The Star and the Wise Men from the East

Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying "Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him."

When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. So they said to him, "In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet:

'But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
Are not the least among the rulers of Judah;
For out of you shall come a Ruler
Who will shepherd My people Israel.' "

- Matthew 2:1-6

In the past few readings concerning the events around Jesus' birth, we've had many reports of grace at work. There are those who have been given word of the Good News via the Holy Spirit or by the teachings of angels: Mary was told her good news by the Archangel Gabriel, and so were Zechariah and Elizabeth. Joseph was taught in a dream by an angel about the birth of the Holy Child. A whole host of angels appeared to the shepherds living out in the fields bearing the Good News. Simeon and Anna the Prophetess received the Consolation of Israel in the temple by the gift of the Spirit. In today's reading, we receive news about the Wise Men from the East.

My study bible notes that in this passage, Matthew anticipates Jesus' mission to the Gentiles. A note reads: "The wise men, or Magi, who come from the East, that is, outside of Israel (perhaps from Persia), are the scholars of their time." A predecessor to the "wise men" in the Old Testament is Balaam, a Gentile who also anticipated the Messiah. My study bible also notes that the worship of the Lord by the Magi is symbolic of the Church - in which membership is determined by faith and not ethnic lineage.

Herod is a historical figure from whom we have a definite chronological setting for this story in the gospel of Matthew. He was called Herod the Great, king of Judea, and reigned from 37-4 BC. He was an underling of Rome, known as a great builder but a cruel ruler.

The star, my study bible notes, signifies the extraordinary importance of the birth of this child. In ancient times a star signified a god, or a deified king. A note reads, "This star is a sign of the Messiah Himself, signifying the light He will shed upon the world."

Herod, as a king wary of anything that might be a threat to his power, is immediately afraid, and needs more information! My study bible notes that he knows very little about the expected Jewish Messiah. These men from the East bring disturbing news - news that can shake up the worldly powers that be! And we are told that "all of Jerusalem" was troubled with him. This is upsetting news. Like any man of power and military might, Herod's first impulse is to find out more information: he calls the chief priests and scribes together, and asks them where this Christ is to be born. The chief priests of the temple in Jerusalem are the political and religious leaders of the Jews. They include the high priest, who is the only person who can enter the Holiest of All (see Hebrews 9:7), the innermost sanctuary of the temple which contained the ark of the covenant and the mercy seat. So Herod's advisers are the most powerful and spiritually authoritative leaders of Jerusalem. But in our text, written for a primarily Jewish audience by Matthew, the religious leaders have no idea that the Messiah has been born. The scribes are high cabinet officers. They are in charge of the great books of learning: they know the predictions of the Messiah, and where He is to be born. But they are not among those in these gospels, noted in the first paragraph of commentary above, who have been given any spiritual notice at all - no grace has gifted them with this wisdom via the Holy Spirit or an angel. My study bible notes: "God reveals His truth to those with 'a noble and good heart' (Luke 8:15). See also the Parable of the Sower.

So Matthew has presented us with a great paradox, such as so often characterizes these gospels and the story of Jesus and his life. There is the great institution of the temple with its chief priests, the scribes, and the high priest himself. With all of their knowledge of Jewish religion, prophecy, history and scripture, they are the experts on the expected Messiah. They are the appropriate people for Herod to consult. Herod himself is a powerful ruler, a representative of the most powerful Empire on earth. Indeed, the Roman Empire will stay fixed in the consciousness of the world to this day as the very emblem of empire and worldly power. And yet, with all of this authority, and official power - with all of these credentials and scholarship - there is no real information to be found. There is only available to the official powers the scriptural prophecy of Micah, which has also come to us via the gifts of the Spirit, that teaches us about the Messiah and where he is expected to be born:

But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
Are not the least among the rulers of Judah;
For out of you shall come a Ruler
Who will shepherd My people Israel.

So, immediately following the birth of this child, the stage is set for a great conflict of powers. We have the worldly powers that be, represented by the Roman Empire and the taking of its great census for purposes of taxation. We have its local representative and ruler, King Herod, jealous and wary of retaining his power at all costs, and desperate to find more information regarding this troubling and upsetting news. Alongside Herod, all of Jerusalem is troubled with him! What is this unknown power that would bring a King into their midst? The authorities of the great institution of the temple are called, those who keep the books, the customs, the great institution of religion and its ceremonies. They, too, do not have any information. They don't share in this knowledge, save what the people have been given as spiritual heritage by the great Prophet Micah, who himself warned the leadership of Jerusalem long before about such a conflict of power.

And on the other hand, we have those inspired by Spirit and Wisdom, outsiders all of them. In Christmastide commentaries, we have already explored the prayer of Mary, the Magnificat, and all the ways in this story of the birth of Jesus in which God has "lifted up the lowly." The spiritual power at work in this story has inspired all the people we mentioned in our first paragraph of today's commentary. And it is the power at work in these Wise Men of the East, who are scholars themselves - but who come from outside of Israel and are following this great Light, awaiting the birth of the King. In tomorrow's reading, we will see again the Spirit at work providing them wisdom and inspiration, and the great conflict of the powers of the world and the powers of the Spirit. For today, we remain in this setting, with two conflicting notions of power, the one confounding the other, working at opposing purposes and with opposite methods. In some sense, this summary of the notions of power is the story of Christ in a nutshell. We would do well to think today, as we begin our new year, of the ways in which these forces of power continue to conflict, and how we can be open to the inspiration of Spirit in our own lives, midst the movement and bustle of great power in our busy, powerful world. We must remember all the outsiders in this story: the shepherds living out in the field, the faithful Anna and Simeon in the temple who are among those in Jerusalem who are not disturbed along with Herod but who await the Consolation of Israel and rejoice in the good news, and especially the ones for whom there was no room at the inn. As faithful, it is our duty to remember this conflict of power, and to open the door to the Spirit and let it into our world - even as Micah taught so long ago.