Here They Come (Jan. 7, 2024) Mt. 2.1-12

Today is what is known in the lectionary as the Baptism of the Lord. But there is another day that was yesterday that I want to highlight and speak about today. That day is the day of Epiphany. This is the day when the coming of the Magi (or wise men) is celebrated. Now, in many branches of the Christian Church this is the day that Christmas is celebrated. In the Orthodox branches there are celebrations and gifts are exchanged today, not on December 25th. And in this time, we ask who, what, when, how many, and why about the coming of the magi.

But first let us look at what it means to have an epiphany. For most people it is that moment when the lightbulb comes on (I read a comic once that has a vending machine with 6 “types” of epiphanies: Blinding Flash, Warm and Fuzzy, Gradual Dawning, Eastern/Mystical, Cartesian/Cerebral, and my favorite, 2x4 to the Head). That moment in the shower when you go, “That’s it!!!”. That is an epiphany. In the church, however, there is a different meaning, and it is this: “It comes from a Greek word for manifestation or appearance. For many Christians, Epiphany refers to the manifestation of the divine nature of Jesus and is marked by a feast day Jan. 6.” But the word "epiphany" has another popular meaning: a sudden flash of understanding or insight.” And it is the time when we celebrate the coming of the magi.

Imagine for a moment some of the Christmas pageants you have seen over the years: the shepherds have come out and are gathered around the baby and now, with the singing of “We Three Kings”, come three boys wearing bathrobes, turbans, and possibly fake beards, carrying foil wrapped boxes and they kneel before the manger. Or it may be three dignified men of the church or community who walk stately down the aisle. The point is that we have the magi come in and they are at the manger and there are always, always three. But just how many were there? Who were they? And most important, Why did they travel all that way to see a baby?

Magi is a name given to the men who came in the Greek text. It means magician or wise man. They were probably astrologers from the area of Babylon in the Persian Empire. They were most likely not kings, but learned men who studied the stars and tried to find meaning in the natural world. Studying the stars, or astrology, was forbidden in the Torah, but not by these men who were most likely pagans who worshiped different gods. And studying the stars, especially comets, was important to rulers because they told of important events, like to birth of a new king, the death of an old king, or any other kingdom shaking event. Due to this fact, the magi were probably good at diplomacy as well because they would need to be careful what they said to the ruler about what they saw in the stars, especially if they wanted to keep their heads. As stated before, they came from a distant land, Persia or perhaps Babylon (a notable place because of a large Jewish population that would be looking for a new “king”, a Messiah). Because of the distance from their homeland, they probably arrived sometime after the birth of Jesus, up to two years perhaps. And we really do not know how many there were. We have settled on three because of the number of gifts. In the past there were as many as 20, though 12 is a popular number. Also, they have been given ages and skin tones, one is old, another is young, and one is dark skinned (in the 14th century he suddenly becomes a Moor, or North African). They were most likely what we would call pagans though there is some evidence that they were Zoroastrians, which is a monotheistic religion that began and was practiced in Persia. This is all to say we don’t know much about the wise men. But what we do know is important to the story.

They came looking for the “king of the Jews.” And they came to Jerusalem to inquire about this. Where better to find the new king than in the seat of power? When they came, they may have been thinking that Herod had a son or grandson who was just born, one who would succeed him. But note that they do not ask for the king of Israel, who would be Herod. In doing so, they, and the writer of Matthew, are telling Herod and the readers that this is not the true king, but an imposter and that the real king is somewhere to be found. Matthew is also being a bit of subversive with this king of the Jews. He is telling the readers that here is the real Lord, not Caesar who was known to be called Lord.

Herod is frightened, or troubled, by all this talk of a new king and all of Jerusalem is as well. See, Herod was one of the most paranoid rulers in history. He did some great things with building, famine relief, and other projects around his “kingdom.” But Herod knew that he was king only because Rome allowed him to be. Therefore, he was always looking over his shoulder to who might try to usurp his throne. He even ordered his favorite wife and two sons murdered because of his paranoia. So, when the magi come and ask where the new king is the city becomes frightened due to the thought of what Herod’s reaction would be.

