Epiphany (C): Matthew 2:1-12
The Magi. The Three Kings. The Wise Men.
These strange visitors, with their exotic dress and lavish gifts, bring a splash of color and a hint of mystery to any Nativity scene. They stand out among the shepherds and animals who are around the Baby Jesus, along with Mary and Joseph. Who are they? Why are they here? Why do they bring the gifts they have brought?
We are not alone in our curiosity. From very early times, Christians have written about the Magi. They were eventually called kings, and given names. Various interpretations were given of the significance of the gifts they brought the Christ Child, and of the star they followed to find Him. Some Biblical scholars dismiss this story as without any historical basis, and the gifts of the Magi as without any significance. They forget, however, that all Scripture is interconnected, like a great web, and that Christ is the ultimate interpreter of it all.
With this in mind, I will offer you a reading of the first three gifts of the Magi that will link them with basic beliefs about Christ and ourselves as baptized Christians. Then, I will propose that the Magi offer us a fourth gift, one which undergirds the others and shows us how to live them fully.
In the story of Israel that we find in the Old Testament, three figures rise to prominence as having a central role in the life of the people of Israel: the priest, the prophet and the king. God called Aaron and his successors – indeed, the whole tribe of Levi – to serve His people as priests. Their main role was to proclaim the reconciliation of God and His people through the offering of animal sacrifices. God also called various people to act as prophets. Prophets are to announce God’s word to the people – whether it is a word of consolation, a word of encouragement, or a word that calls the people to repentance. Prophets serve as guardians of the purity and sanctity of God’s people, telling them when they need to make the tweaks necessary to remain – or become – faithful to their covenant with God. Finally, beginning with Saul and David, God raised up kings for His people. The king was to be the chief shepherd, defending God’s people from enemies without and ensuring that justice is done within.
When the Father sends the Son, by the power of the Spirit, to become flesh in Mary’s womb, the Son – Jesus – will be the ultimate priest, prophets and king. As priest, Jesus will bring about the full reconciliation of God and His people through a life poured out in utter love for them, even to death on a cross. As prophet, Jesus would not merely announce God’s word – He is THE Word of God, through whom all things were made, and by whom we all have life. As king, Jesus brings His people together again, assembling even the outcasts during His own earthly ministry. As king, Jesus is Lord of all creation, and one day that rule will be made manifest and complete. Justice and mercy will be poured out upon all who have looked for them.
In the same way, every baptized Christian receives the calling to be priest, prophet and king, to the extent that the Lord wishes to exercise these roles through us. Every Christian has a priestly role in that, by living lives marked by merciful love, we become means through which God can reconcile more people with each other and Himself. Every Christian is meant to be a prophet – not by predicting the future, necessarily, but by announcing the Good News of Christ in everything we say, do and think. Every Christian is meant to be a king, in that we strive, with God’s grace, to make our little corner of creation more in line with all that God has taught us and done for us. It is Christ Himself, THE priest, prophet and king, who exercises his threefold mission through us, whenever we do any of these things.
The Magi arrive in Bethlehem. They offer their gifts to the infant Jesus. These gifts can be seen as representing this threefold mission of Christ and the Christian.
Frankincense was often used in divine worship. It becomes, then, an apt symbol of Christ as priest. It is also a symbol of Christ’s divinity. Note that the Magi prostrate themselves before the child Jesus and do him homage. In Matthew’s Gospel, such words are only used for God or Jesus. No one else. This is divine worship.
Myrrh was often used in burials, especially of prominent people who could afford it. Because of this, Christians often interpreted this gift as referring to the coming suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus. In this sense, myrrh can be seen as representing Christ as prophet. We think of the Suffering Servant prophecies of Isaiah that pointed to this. We also recall the words of Simeon to Mary at the circumcision of Jesus in the Temple.
Gold has long been seen, in many cultures, as a gift for kings, or denoting kingship. It is easy to see how this gift points to the kingship of Christ. In many places in Scripture, from Old Testament references like Psalm 72 to descriptions of the New Jerusalem in the Book of Revelation, we see references to gold and other precious materials being offered to God or to the Messiah. It’s interesting to see how Psalm 72 connects the offering of gold to the king’s mission to bring about justice for His people. The gift of mercy and justice is inseparable from Christ’s role as king, and from our role as kings in service to the kingship of Christ.
