Working Preacher Narrative Lectionary for Christmas, Wednesday,
25 December 2013
Lectionary Scriptures:
Matthew The Visit of
the Wise Men
2: In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem
of Judea, wise men[a] 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,[b] and have come to pay him homage.” 3 When King Herod heard this, he
was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; 4 and calling together all the
chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the
Messiah[c] was to be born. 5 They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it
has been written by the prophet:
6 ‘And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least
among the rulers of Judah;
for from you shall come a ruler
who is to shepherd[d]
my people Israel.’”
7 Then Herod secretly called for the wise men[e] and learned
from them the exact time when the star had appeared. 8 Then he sent them to
Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have
found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage.” 9 When they
had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that
they had seen at its rising,[f] until it stopped over the place where the child
was. 10 When they saw that the star had stopped,[g] 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.
Footnotes:
a. Matthew 2:1 Or astrologers; Gk magi
b. Matthew 2:2 Or in the East
c. Matthew 2:4 Or the Christ
d. Matthew 2:6 Or rule
e. Matthew 2:7 Or astrologers; Gk magi
f. Matthew 2:9 Or in the East
g. Matthew 2:10 Gk saw the star
Psalm 102: 13 You will rise up and have compassion on Zion,
for it is time to
favor it;
the appointed time has
come.
14 For your servants hold its stones dear,
and have pity on its
dust.
15 The nations will fear the name of the Lord,
and all the kings of
the earth your glory.
Commentary on Matthew 2:1-12 by Karl Kuhn
The story of the three magi is one of the central narratives in
the church’s celebration of Jesus’ advent.
It has come to symbolize for us important elements of who we
proclaim Jesus to be, and what it means to follow Jesus. Set in the opening
pages of Matthew’s gospel, the account foreshadows what will become clear in
the narrative yet to unfold.
These magi are Gentiles from distant lands. Yet they recognize
the importance of this child and who he will become. The story introduces
recipients of Matthew’s gospel to the profession that this child, Jesus, is to
be Savior and Lord for Israelite and Gentile alike. In this story we also find
the magi an example of what it means to welcome the Christ child. The magi
undertake an arduous journey from afar, compelled by their earnest desire to
come before this new king.
Upon seeing Jesus, they worship him. Their actions parallel
those of others throughout the gospels who respond to Jesus with almost
immediate trust and devotion. We do well to remember this story, for it
announces that Jesus is Savior to all humankind and celebrates those who
embrace Jesus with eyes and hearts of faith.
At the same time, it is also important to note that in our
remembrance of the magi we have tended to add several elements to their story
that are actually not found in the Gospel of Matthew, the only gospel which
tells us about them. In Christian tradition, the magi are commonly regarded as
Kings, even though there is nothing in Matthew’s gospel to suggest this.
We also commonly remember the magi as being three in number, and
several different sets of names throughout the centuries have been suggested
for them. Again, there is nothing in Matthew’s account which tells us that
there were three or the names they were called. Just as strangely, we
(including the NRSV translators!) have commonly regarded the magi as wise men,
even though there is nothing in Matthew’s gospel that tells us that they were wise
or that they were all men.
From what we can piece together from surviving historical
evidence, it appears that magi were astrologers and interpreters of dreams,
especially in eastern cultures that had been influenced by Persian customs.1 They
were not kings themselves, but some of them served in the courts of kings,
functioning as advisors. It is likely that most such advisors were men, but
some could have been women. There is also evidence suggesting that the magi may
have been itinerant, traveling in large groups, including their families --
like roaming gypsies.
By some Gentile folk, some magi would have been regarded as
wise. But to others, especially Israelites, the magi were commonly seen as
fools, as indicated by nearly every reference to them in surviving Israelite
texts from the time. It is very likely that most recipients of Matthew’s gospel
-- most of whom were Israelite Christians -- would not have held the magi in
high regard.
