Epiphany also reminds us that we are called to play a part in continuing this process of calling the outsiders to Jesus. Of inviting people to come as they are, to find Jesus and be transformed by their encounter with him. The occasion also reminds us to ask whether we are in any way guilty of regarding ourselves as insiders, and of putting up walls that make it hard for others to get to Jesus.
There’s a lot more that could be said about the Epiphany. It seems to me that the Holy Spirit means to provoke us to reflect on all these things through the story of the Epiphany. So maybe you can see why I say it seems too important to skip over without some reflection.
Let’s pray together: Lord, on this day when we remember the way you revealed yourself to the world through the Christ child, we invite you to reveal yourself to our hearts once again. Move us to join the Magi in seeking Jesus again this day and every day, and in giving him our praise and our allegiance. Amen.
Grace and Peace,
Henry
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