Next Sunday we will still be in the Christmas season, but our gospel reading is an Epiphany story (no time to stretch it out – by the second Sunday in January, Jesus will be all grown up and getting baptized…) We will encounter those mysterious wise men from the “East,” who followed the star so far from home – right into our pageants and crèche sets.
Where did Matthew hear this story that has come down to us in the nativity narratives? Did Luke not hear it, or not include it?
And who were these star chasers? A new light had appeared in their night sky, and their interpretations suggested a new king had been born for the Jews. What had these people to do with the Jewish people? We do not know that, or where they came from, or how many they were. We can reasonably assume that their names were not Caspar, Melchior or Abednego, or whatever the third guy is said to have been called.
Why were they willing to travel so far to offer obeisance to a foreign king? What was it about that star? Its brightness? Its sudden appearance? Some astronomers think a super nova was visible in the heavens around that time, and that this is what the magi saw. (I once read such a book – The Once and Future Star; here’s a link, though I can’t tell if it is the same book.)
Why did these men care about a king for the Jews? Did the star they saw signify great power? Did they want to be the first to get in his good graces? The gifts they are said to have brought are of extremely high value and very symbolic: gold as treasure; frankincense, a resin prized for its scent; and myrrh, also a fragrant resin, from which ointment was made for anointing bodies for burial. These are gifts for a king indeed. What did they think when they found a mere child? Matthew only tells us that knelt and worshipped him and offered the gifts they had brought.
What do these visitors signify for us? How do you find your way into this story?
Do you feel like one who is seeking and has found, or is still on the road hoping you’ve read your guidance correctly? If you heard about Jesus, would you travel to see him? What is the most precious gift you might offer him?
We can start with our time. As we begin another round of Jesus stories, we might invest more deeply in getting to know Him in these stories. That means not only reading, but spending some time contemplating, meditating on the story, discerning who you most identify with in that tale on a given day, asking Jesus to be real for you as you allow the story to usher you into prayer.
When we truly find ourselves in Jesus’ presence, we have no need to look further. Perhaps that is why those magi, for all their wealth and knowledge and sophistication, knelt and paid homage to this small child. As unlikely a king as he appeared to be, they knew they had found the Real Thing. There was no need to look further, only to bask in his presence, offer what they had come with, and take the long way home, their hearts full, their longing satisfied.
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