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.

(Note, I am not using the Lectionary today!)
(New Revised Standard Bible)

Thoughts

We now look at the next group of visitors to the baby Jesus. The Prophet Micah (8th century BCE) prophesied the downfall of Samaria and Jerusalem, but he also gave hope that Jerusalem would be restored and a Messiah would be born at the birthplace of King David in Bethlehem. Since Joseph and Mary belonged to the 'house and family' of David, that is where they would go to register for the Roman census, and where Jesus would be born.

When the Wise Men came from the east to enquire of Herod where the Messiah was to be born, the Chief priests and scribes returned to say: "In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet". We can sense their surprise. Why wasn't this king to be born somewhere like Jerusalem, after all Bethlehem was a small insignificant place at the time with only 500-1,000 inhabitants?

We call these visitors, 'wise men' or 'kings' and we give them names, but none of this is in Matthew's Gospel. We don't even know how many there were. It's likely they were men skilled in astrology, philosophy, and/or medicine, and were probably from Persia. They had seen an extraordinarily bright star which indicated to them the birth of a prince and they came bringing gifts for him. Herod's machinations are to be defeated because God speaks to these travellers through a dream that warns them not go back to Herod. Subsequently, Joseph is also warned that he needs to take his family and flee from the area for their safety.

God had chosen to speak first through the shepherds to emphasise that His plan is for all people no matter how lowly they are, now he speaks through strangers to emphasise that His plan for all the world.

Almighty God,
You chose to speak to us
through the humble and weak;
to the leaders of society at Herod's court;
and to the outside world through the wise men.
Those who heard Your message obeyed You,
but many ignored Your words
seeking only their own selfish desires.
May we learn to listen to Your voice
and follow Your commands this day.
Amen.