Strange visitors from a distant place: no not in-laws, but the famous wise men. Searchers, who were in their own way, were godly lovers of truth.
The three wise ones—well, we don't really know that there were three—hail from the area now known as Iran, formerly known as Persia. They might have been followers of the ancient Zoroastrian religion, known for its fascination with light and fire. They were tuned in to the movement of the stars; if they were astrologers, it was astrology of a different sort than we find in the daily newspaper feature alongside the comics. They would never have asked the question, "What's your sign?" Their passion was to discern the plans of God by studying God's creation. And in this they surpassed many who had the scriptures but didn't really serve the living God. Matthew doesn't condemn them for their practice. Rather, the gospel shows how God is using this religion of theirs to guide them to the one who is the light of the world. There's an underlying thought: these who had a much shakier revelation were sincere in seeking Christ—and they seemed to know more about Herod's religion than he did.
The scripture is careful to inform us, it was in the time of King Herod that these things happened. Brutal, crafty, unconcerned about the things of God, Herod ruled by force and fear. He was, it seems, a bit paranoid, for when the sages from the Orient came asking where they could find the newborn Messiah, it says, Herod was frightened. Frightened: The king who inspired so much terror in others was deep down scared himself! Why would an all-powerful tyrant be afraid of a baby? He thought that baby might grow up and pose a threat to him. This was long-range planning. He thought that some new rival would come along and in 30 or 40 years, take away his power, maybe even his life. All-powerful? Hmm. He lived in constant fear that what he had would be taken away. Not much of a king after all.
On the other hand, there are these mysterious figures from the East. They are the un-Herod. They embody the best of spiritual seeking.
First, they were filled with a holy purpose. Their very camels were purpose-driven. They were sincerely looking, and they were willing to do anything to fulfill their quest. Across endless of miles of desert, they faced the dangers of a journey through foreign lands. "You shall seek the Lord and find him when you seek him with all your heart." So said the prophet Jeremiah long before. They looked with all their heart, and were ready to pay any price to find. If we're not satisfied with our level of spirituality, that' a good thing. If there's a hunger in our hearts to know more of God, then we can rejoice that God has placed that hunger there. Now think about this: they saw a star in the East. Were they the only ones? There were no doubt others who looked up and saw that same star—but they didn't set out on a pilgrimage. They just went back to the lives they had been living. Not everybody was so aware; not everybody had such a passion to know the truth. But something stirred in these souls. They would not be denied. They set out on their journey, not knowing what their destination was.
Sometimes it takes a while to get to Christ. We put off making that journey—maybe it seems too risky, or not real, or we just bury the call of our hearts—the call of God—under the things of this world. But the call never really goes away. We have a journey to make—you and I—and it's time to get started. If we find ourselves searching, looking for something in life that's more real, then we've been touched by the Spirit of God, and the Spirit is beckoning us to turn to Christ. And, though they were knowledgeable about many things, they were still willing to ask questions when they didn't know. They admitted they didn't have all the answers. The same openness that got them underway still guided them. "Where is the one who is born king of the Jews? We saw his star rising. We're here to worship." They'd come a long way. They were driven by a God-inspired purpose.
Second, they came into the presence of Christ. They reached a point when they found what they sought. They weren't just spiritual tourists. If it's Tuesday, this must be Bethlehem. Tomorrow we go snorkeling in the Red Sea. No: they focused. Like the star overhead, they stopped. They became truly Christ-centered. They were ready to make a real commitment. Notice their joy when they reached the place where he was. They went on in, and it says they kneeled down. There's a power in getting down on our knees for prayer. Some of us aren't able to—we fear we might not get back up again. But to kneel down to pray is an awesome thing. And we all can pray for this: to experience Christ in our midst. To be touched by the Lord's real presence. All our words and activities are empty apart form the real thing, apart from the Spirit here and now.
They gave themselves to Christ, and their commitment was represented by their gifts: they gave him the best that they had. Their worship was with their kneeling down, their praise, and their greatest treasure—gold, frankincense, myrrh. We know there's great symbolism in those gifts: gold is fit for a king; incense points to his divine nature; myrrh reminds us of his sacrificial death, for it was used in embalming. "King and God and Sacrifice," says the old hymn. I've been wondering about the way they carried these things across hundreds of miles. They didn't know everything about the new king, but they knew enough to realize he was something special, something unprecedented. Accordingly, they came prepared. They hauled these gifts with them, protecting them. They teach us a lesson: live your life in such a way as to give your best to God. Bring your treasure to God. Don't give God the leftovers, the spare change, but arrange things so that Christ—and the least of these his sisters and brothers—get the good stuff.
Third, having followed their God-given purpose, and worshiped in Christ's very presence, they discovered new purpose. We're told, they went home by another road. The effect of their journey, and their encounter with Christ, was to re-orient their lives, to deepen their connection with God, and they returned by a road less traveled. They had seen the Christ, and life now had a new meaning. I used to think this account in Matthew was a nice sidelight but not essential to the gospel. Their silhouettes with date palms and camels and that shining star have graced countless Christmas cards. But, it is an important hint of the very nature of the spiritual life. In Jesus Christ, God declares to us all, we can know God's purpose, and presence, and power for our lives. |
