I read a fascinating article last week that invited me to watch a breath-taking phenomenon that only occurs once every 44 years. It is the aligning of Jupiter and Venus with the Moon. Added to this amazing spectacle, viewed best with binoculars because the evening light would make it hard to see with the naked eye, was the flight path of a 737 in the zone and as a result would cast a bright orange reflection on its underbelly. The account would occur at 4:13 local time. This spectacular show would not occur again until November 18, 2052. The article did not tell me the date or whose local time for this amazing show! I assumed it was four years to the day for the next scheduled occurrence so this stage show would occur November 18, 2008. In any event, I didn’t see the show.
The phenomenon of all times, never to repeat itself in history was the account in the Bible of a significant birth, signatured by a star in the east. To see it once was to view a spectacle that nature would never repeat again for the naked eye to see. It must have been incredible to say the least, to see something that magnificent even with nothing more than a scientific mind or a curious fascination of space. To consider the events from a spiritual and Christian perspective is nothing short of stunning.
It is why we need to embrace with new eyes and heart the story of the Magi. To understand what this event meant for them and did to them is to change our perspective forever. I hope your heart is eager with the anticipation of a child’s excitement when clamoring to the Christmas tree on Christmas day!
First, I was impressed with the awareness of a
1. Culture clash
2:1b – “Magi from the east came to Jerusalem”
When I was ten years old my dad’s career took our family to a small Newfoundland farm town called Codroy Valley, a predominant Catholic community and region. My Catholic school experience in grade 5 was a culture clash to say the least for a Salvation Army, protestant-raised evangelical! I remember my first experience in class as I knelt at my desk for morning prayers and with my personal prayer beads led the class through a series of “Hail Mary” prayers. I also relished the benefit that when the school was to have its school Mass it was a day off for the Protestants! It was in many respects a culture clash.
Magi were a Median tribe of priests or Persian Priests also believed to be Zoroastrian priests. A Zoroastrian is a follower of a religious system founded by Zoroaster. The worship focuses largely on a universal struggle between the forces of light and of darkness. From this we can understand why the Magi were completely fascinated with the amazing star that broke the darkness when Christ was born. One source suggests Matthew speaks of them in the context of being Babylonian astrologers thus the reason for their commitment to follow the direction of the mysterious star. Yet there is a significant faith element to their following, proven by their question and stated purpose to King Herod in verse 2 which we will explore in a few moments.
The Magi entered a world foreign to them. Their arrival did not please King Herod but unsettled and irritated him. Their arrival, news and search was perceive as a threat to his throne, one that must be terminated so he entered the guise of wanting to worship Jesus as soon as they brought him word. The Magi were warned in a dream not to tell Herod because of his execution plot for Jesus so they travelled home another way.
The Magi left their families and culture to find the truth of God in the person of Jesus Christ. They risked imprisonment, torture or possibly death by rejecting King Herod’s instructions. There was a lot a stake – religious culture clashed, social structures clashed and ruling authorities clashed.
Seeking Christ will clash with the world-view cultures that society exposes us too. Paying for the music we download (the Bible calls the alternative stealing), abstaining from sexual activity before marriage (the Bible calls the alternative fornication), or reporting all our income on our Tax Returns (the Bible calls the alternative fraud), is defining a culture-clashing response. It’s hard to hold such high, holy ideals and practices but it’s what happens when people go seeking Christ.
Why are God’s people often not living counter-culturally or don’t seem to clash with culture? Maybe the problem has something to do with being intellectually or scientifically stimulated about Jesus and the mysterious cosmic phenomenon rather than experiencing God personally. Our experience may be something like that of Lee Strobel, journalist and legal editor for the Chicago Tribune. He was an atheist. He is a type of modern-day Magi who, instead of seeking Christ to worship him, tried to disprove the claims of Scripture and the Messiah-claims of Jesus. I encourage you to listen to his 2 minute testimony in the following VIDEO and discover how experiencing God changes everything (PLAY VIDEO)
As we continue in the story we see the tension between
2. Faith and Phenomena
2:2 – “king of the Jews…star”
I had an experience when I was 18 years old, where a friend experienced a bizarre phenomenon. Cystic fibrosis was a serious disease that affected her body terribly. Pills numbered in the hundreds daily and her dad regularly pounded her body four times a day to break up the mucus that affected her lungs. I’ll always remember the church praying over her when she came forward for healing. I’ll never forget her visit to the family doctor that week as she prepared to go to cystic fibrosis camp and she rushed out of the office announcing there was no trace of the disease. Her doctor was muddled about how this could be.
