The gospel for Epiphany (Matt 2:1-12) shows different responses by the Magi and Herod to Christ’s star. It begins, 

After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”

When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:

“‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
    are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for out of you will come a ruler
    who will shepherd my people Israel.’” (Micah 5:2,4) 

Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”

Herod was an Idumean, with mixed Arab and Jewish ancestry. He was appointed as a client king of the Roman emperor. His knowledge of Hebrew scripture and the Messianic prophecies was probably cursory, at best. Scripture was relevant to him only when it affected him or when he could use it to placate the people and increase his self-esteem as when he expanded the temple in Jerusalem. He did not try to follow its guidance. In fact, Herod’s impulsiveness, brutality and cruelty were renowned. While already married and a father, he had taken another wife then banished his wife and child. This was why all Jerusalem was disturbed.

When he checked with priests and teachers and asked them what they knew of the prophecy, they cited the quote from Micah, above.  

Nevertheless, Herold took seriously the Magi’s news that there was a new king. He interpreted it as a threat, which he cloaked in the oily phrase, that I too may go and worship him. Had he been sincere…or less narcissistic… he might have said, ‘Let me come with you as you search for him’. 

As we know, he would later kill all the children born around this time (Matt 2:16) to try to eliminate any challenge to his leadership. He did not see the coming ruler as someone whose arrival should be celebrated. 

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The Magi were not kings, but more like astrologers who looked at the stars and planets for signs of things to come. Magi, in English is a contraction of magician and the term is related. In Daniel 2:2 they are associated with enchanters, sorcerers and astrologers. Scripture generally regards magicians as people who distract others from God’s ways with trickery and as incapable of interpreting God’s meaning (Is 47:12, Ezekiel 13:18,20). So the election of magi as worshipers of Emanuel was akin to Jesus’ later invitation to the tax-collector Matthew, who was also a socially marginalized person. 

They may have come to know about the King of the Jews because the Greek translation of the Old Testament, the Septuagint, had been in circulation for roughly two centuries. Copies of it may have made their way to Persia, the likely home of the Magi, and been the source of their information.

The star at its rising may have been a supernova or the conjunction of planets such as happened at Christmas, 2020, when Saturn and Jupiter were so “close” that they appeared to be one bright star. (https://earthsky.org/todays-image/jupiter-saturn-photos-drawing-closer-conjunction-dec21 ) Alternatively, it may have been a unique celestial phenomenon sent by God. Either way, the Magi understood the star as a sign of something more than the birth of a regional king. While they called him the King of the Jews, they were not Jewish, themselves. They sensed that his birth had a larger meaning that beaconed them. 

We see the revelation of Jesus’ birth to the Magi as a sign that God intended the Incarnation as a gift for all. While Jesus, descended from the Jewish King David, his significance was for all humankind. 

The star, itself, symbolizes a cosmic event: the incarnation. The star also signifies, again, that God communicates through the world around us.

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The gospel continues, 

After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 

The sentence suggests that the Magi may have lost sight of the star, which then reappeared… They would not have been overjoyed at the sight of the star if it had been constantly in view.  

On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. 

And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.

The appearance of these strangers from the east must have surprised Mary and Joseph, as had the report of the shepherds who had recounted that,  

An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. ButThe angel said…, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
 “Glory to God in the highest heaven,
    and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” (Luke 2:8-14)

The way that news about Jesus’ birth spread, first to shepherds then to these Magi from the East, and the story of his significance as savior and king of the Jews must have surprised and puzzled Mary and Joseph. As they considered how these people had learned of Jesus’ birth did they wonder: ‘If they got the message, why didn’t others, such as the priests and scribes?’.

The Magi saw a stellar sign and brought gifts appropriate for a royal birth to poor and humble parents and a ‘royal’ child. 

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  • If the star was visible in the East, why was it not visible to Herod in Jerusalem? Or was it, and he just ignored it?  Are there signs that we miss? How might we orient our lives to be better aware of such signs? 
  • As Mary and Joseph considered how the shepherds and the foreign Magi had learned of Jesus’ birth did they wonder: ‘If they got the message, why didn’t others, such as the priests and scribes?’. Is there a lesson for us about God’s preference for the poor and marginalized?  
  • There’s a meme to the effect that, if the three Magi were women instead of men there’d be differences. 1) They wouldn’t have gotten lost. 2) Instead of useless things like gold, frankincense and myrrh they’d have brought diapers, baby clothes and a proper bassinette or carrying sling and 3) They’d have helped Mary with the birth then cleaned up and made a meal. It’s an amusing take, but it also invites the question: what would you have brought/what do you bring? 

Peace
Michael