Thoughts for the Day

The Visit of the Wise Men

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.’ When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. They told him, ‘In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet:

“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.”

Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. 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.’ 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. When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. 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. And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.

(Lectionary, New Revised Standard Version)

Thoughts

If you wondered why the Wise Men did not appear in these 'Thoughts' at Christmas, well they were saved until the 12th day of Christmas, on the 6thJanuary, when we celebrate Epiphany. The word comes from the Greek epiphaneia, meaning 'manifestation', or 'showing forth'. The whole of the Christmas story is riddled with journeys, angels, meetings, prophecies, and dreams. The emotions of those mentioned range from hope to fear, and from worship to denial of God's plans. But to Christians as we approach these age-old words we are faced with two questions:

• Q1. What is being revealed and shown forth?
• Q2. How are we to respond to this?

At the centre of all this activity, like the eye at the centre of a storm, is the baby. As the theologian Susan Hedahl says "He is the one unmovable, fixed point". She also points out that if we are not careful we allow the star and the wise men to hide the meaning of Epiphany. But hidden away in the text are prophecies from the following books: Micah, 2 Samuel, Isaiah, and Psalms (the latter to be looked at over the next five days).

So let's note the following things: that Bethlehem (now an important town) was then a place of total unimportance, even if it was the place where King David was born; and secondly, the complete strangeness of these gentile wise men from the east, whose names, number, and origin are all unknown. Finally, we should be able to answer our two questions.

• This whole story points to the fact that God's Messiah is this baby, Jesus, and that he had come to save not just the Jews, but also the Gentiles of the world.
• We should respond with faith and joy this Epiphany, that God included us in His plans.

Collect for Epiphany

O God,
who by the leading of a star
manifested your only Son to the peoples of the earth:
mercifully grant that we,
who know you now by faith,
may at last behold your glory face to face;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.
Amen.