Herod calls in the religious officials and asks what all this means. He is told that where the king was to be born and the accompanying prophesies. Now notice something here: The ones who had the scripture, who were scholars and experts, did not go out with the magi. In fact, they were troubled by the words spoken by the men. Here was news that “another king” was born. What would that do to them, to their power structure, to their positions? Would it tear them all down and cause “issues”? Turns out that yes, it would. The one whom the magi sought would come and turn everything on its head. He would tell his listeners that the first would be last and last would be first, that there would be a place at the table for the Gentiles, that the last ones to come to work would be paid the same as those who had worked all day. They also had an epiphany, and they did not like it. The ones who were the pagans, the ones outside the religion that was supposed to be following the true king, were the ones who were looking for him. They knew there was something big happening and they wanted to know where to find it.

Herod hatches a plot to find out where this new “king” was to be found. He tells the magi to find the one for whom they are looking and come back to him and tell him so that he can “pay him homage.” Herod, in reality, is looking for a way to find the one born and kill him to get him out of the way of the power structure. He even goes so far as to have all the boys 2 years old and under in the village of Bethlehem killed because of his paranoia. But for now, he wants the magi to be his agents. One wonders if the magi were beginning to believe that they made a mistake in coming to Herod first. But they were first thinking of where a king would be found, in the capital city, not in a village that was an afterthought.

Now the magi go to on their way. They are led by the star that they first saw that told them something big was happening. This star could be several celestial occurrences or even an angel leading them. It does not really matter what it was. What matters is that they were led to the house where Jesus was. When they do find the boy, they pay him homage (some translations say worship). Notice that the family is quite passive here. Joseph, who has played a prominent part in the story so far, is not mentioned. Mary is only mentioned as being there. The child is not shown as holy or have any supernatural abilities that accompany most miraculous birth narratives. No, this story is about the magi.

Then they present gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. These gifts have taken on a significance since the time the story was first told. The gold is to signify the kingly presence of the child, frankincense is to go with worship of God, and myrrh is to signify the coming death. Donald Hagner has this to say about the gifts: “The “decoding” of the three gifts—that gold reflects Christ’s kingship, frankincense his deity, and myrrh his suffering—is irrelevant to Matthew’s intention.”[1] The intention was to give gifts to the new king.

After they visit and pay homage, the magi are told in a dream to return home by another way. They are not to go see Herod again. This goes to show that they are part of the new thing God is doing. No longer will the Jews be the only “people of God”, but the gentiles will be welcomed in as well. A new day is dawning, and Matthew is telling his readers (who were mostly Jewish at the time because this is the most Jewish of the Gospels) that they are to go out and tell just what the good news is as Jesus told them to do in the Great Commission which comes at the end of the gospel. The story begins with gentiles coming to Jesus and ends with disciples being told to bring them into the fold.

Now I know it is hard to hear familiar stories taken apart and examined closely. It can be jarring to realize that what we have loved and treasured for so many years is not what we thought it was. But there are great things to be found when looking at the familiar more closely. The magi may not have been Jews, but they were honest seekers. And when told from scripture where and what the king was to be, they rejoiced and went out to continue the search. They had an epiphany, and they were willing to act upon it.

There is a saying (and belief) today that all religions lead to God, meaning that it does not matter what you believe that in the end, it will all work out. I don’t believe that. I believe that Jesus is the way to God. But I also believe that there are many paths that lead to Jesus for those who are honestly seeking him. The magi so long ago proved that. They were honestly seeking, they followed what they saw in nature and what they knew from study, they then heard from scripture the fulfilment of the natural revelation, and they followed that until they found Jesus. We have been given the truth of who and what Jesus is. We have had our epiphany. How are we going to respond: Like the magi or those who were troubled in the city of Jerusalem? Amen.

[1]Hagner, Donald A. Matthew 1–13. Vol. 33A. Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 1993. Print. Word Biblical Commentary.