These are the three gifts of the Magi as recounted for us by St. Matthew. But wait. Didn’t I mention a fourth gift? Where is that in the story?
To see this, we need to step back and look at the story as a whole. The Magi’s fourth gift, a gift offered to us today, is the witness of their actions in this story. Let’s look at the story again, from this perspective.
The Magi were very likely astronomers and astrologers. In the ancient world, the two were practically the same. People studied the movements of the stars and planets precisely because they believed that these movements could help them decipher events in this world. It is worth noting that the Old Testament has little use for astrologers. They are often condemned. Yet, these Magi are somehow different. They are going about their work, when they encounter something unexpected. They see a new star, but it is more than a star. They experience it as an invitation, a moment of grace. Though they are not Jews, and not (yet) believers in the God of Israel, they come to understand that it is not enough to simply see and note this star in the security of their safe, well-paid positions. They must go and follow the star. They must worship the One they will find. They must allow God to change their lives.
This decision would have seemed like sheer madness to their peers. Any long journey in ancient times was perilous, with groups of robbers that could be met here or there. Not only that. The Magi were likely in the Parthian Empire, the successor of the Persian Empire and a frequent enemy of the Romans. For the Magi, as Parthians, to travel to what was Roman territory had its own risks. Imagine going to Syria or Iraq now, without military escort. The Magi had to strip themselves of the security and status of their position to go on this journey. They had to make themselves totally open and vulnerable if they were going to encounter the Christ Child, who Himself comes as a vulnerable and helpless baby.
The Magi do not find the Christ Child on their own, though. They need the witness of the Scriptures, interpreted for them by the elders of Israel (what we now call Tradition). Without these, the Magi cannot find Bethlehem.
The Magi go, give their gifts, and worship this Child. Even though nothing they see would correspond to their images of royalty or divinity, they do not expect God to conform to their expectations. They allow God to reshape their expectations and to teach them how and where God is truly found. In the end, they return to their homeland, but by another way. Obviously. Their lives have been turned, topsy-turvy, by their “yes” to God. They can only return by another way. They are no longer the same. They now belong to God.
What kind of gift is this fourth gift of the Magi?
First of all, the Magi show us that God often finds us when we are not expecting Him – while we are going about the typical activities of our lives. Through these activities, God is slowly preparing us for the time(s) when He will touch us in some way, or reveal to us our calling, or some aspect to our calling that we hadn’t yet seen.
Secondly, the Magi teach us the kind of response we make to such an encounter with God. It requires a willingness to change, to risk. It requires us to disarm ourselves of our usual defenses, to be more vulnerable. It requires us to put aside our status – whatever it may be – so that we are ready to encounter God more fully – a God revealed to us by Christ precisely as One who empties Himself of all prerogatives and who comes to serve and not be served.
Thirdly, the Magi show us that faith is not merely a hobby or a personal project. It must be formed and shaped by the witness of the Scriptures as interpreted by the living Tradition of our Church. These help us discern when a calling or felt movement within is truly of God or not, and help us discern how we should respond to it.
Fourthly, the Magi teach us to let God reshape our expectations of what following Him or finding Him will be like. We will be called to find Him in and through other people – the Church, the community of believers. They will often not look – to us – like ideal believers, at least not as we would expect them to look. We will often find weeds mixed in with the wheat, just as the Magi found Christ among animals and – let’s be blunt – the smell of their droppings! Yet Christ was still there, fully divine and fully human. So Christ remains in His Church, droppings and all.
So, dearest friends: the Magi invite us to imitate their journey in our lives. If we wish to acknowledge Christ as our Priest, Prophet, and King, we will need to imitate the journey of the Magi, each in our own way, so that we might be able to meet the Lord at last. We will need to risk, to be vulnerable, and to be taught where Divinity is truly found. Then, we, too, will go back home by another way – the way of self-emptying Love, the way of Christ Himself!