*MATTHEW 2:1-12
1In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of
Judea,
wise men from the East came to
Jerusalem, 2asking,
“Where is the child who has been
born king of the Jews?
For we observed his star at its
rising, and have come to pay him homage.”
3When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem
with him;
4and calling
together all the chief priests and scribes of the people,
he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. 5They
told him,
“In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been
written by the prophet:
6 ‘And you,
Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are
by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for
from you shall come a ruler
who
is to shepherd my people Israel.’”
7Then Herod secretly called for the wise men
and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared.
8Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying,
“Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found
him,
bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage.”
9When they had heard the king, they set out;
and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at
its rising,
until it stopped over the place where the child was.
10When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed
with joy.
11On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother;
and they knelt down and paid him homage.
Then, opening their treasure chests,
they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
12And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod,
they left for their own country by another road.
***
I like to
imagine the wise men coming into Jerusalem. Like a circus parade, or exhibition
at a world’s fair, I am sure they were a spectacle. Some sources say there were
only three wise men, others say 12, and still other sources point out that
there would have been servants, and subjects, camels, and who knows what. I
like to imagine scientific instruments tied on to the travelers packs. Like
today we carry compasses and cameras, binoculars, and magnifying pieces perhaps
the wise men carried things for calculating time, and charting the angle of the
sun, and the location of the stars. These wise men were not so much kings, but
astronomers, learned magi, the true scientists of their time. A time when such
things surely seemed magical and unfamiliar. These magi were men from the East;
some sources say Persia, or present day Iraq, others say China, still others
India, or Arabia, others say a mix from different places, all foreign to this
Jewish city. Can you imagine the spectacle as they rode into town?
They come into town asking, “Where is the child who has been
born king of the Jews?”
I wonder if they expected the Jewish people to know where their
King was to be born. It was the King of the Jews after all, not the Messiah of
the magi. The magi did not share the religion of the Jews. Some sources say the
magi were Buddhist, other sources say the magi were of the priestly case of
Zoroastrianism, a monotheistic Persian religion. These magi studied the stars,
not the Hebrew scriptures, but still they knew, they knew the of the Messiah,
and the Jews did not.
Isn’t it this, that in the most unlikely places we find our
prophets. These foreigners, these magi of a different religion, these
scientists well beyond their time, these wise men, they are the ones to bring
word of our Lord. It is not some Jewish priest, it is not some local hero or
politician. It is those from the least likely place. I wonder today what our
Buddhist, or Muslim, or even atheists brothers and sisters, might be able to
teach us about our Lord Jesus. What might the foreigner in our land teach us
about the King of the Jews? What might the scientists of our day prophesy about
the coming of Christ? What might we be able to hear if we gave the chance to
listen, to see ourselves in their eyes, to hear their word for us, to open up
and realize that God is limitless and we are not to limit God’s wonder. I
wonder if we would be able to listen if similarly outlandish parade of
foreigners traveled into Baker City today. I wonder if we could listen.
The Jews, and their leader, could not listen. The text
describes, “3When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all
Jerusalem with him.” It makes sense they were frightened, we are easily
frightened by what we do not know. We are easily scared of those who are
different than us. So often I get an e-mail, or see a Facebook post, or hear
someone in the news saying something derogatory about Muslims, or the Chinese,
or Atheists, or blacks, or Mexicans, or any other race, or religion that is not
Christian. There is so much fear, so much xenophobia, so much judgement. This
prejudice denies that God is at work everywhere and in everyone. God is at work
even in some Zoroastrian astrologers from who knows where in 3 B.C. This isn’t
just some simple work either. God was at work prophesying the coming of Christ
to these foreigners of other religions. Each year around our sacred nativity,
we place three wise men who were not Christian, but who came to the Jews, and
to Herod, and come to us this Epiphany day, to tell us about our Lord. Do not
be afraid, for they bring you good news of great joy.
11On entering the house, the wise men saw the child with Mary his
mother;
and they knelt down and paid him homage.
Then, opening their treasure chests,
they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
These foreigners of other religions were not men of which to be
afraid. In all their strange unfamiliarity Mary welcomed them to her child.
They were not men of which to be afraid. Instead, they knew whom to fear. “12And
having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own
country by another road.”
Herod is to be feared. Herod is afraid of losing power. Herod
killed his own son for fear the son would challenge Herod. Herod was not afraid
of killing his son, or other people’s sons, or even the Son of God. Herod was
willing to do anything to stay in power. The Herods of this world are whom we
must fear. The ones to fear, are the one who are fearful of difference. The
ones to fear are the ones who attempt to silence any opposition. The ones to
fear are the powerful who oppress and silence the powerless. Those e-mails,
those Facebook posts, those one sided news stories, those derogatory comments
any other race, or religion that is not Christian, they are what we must fear.
Xenophobia, prejudice, and ignorant judgement we must fear. Mary invited the
wisemen in. God told the wisemen not to return to Herod. What might God be
telling the foreigner, the Buddhist, the muslim, the Egyptian, the Indian, the
descendants of the Zoroastrians, and the scientists today? Have you asked? Have
you listened for God? Have you heard the good news of great joy? Or have you
been too afraid?
