The Visit of the Wise Men

The following was shared as a homily at our Sunday Evening Eucharist service on 1/2/2022:

“2 In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, 2 asking, “Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage.” 3 When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; 4 and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. 5 They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet:

6 ‘And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
    are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for from you shall come a ruler
    who is to shepherd my people Israel.’”

7 Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. 8 Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage.” 9 When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. 11 On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 12 And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.” (Matthew 2: 1-12)

The story of Jesus’s birth is one of the most widely known parts of the Bible. Anyone who’s lived in the South or been in a church more than one time has probably heard some rendition of these events. And upon rereading this passage in preparation for tonight, I couldn’t help but think, nothing in this passage was going to stand out to me. I’ve heard it too many times to look with fresh eyes. But God is endlessly faithful, and his word is, in my experience, endlessly new. So, Matthew recounts:

“In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, ‘Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage.’”

What struck me reading that this time is that the wise men are from the East. And I know what you’re thinking, “Duh, Laura, why else would they be dressed all cool and different in nativity sets?” But I’ve never actually stopped to consider the depth of those words. These are men from a foreign land, they aren’t Jews, they don’t worship the God of Moses. On the surface it seems they have little, if anything, to gain from bringing gifts to the new king of the Jews. I’ve heard many sermons about how their involvement is evidence of Jesus’s renown and glory, that even people from afar were coming to worship him at his birth. But I’m not sure that is an entirely accurate interpretation of events. Jesus's birth was a quiet, humble event; the magi were the only other people even really aware of what was happening besides Mary and Joseph. It’s not like everyone knew that the Messiah was being born and just chose not to stop by. God told the magi specifically about Jesus's birth and what it meant and that they should come worship him. And I have to believe there was some purpose behind that.

I think the purpose was to show that Jesus wasn’t just the king of the Jews. We know this now because it’s been 2000 years and the rest of the Bible is compiled, so we can see through his ministry that Jesus came to redeem all humanity, but no one knew at the time of his birth that he had come with redemption for all. Even as an infant, Jesus brought hope and represented a promise made to all nations. God was including us foreigners from the beginning in his plan for salvation, and the magi’s presence at the birth of Christ is the proof. So, as we come to this table bearing the gifts of our respective lands, reflect on the incomprehensible generosity of the Lord your God who sent for us a savior, born of a virgin, that we may know everlasting life. Amen.

Laura Cason (right) has been a beloved member of our community at The Wesley Foundation for some years now. She has served this community as a past Wesley Intern and not only gifted us with her writing, but her baking and spirit as well. We are so grateful to know and be loved by her through Jesus.