Matthew 2:1-12

When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, in the days of King Herod, behold, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star at its rising and have come to do him homage.”

When King Herod heard this, he was greatly troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. Assembling all the chief priests and the scribes of the people, He inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. They said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it has been written through the prophet: And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; since from you shall come a ruler, who is to shepherd my people Israel.”

Then Herod called the magi secretly and ascertained from them the time of the star’s appearance. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search diligently for the child. When you have found him, bring me word, that I too may go and do him homage.”

After their audience with the king they set out. And behold, the star that they had seen at its rising preceded them, until it came and stopped over the place where the child was. They were overjoyed at seeing the star, and on entering the house they saw the child with Mary his mother. They prostrated themselves and did him homage. Then they opened their treasures and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed for their country by another way.

Backgrounder

Christians take it for granted that they are entitled to the salvation promised by God through Jesus. This attitude would not have been understood by anyone in the story of the “three wise men”. We need to understand how surprising, even shocking, it would have been

In those days people believed that every nation had its own gods. The people of Israel were unique in believing that they had one and only one God, the true God, and that the so-called gods of other nations were false idols or demons. But the people of Israel – including Mary and Joseph, the murderous King Herod, as well as the chief priests, the scribes, and all the people of Jerusalem – believed that they were God’s only people, only they had been chosen by him.

Jesus’s birth is announced by a star which is first visible to the “magi”, the wise men, of another people, probably of the Persians who live in the country we now call Iran. They would have had their own religion, called Zoroastrianism after its founder Zoroaster, which is still practiced by a small number of people today.

Jesus was born to bring us this incredible, shocking news, “the Gentiles are coheirs, members of the same body, and copartners in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel” (Ephesians 3:6, this Sunday’s Second Reading). When a wealthy man dies his heirs receive his wealth. Bitter fights can follow amongst divided family members all of whom consider themselves the rightful heir. How much more disturbing it would be would the heirs if they discovered that they were a multitude of co-heirs. Why should strangers and outsiders benefit from the family wealth.

Jesus comes into the world causing a disturbance. Christmas reveals God’s light, the star of salvation as a light for all nations. How often we Christians may feel like the people of Israel in Jesus’s time. Christians may well feel that the gift of salvation is really just for us. We may well be motivated by indifference, even well-intentioned, into thinking that God has no plans for the people who are non-Christians around us.

How strange that we who have been made co-heirs in the promise of salvation should forget that this makes us also, “copartners in … the gospel” – meaning that we have the obligation to shine like stars in the dark nights suffered by those around us. How strange to see Christians paying only lip-service to our mission.

Where can we find the joy of Christmas? For all of us, like the people of Israel and like the magi, it is only in coming to know Jesus. “They were overjoyed at seeing the star, and on entering the house they saw the child with Mary his mother. They prostrated themselves and did him homage. Then they opened their treasures and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.” (Matthew 2)

May the joy of this season lead us outward, from our self-centred indifference to respond with action for the sake of others, who have not yet met Jesus. May non-Christians respond with joy at the sign of hope which Jesus offers to all. May we all offer our homage, our treasures to him.