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Today we celebrate the Feast
of the Epiphany, the shining forth of Christ as the light of the
nations. Matthew's gospel relates the story of magi from the east who
arrive in Jerusalem after Jesus' birth seeking the newborn king of the
Jews.
These scholars observed a
most remarkable sight, the rising of a new star which signaled the birth
of a someone of great importance. By studying the star's location in the
heavens they determined it to be the sign of the newborn king of the
Jews. The event so impressed them that they left family and fortune
behind in order to pay homage to the one who had caused the celestial
phenomenon.
They journeyed to Jerusalem, the city of David, and sought an audience
with the royal family. In Jerusalem they found the palace of
Herod, the king of Judaea. He was not a descendant of king David nor did
he belong to any other royal house of Judah. At best, he was only half
Jewish. The people despised the pretender because Herod was the
satellite king of the hated Romans.
Herod protected his sovereignty from family, friends, and foes with
fiendish terror. Over the years it had served Herod well to be a
good listener. When he heard that travelers from the east arrived
seeking a new king he granted them an audience. On learning the purpose
of their journey he surmised that the sign in the sky announced the long
awaited Messiah king. It was paramount that Herod discover the location
of this threat to his authority. He summoned the scribes and the chief
priests, and asked for the birth place of the Messiah. "How ignorant
this so-called king," they must have thought to themselves, any educated
Jew should know the Messiah will come from Bethlehem of Judah."
And so they replied. Herod
shared the news with his guests and sent them on their way, but only
after he obtained from them the time of the star's appearance. The
wicked king bid them send him word of the child's whereabouts, that he
might come and worship as well.
The magi proceeded to follow
the star and came to worship the child Jesus. They were told in a dream
to return home by a different way. Joseph, the child's foster father,
was told to flee with the child and Mary, his mother to Egypt.
Herod sought to destroy all the children born around the time of the
star's appearance.
The story of the magi is the story of how people respond differently to
the coming of Christ into their lives. Presumably the whole world
saw the star, but only some realized its importance. The Jews did not
recognize the star, but the Gentile magi did. The magi left everything
to follow the star, but Herod and the scribes and the chief priests did
not. Herod was wise enough to recognize the omen of the Messiah, yet
ignorant enough to think he could thwart God's plan with cunning
violence. The scribes and the chief priests knew all about the birth
place of the Messiah, but they didn't care enough to inquire about the
truth of the rumors.
Two thousand years later things have not changed that much. The light of
the Lord still shines. And the wise ones still seek him out!
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