The Wise Men

A depiction of the Wise men: Ravenna, Italy

 

The Three Wise Men

By the Panhandling Philosopher

 

            The Church Calendar’s Season of Epiphany began on January 6^th with our contemplation of St. Matthew’s account of the Magi pursuing their pilgrimage of following the star they had seen that in their understanding heralded the birth of the child who would become the King of the Jews. We have traditionally described those making the journey as the Three Wise Men, although nothing in the Scriptural account describes for us how many wise men made the journey; but the three gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh led to us picturing three wise men, each bringing a specific gift to give while they worshipped or expressed adoration to the child having been born. The Season of Epiphany which begins on January 6 considers how the glory of Christ hidden in the weakness of his humanity is made manifest through the signs and wonders which accompanied his life.

           

            Matthew’s Gospel account of the visit of the Wise Men seems to foreshadow a number of the themes that would be present as Christ lived out his life on earth. These themes while obviously part of the historical narrative given by Matthew seem also to be points important for our consideration as well. Our consideration of Christ’s Gospel is not the interest of people who are connoisseurs of Gospel history, but we approach the Gospel era accounts as participants interested in the reception of Christ’s Gospel.

            One important historical theme foreshadowed by Matthew’s account is how the presence of Christ bringing God’s kingdom to Judea and the world would not be embraced by the Herodian kings as Good News but mostly as unwanted rivalry. I think many of us in our day are freshly aware of the rivalry between the earthly kingdoms and nations carved out by human desire for the promotion of order, and the benefit of a humanity which exists as community as well as individuality. Human governments in their Biblical descriptions are often viewed as both the source of blessing and curse. We are commanded to give honor to governments. Human government, while often weighed down by corruption and prone to misuse by power hungry narcissistic persons, is part of fallen man’s continuation in living out man’s responsibility to have dominion over the earth. Human governments, whether in their best manifestations or their worst manifestations are imperfect as our humanity is imperfect. Isaiah had promised another sort of kingdom. A child would be given and the government would rest upon his shoulders and he would be described as Wonderful, Counsellor, the mighty God, the everlasting Father, and the Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end.” (Isaiah 9:6-7)

            The Wise Men traveling to Judea looked for the child who they believed would be the King of the Jews first visited Herod’s court in Jerusalem to inquire of the child. It seems quite possible that Herod’s court had no thoughts about a child to be born or of the star that the Magi followed. It was shocking news to Herod and his court that these wise men had seen a star and had followed it to Judea, and that this star by their understanding meant that a child had been born who would become the King of the Jews. For Herod any King of the Jews not being a member of his family would be a rival king. The Herodian kings that ruled during the life of Christ at times found Christ interesting but overall the more talk there was about Jesus being the prophesied king the more the Herodian kings sought to contain his ministry and to eliminate him if necessary.

            The Herod who ruled when Jesus was born was not a stellar man either morally or spiritually. Nonetheless there was some pride concerning King Herod because he was a builder who had renovated and enlarged the temple, which had become one of the great wonders of the Roman Empire. He had built a man-made port and harbor at Caesarea. His building of infrastructure had increased both taxes and the overall wealth of Judea. The Province of Judea was wonderfully situated at the eastern end of the Mediterranean Sea, where the trade routes from Africa to the South, from Europe to the North, and Mesopotamia and Persia to the east intersected. We sometimes think of Judea as a remote province far from Rome, but in reality it was a strategic province coveted by the major powers of the day. One can imagine how Herod, a less than secure ruler viewed the news of foreigners with a caravan of expensive gifts seeking to discover the whereabouts of the future king of the Jews. When Herod’s advising Jewish theologians decided that Bethlehem must be the place, then Herod decided like a Pharaoh of old to deal wisely with the situation.

            In our own time Christians are assessing and reassessing their relationship to national and local governments. Evangelicalism is the most mentioned but is not alone in needing to assess and reassess its connections to our national and local governments. As citizens we pray for our governments and as citizens in republics and democracies we seek to act wisely and responsibly. Still we need to recognize that the government that is upon the shoulder of the promised child is not at all identical with our national or local governments. One of these governments is the necessary but imperfect human search for peace and order; the other is the voluntary answering of the call of the Redeemer King who has called us to be his disciples and followers.

            A final point I would emphasize in my reading of the wise men is that they represent how in the Gospels those who find Christ are often those who are far away while those who stumble over him are often quite near at hand. He came to his own people and many of them never recognized anything special about Jesus. A Roman centurion, a Syrian woman, wise men from the East, the immoral, seemingly treacherous tax collectors for the occupying Romans all came to know him while those near and those steeped in their religion missed him. Is this not a word of caution for us? Jesus is one who is never to be considered lightly, but treasured as worthy of all the gifts we can bear, for as long as our journeys to worship Him take.