Matthew 2:1-12
Today, the
magi could be the persons of interest in the sermon. They came from far away,
from another culture, from another religion. Tradition has often called them
kings, but they more likely were astrologers, intently studying the patterns of
the stars and planets, and their relation to human interactions. Treated as a
science, astrology takes into consideration the skills of math and science and physics
and human behavior.
Because the
studied the stars so thoroughly, they were able to notice a new star in the
sky. New stars meant the birth of a king, and that meant they needed to travel
to give homage to the baby. I find myself wondering if they took with them the
equipment to plot out his life, and if they would have seen his death on the
cross written in the stars.
In the
meantime, although some people take horoscopes very seriously, and spend a lot
of money to have the exact moment of their birth plotted on the map of the
stars, most of us read horoscopes – the predictions of astrologers – with a
sense of fun. They are general enough to apply to lots of people.
My horoscope
for Saturday on one website read like this: Turn up your fantasy dial and let your
imagination run wild. Your intuition is strong today, and you should give your
emotions room to flow. Work to clear the blockages that keep you from doing
things you truly want to do. Get your ideas on paper and manifest more of your
fantasy world in reality. People may be stingy, so now isn't the best time to
ask for a raise or loan. Tee-hee!
The magi
followed the star to Jesus, stopping at Herod’s palace, assuming a new baby had
been born there. When that was not the case, the magi consulted with the
priests and scribes to discover where the baby might be. Curiously, but
predictably, considering what Herod was like, the priests were able to identify
Bethlehem as the location, but did not accompany the magi on their visit.
Once the magi
found the baby, they gave him gifts, expensive gifts, the kind of gifts kings
would give each other. They gave him gold, which has obvious value. They also gave
him frankincense and myrrh, gifts we don’t know much about today. Fragrances such
as frankincense and myrrh were burned as the incense offering in the temple. They
were both used as medicine, to heal wounds, to support female hormones, and to
treat arthritis. Myrrh was also used in the process of making mummies in Egypt,
and in anointing the dead in Jesus’ time.
These
valuable gifts remind us that Jesus was seen as a king, an important king, a
king worth visiting from far away, a king worthy of honor and glory to this
day. But these gifts remind us of the end of Jesus’ life. Judas was paid in
gold to betray Jesus. Jesus’ was anointed before his death with fragrance –
probably frankincense. And frankincense and myrrh were most likely the spices
the women took to the tomb on Easter morning.
The gold and
the fragrance gifts could have been sold by Mary and Joseph to support their emergency
trip to Egypt. We don’t read the story often, but the result of the magi’s
search for the baby king was the slaughter of all children – boys, at least –
in Bethlehem aged two years or younger. Mary and Joseph and Jesus escaped, because
an angel warned them to flee. The Magi were also warned – in a dream – to not
return to Herod. Unfortunately for the parents of Bethlehem, because the one
child was not identified, many children died.
So, why do
you think the magi made the trip to Judea from wherever they lived? Tradition
has always told us that they came to prove that Jesus was born to be the king
of the Jews and to point out that even his own people did not recognize him as
such. Their visit is a symbol of the intent for the good news of Jesus to reach
all peoples, and this is the message from the beginning.
We don’t often
think about their visit as an acceptance of very different people. The magi
visited Jesus, gave him their gifts, and returned home. They did not become
Christians. They did not return to be his disciples when he grew up. They were
not at the tomb; they were not among the first evangelists after the
resurrection. They were simply foreigners, people from a very different
religion, who honored Jesus with their presence at his birth.
We can learn
from this how important it is to treat all people well. There is a lot of
mistrust of people who are different from us. Lately, there is a lot of
mistrust of Muslims, and hatred enough that some people are now trying to kill
them, one person at a time. I agree that there are extremists who have been
taught to kill all non-Muslims. And I agree that we do need to be careful and
protect ourselves from them. But, most Muslims respect Jesus as a prophet, and
regard him as almost as important as Mohamed. Do we offer them the respect they
deserve? Do we allow them to believe as they believe? Do we invite them to know
our Jesus without insisting that they will not be saved if they don’t?
Christians
don’t always treat other Christians very well, either. In the name of Jesus,
some Christians tell others they are not welcome in their church. Christians are
not always kind to those who are different: those who speak another language,
who have a different sexual preference, who have no job, who have a “questionable”
past, and so forth. Do we welcome all who come in our doors? Do we treat all we
encounter in the community with Jesus’ kind of love?
Let’s use the
visit of the magi to remember that Jesus loves and welcomes all people to
himself, and do likewise. Amen
