Mt 2,1-12.
The story of the coming of the Magi opens with a mention of Jesus being born at Bethlehem, the birthplace of the great King David, followed by a reference to king Herod and Jerusalem. Matthew establishes a contrast between Davidic Bethlehem and Herod’s Jerusalem. They are two very different places representing two very different styles of kingship. When the “infant king of the Jews” is mentioned and his royal credentials further enhanced by reference to the star and the giving of homage to the royal infant, “King Herod and all of Jerusalem are disturbed” by what they hear. The paranoia, for which he was famous, mounts. The chief priests increase it further by confirming from the prophet Micah (5,1), that Bethlehem is to be the birthplace of the expected Messiah.
From the beginning of the story up to the point where the wise men worship the infant Messiah, Herod is “king,” but once the Magi have worshipped the royal child, Herod is never again called king (2,12, 13, 15). The omission of the title indicates that kingship has returned to lowly Bethlehem from which comes the Jesus Christ the shepherd-king to replace Herod the tyrant-king in Jerusalem.
Herod’s ruse – pretending to want to pay homage to the new- born royal child- to get the wise men to come back and tell him where the new- born Messiah is to be found, does not work. They pay their homage to the child, open their treasures, offer their gifts of gold frankincense and myrrh, and warned by an angel in a dream, return home by a different route. The gifts are symbolic. The gold stands for Christ’s kingship. He came to establish the kingdom of heaven on earth. Frankincense gives off a sweet- smelling smoke to accompany prayers going up to God and symbolises Jesus’ priestly ministry uniting earth with heaven. The myrrh used for anointing represents his role as Messiah (anointed one), who will die.
The wise men return home by a different route. The old ways are no longer appropriate. Having encountered and worshipped the God-child life would never be the same for them. They were profoundly changed by the experience. Their curiosity brought them there. The God of their new- found faith guides them home.
In the feast of the Epiphany, we celebrate the revelation of the Jesus the Messiah/king to the Magi, the first Gentiles, (outsiders), to come, worship him, and believe. They represent the countless pilgrims who will journey from afar, physically, and spiritually, in search of the same Messiah child throughout the ages.
The heavenly star guides them to the child. God uses many different, people, events, circumstances, and occasions to guide us, too, to find Him, and in turn, He uses us to help others do the same.
The exclusive gift Jesus desires from us is not gold, frankincense, or myrrh but our hearts to be a home where he can dwell and we can welcome, praise, and worship him.
Have you had any epiphany moments in your life?
Have you ever met a wise man or woman? What was it about them that made them wise?
If someone asked you to show them where to find Jesus today, what would you tell them?
Fr Geoff O’Grady