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Gospel: Matthew 2: 1-12
When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea,
in the days of King Herod,
behold, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying,
“Where is the newborn king of the Jews?
We saw his star at its rising
and have come to do him homage.”
When King Herod heard this,
he was greatly troubled,
and all Jerusalem with him.
Assembling all the chief priests and the scribes of the people,
He inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.
They said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea,
for thus it has been written through the prophet:
And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
since from you shall come a ruler,
who is to shepherd my people Israel.”
Then Herod called the magi secretly
and ascertained from them the time of the star’s appearance.
He sent them to Bethlehem and said,
“Go and search diligently for the child.
When you have found him, bring me word,
that I too may go and do him homage.”
After their audience with the king they set out.
And behold, the star that they had seen at its rising preceded them,
until it came and stopped over the place where the child was.
They were overjoyed at seeing the star,
and on entering the house
they saw the child with Mary his mother.
They prostrated themselves and did him homage.
Then they opened their treasures
and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod,
they departed for their country by another way.
The Gospel of the Lord.
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I’m sure we’ve all wondered when someone we love – a child, a spouse, a friend – will come to faith.
The journey of the magi suggests the road of belief is much broader and more far reaching than we might imagine; God is working in all of our lives, often before we realize it. As the old saying goes, “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”
***
The magi are unique for several reasons. They’re the first human beings to speak in Matthew’s Gospel and the first to adore Christ as Lord, but they’re not Jewish; they’re Gentile astrologers from the East.
They discerned world events – and divine intervention – by studying the sun, the moon, and the stars. Thus, their journey begins and ends at night.
The darkness surrounding them was not merely physical. These wise men were also in the dark about salvation through the God of Israel.
But that’s often how God begins drawing people into faith – through what is familiar. For the magi, it was astrology. For others, it’s nature, philosophy, beauty, personal witness, or life experience.
But the key is this: the magi begin their journey relying upon what is already familiar to them – the light of a star. This intrigues them, sparking their first taste of faith.
In spite of all the dangers they faced on a journey to an unknown destination – wolves prowling in the darkness, thieves lurking in the bushes, or violent storms suddenly erupting around them, the star reveals that there is Someone else working in the night.
Emmanuel.
God with us.
God for us.
It’s something even strong believers need to be reminded of at times – we are never alone, even in the darkness; God is with us in the night.
***
After months, perhaps years, of travel, the magi arrive safely in Jerusalem. As they near the Christ-child, the threat of darkness still looms over them. There’s the blackened, paranoid soul of Herod who reigned supreme and was willing to do anything to stay in power.
So, Herod secretly summoned the magi, telling them to continue their search for this mysterious child, the newborn king of Israel.
When they fail to return to him, he issues a royal decree that any male child under the age of two must be killed. This brutal edict was the fruit of the magi’s question:
“Where is the newborn King of the Jews?”
This phrase will frame the narrative of Christ’s life. At his birth, he is proclaimed as, “King of the Jews.”
And at his death, Pontius Pilate will nail a sign above his head crowned with thorns, proclaiming: “This is the King of the Jews.”
This irony is weaved throughout Matthew’s Gospel. While God had prepared his people Israel for his coming over thousands of years – and through hundreds of prophesies – the first people to discover him in the flesh were not Jews, but Gentile astrologers.
And throughout Christ’s public ministry, it will be the poor, the tired, the hungry, the outcast – in a sense, the “loser” – who is given eyes of faith to see Jesus as Lord. Meanwhile, the religious authorities, who studied the scriptures their entire lives, remain blind.
***
Still, the magi cannot locate Christ until they consult the scriptures. Unrolling a scroll containing the prophecy of Micah, they’re told:
“And you, Bethlehem, from you shall come a ruler, who is to shepherd my people Israel.”
The magi are now only an hour away from Bethlehem.
***
Once they find Jesus, they kneel at his feet, offering him the gifts they’ve traveled so far to bring: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Beneath this gesture is the gift of the magi themselves.
While they cannot fully understand who Jesus is yet, they surrender to mystery. Somehow, this child is not only the King of the Jews; he is also their King.
My King.
After they adore him, the magi return home – back to their own lives, to their own town, to their own people, to what is familiar. But they return changed.
Faith, in that sense, is not meant to be lived inside a bubble, or only kneeling before a child in a manger; it’s meant to be lived out as a guiding light throughout our lives.
***
Perhaps the most important detail of all is the fact that the magi make this journey together.
Such is the nature of faith. While we’re all at different stages – in faith and in life – we journey together, even through the night.
As the old saying goes, “The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”
A desire to see.
The light of a star.
Piercing the darkness.
Emmanuel, God with us.
God for us.
***
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Image credits: (1) The Skit Guys (2) Biblical Archeological Society (3) VICE, Christmas Star