Faith recognizes a place for mysterious, unexplainable events that are beyond human engineering and lack any sense of practical reason – some things don’t make sense and we cannot explain everything logically. Faith recognizes that and simply accepts that some things are the way they are and happen as they do because God knows more than we do and we simply have to trust that he especially knows what’s going on and what he’s doing when we can’t figure it out.
The mysterious star captured the hearts of the Magi two year’s before they would reach the Reason for its unveiling. They knew something momentous had just taken place. God gave them a dream that revealed Christ’s identity as the king of the Jews. We need to realize that the characters of Christmas each had questions. Mary pondered the angel’s message to her. Joseph would have divorced Mary had an angel not revealed God was doing all of this, though he had many questions. The shepherds ran to Bethlehem to “see this thing that has happened”. (Luke 2:15) Now the Magi were amazed, excited, even questioned what this all meant. But did any of them fail to exercise faith – to run and see; to marvel and muse? No, they knew something different and unexplainable was in the air but they decided the mysterious would give way to faith and they would believe God had come in the flesh as he promised.
There is a time to replace Bible study with practical application; a time to put aside archeological search for all the answers and simply decide that everything cannot be explained scientifically or logically. We must not become so engrossed with proving God that we miss the place of faith. Science without faith can drive a person insane! One author questioned, “Is science safe unless it becomes worship?”
The writer of Hebrews in the Bible reminds us in chapter 11 verse 6, “So, you see, it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that there is a God and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.”
The best antidote to doubt is belief. How necessary it is for us to grow thirsty for our community and personal experience to be free in the experience of the presence of God! We must cast off restraint in the disguise of ‘formal religion’ or ‘dignified church’ based in knowledge and intellect so we witness as St. Paul in saying, “my life in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God…” (Galatians 2:20)
One final thing for us to consider with the Magi is their
3. The Act of Homage
2:11b-12 – “bowed and worshipped…and presented gifts”
Homage is more than respect. It is “something done or given in acknowledgment or consideration of the worth of another” (www.dictionary.com) which also involves a formal public acknowledgment by which we declare our loyalty and service.
The Magi’s gifts hold special significance. We generally interpret the gifts as having special meaning for Jesus. While this interpretation holds some value, we should consider another lesson that the gift is the possession of a person given to the King. George Buttrick teaches us what the gifts meant for the giver.
- Gold represents our willingness to give Christ our livelihood for his glory
- Frankincense represents bringing our thoughts and influence to promote Christ.
- Myrrh represents seeking to honor Christ in our suffering and sorrow.
So, they “bowed down and worshiped him”. How? By presenting Jesus with their pledge to give him their livelihood; to give him their thoughts and influence; to give him even their suffering and sorrow to promote the greatness of God. This is much bigger than bending knees. It is surrendering will and our very lives.
Records show that after the Magi returned home St. Thomas baptized them and they were very important players in spreading faith in Christ. The story is traceable to an Arian writer of not earlier than the sixth century. (http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/09527a.htm)
To go seeking Christ is to leave behind whatever is necessary in that search. It is not an act of respect but homage – it is not recognize Jesus as some significant figure in history but to offer at his feet whatever we have to give because we know he is the Messiah of God.
WRAP
- As we journey hard toward God we will not fit well with the world around us. It will feel less comfortable and hard to settle into
- There is reason to appreciate digging into the mystery of phenomenon in an effort to understand life better. Yet, there is a point where phenomenon must give way to faith, a time to simply accept things on the basis of faith and for no other good reason.
-God is not calling us to be respectful. He is calling us to servitude and surrender to the Lordship of Jesus Christ which is a call to offer up everything we have.
