Epiphany – The Magi seek out the Christ Child.

By mmayer

Matthew 2:1-12

After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi^[a] from the east came to Jerusalem ²and asked, ‘Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.’

³When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. ⁴When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. ⁵‘In Bethlehem in Judea,’ they replied, ‘for this is what the prophet has written:

⁶‘“But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for out of you will come a ruler
who will shepherd my people Israel.”’

⁷Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. ⁸He sent them to Bethlehem and said, ‘Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.’

⁹After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. ¹⁰When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. ¹¹On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshipped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. ¹²And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.

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“Where is the child who was born to be king of the Jews? We saw his star at its rising and have come to worship him.’ Matthew 2:2

This Epiphany account of the wise men faithfully seeking out the Christ child is rich with contradictions. The powerful and supposedly secure King Herod is so afraid of the birth of an unknown baby, that he takes brutal action to ensure no male child survives in that region. The church leaders know their scriptures but stay put in Jerusalem and rather than travel 10 kms to check out if the Messiah really has been born in Bethlehem. It’s the foreign star watchers who go to great lengths to find and worship him. The center of power and temple is Jerusalem, but the vital God-action happens in little Bethlehem.

We focus on what is happening front and centre in our lives, but the real and vital work of God is often happening on the edges of our vision. The central parts of what makes us ‘us’ are well established and well defended. To bring about any needed change The Holy Spirit has to work persistently on the edges (or cause a major upset) in order to release more love and life within each one of us. Follow through on your longings or desires, just as the Magi did. Listen to the little nudges that come from the Holy Spirit each day. Be aware that something or someone ‘foreign’ could be a messenger from God. Ask for help.

Keep trusting that the glory of God which delighted to appear as a child in back street Bethlehem delights to be your hidden glory. Keep remembering that the Gospel is about grace, mercy and love. If you are not becoming more merciful and loving, then there are things that need attending to and working on within you. Pray about them, ask God for help, then follow through on the path that will be opened up for you.