As I write, it is January 6th – Epiphany – the 12th Day of Christmas and a singular feast day for Christians, even nestled as it is in this season of feast days.
Church tradition celebrates the Magi today.
We know them as the “kings of orient are” in the Christmas carol – the most splendidly dressed figures in any Nativity depiction – the “wise men” who followed the star to the Babe in Bethlehem.
Magi, misunderstood?
We know them in these terms, but I think these terms limit our knowing.
The Magi are so much more than colorful paragons of pageantry, so much more than opulent bystanders to the miracle of Christmas.
Indeed, the Magi are pioneers of the Faith and prototypes for the generations of passionate seekers of Christ who would leave home and hearth in search of salvation.
Abraham-like, they traded security and familiarity for a voyage into the unknown.
David-like, they surrendered themselves fully and ecstatically to worship.
Paul-like, they navigated worldly challenges with wit and skill and thereby kept themselves and their knowledge of the Messiah safe for home-going – for ongoing stewardship.
Outsiders among Insiders
The Magi are the foreigners in the Christmas story, outsiders in every possible way (geographic, ethnic, linguistic, religious).
Strangers in alien territory, their inclusion in the Christmas story demonstrates the true vastness of the invitation which the Incarnation embodied.
Consider: All the other participants in the Christmas story have some kind of an insider’s claim.
Mary and Joseph know themselves as chosen and the infant Jesus as the Chosen, thanks to angelic visions and prophetic dreams.
The shepherds receive personal invitations and specific directions from a heavenly chorus.
Simeon and Anna, who greet the infant Christ when he is presented at the Temple, are saints of Israel – folks bound to God over decades of devotion, and recognized by fellow Jews as anointed.
But the Magi…
The Magi come from some unspecified place and people. They are not Jews. They are not Romans. They are not sought out by Gabriel, nor serenaded by the angel chorus. They are not wooed or warned in dreams (until after their acts of adoration).
The Magi, lacking any claim or status or invitation, come to Christ based solely on hunches and soul-hunger.
Perhaps you can relate.
I know I can.
Specifics from Scripture
What / who they are, we can only guess at, based on the splinters of information scripture gives us in a few verses in Matthew, chapter 3:
In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, 2 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 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. 10 When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. 11 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. 12 And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.
Our romantic traditions can muddle our appreciation for the audacity of the devotion described here. “We three kings of orient are…” There is no “three” in scripture, and there is no kingly designation, either. “We three kings” names someone’s fanciful fiction.
But the facts as outlined in scripture, my Friends, are nonetheless absolutely breath-taking:
Wealthy men risking perilous travel to seek out a newborn King whose authority somehow compels them via prophetic hints and astrological shifts!
Worldly men using worldly stratagems and cunning to play political games successfully, but trusting in a purely spiritual compass (a baby, adored; a dream, warning) to win the ultimate game with its life-or-death stakes!
Wandering, wondering men whose delight erupted even before they beheld its Source: “When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy”!
Magi Miracles
Truly, in this season of signs and wonders, the adoration of the Magi is a wondrous sign.
It reassures us: no insider / outsider status excludes any person drawn to Christ.
It encourages us: journeys into the unknown, when prompted by devotion, always lead us closer to the Lord.
It convicts us: when God nudges, when God writes love letters to us in the stars, we must GO… or we will miss the gift.
“AHA!”
Mark is fond of reminding me that Epiphany is a theological term for “aha!”
I love that – the exclamatory energy of it! The surprise and delight!
But I need reminding, too, that the “aha!” of Epiphany – the Magi’s moment of sheer glee and glory – was preceded by hard choices and strenuous sacrifice.
There was a cost, to find Christ.
The “aha” required time and treasure and trust, in advance.
I also need reminding that the “aha!” was not actually the point.
The wise men from the East did not go out in search of an epiphany; they went in search of a King.
Their quest was for Christ.
And that quest had to supersede questions, convenience, and comfort; even before they found Him, the Messiah required all they had.
So, Epiphany – that historic and holy “aha!” – was a by-product of devotion and discipleship, not an end in itself.
Confession Time
I confess that I am drawn to “aha!” much more than I am drawn to leaving behind my comforts and surrendering all my treasures at the manger.
I confess that I esteem the glee and the glory far (far!) more highly than the sacrifice, struggle, and stick-to-it-iveness of following Jesus daily.
And I confess that hard journeys, malicious Herod-figures, and being a sojourner in a foreign land intimidate me more than they invigorate me.
Bottom line, I look at the Magi and I see very little of Me.
But I cherish them, because I look at them and I see the Me I aspire to be – the surrendered seeker, pursuing the Lord in obedience to His call, treasure chests open and heart overwhelmed with joy.
The Magi remind me:
Wisdom still means following wherever the Lord leads!
Wisdom still means offering the Lord whatever I have in my hands!
Wisdom still means that faith trumps fear and God makes a way!
And no matter how far away I find myself…
No matter how outside the holy circle I feel…
There is a place for me, with Jesus.
The Magi are evidence:
All the signs and wonders of this season – all the signs and wonders scattered across every ordinary day – each one is a gift, a gift to keep us tracking toward Christ, toward the King, toward “aha!”
Amen.