Rather, most early Christians would have heard this story not as
a story about the wisest and most discerning among the Gentiles coming with
great reverence to honor the Israelite King. They would have heard it as an
almost comical, puzzling tale, about a bunch of silly, Eastern astrologers who
are led by a star to see Jesus. “What was God up to?” many of the original
recipients of Matthew’s gospel would have asked. “Why them?
Note too that Matthew’s account of the magi doesn’t really
encourage us to regard the magi as all that astute. While in the East, the magi
see his star rising. But the star is such an obvious sign of the messiah’s
birth that it eventually leads them right to the very home in which Jesus
lives.
Even with the guidance of the bright and luminous star, the magi
still get lost! So they stop off in Jerusalem and ask for directions.
Eventually, King Herod gets wind of this and secretly summons the magi. He
sends them off to Bethlehem, saying “Go ahead, find the Christ child, and then
come back and let me know where he lives, so that I too can go and worship him”
(verses 7-8).
But the magi are oblivious to Herod’s ulterior motives, and to
the fact that he has just gained information from them that puts Jesus at great
risk. The magi then head off to Bethlehem and the star leads them to the place
where Jesus lives. Finally, the still clueless magi need to be warned in a
dream not to return to Herod.
If we read this story without the assumption that the magi are
three, discerning, wise men, then we can see how this story may have been
understood differently by those who first told it and first heard it. Then we
too might ask concerning the silly magi, along with the earliest tellers and
hearers of this tale, why these folk? What was God up to?
Asking these questions can help us to recognize another
important element of Matthew’s Gospel that is in view here already in its
opening chapters. As the narrative unfolds, we see Jesus picking fishermen,
sinners, rebels and tax collectors -- basically a bunch of nobodies and no-goods
to be his disciples (4:18-22; 9:9).
For this he is upbraided by the Pharisees, to whom he responds:
“I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners” (9:10-13). He commends a
Canaanite woman for her great faith (15:21-28). He tells his disciples, “Whoever
wishes to be first among you must be your slave” (20:27). He defines heroic
deeds as concern for the least among us (25:31-46), and emulates this in his
own miracles of healing.
And at one point, Jesus proclaims, “I praise you Father, Lord of
Heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and
learned and revealed them to little children” (11:25).
In short, Matthew is concerned to tell us that those whom the
world often finds silly, naïve, trashy, powerless, and childish are more likely
to open their hearts and minds to Christ. The saving reign of God makes little
headway among those who hoard their riches, who (like Herod!) seek to preserve
their privileged positions, who celebrate their status at the expense of
others, who so trust in their own manner of wisdom that they are blind to the
way of blessing God is making known in plain sight before them. The Kingdom of
Heaven comes to those who set the lies of this world aside, and rest their
hearts in the truth and love of God made known in Emmanuel.
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1 For a helpful review and assessment of this evidence, see Mark
Allan Powell, Chasing the Eastern Star: Adventures in Reader Response Criticism
(Louiseville: Westminster John Knox, 2001) 138-56.
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John Wesley’s Notes and Commentary for:
Matthew 2:1-12
Verse 1. Bethlehem of Judea - There was another Bethlehem in the
tribe of Zebulon. In the days of Herod - commonly called Herod the Great, born
at Ascalon. The scepter was now on the point of departing from Judah. Among his
sons were Archelaus, mentioned ver. 22; Herod Antipas, mentioned chap. xiv, and
Philip, mentioned Luke iii, 19. Herod Agrippa, mentioned Acts xii, 1; &c.,
was his grandson. Wise men - The first fruits of the Gentiles. Probably they
were Gentile philosophers, who, through the Divine assistance, had improved
their knowledge of nature, as a means of leading to the knowledge of the one
true God. Nor is it unreasonable to suppose, that God had favoured them with
some extraordinary Revelations of himself, as he did Melchisedec, Job, and
several others, who were not of the family of Abraham; to which he never
intended absolutely to confine his favours. The title given them in the
original was anciently given to all philosophers, or men of learning; those
particularly who were curious in examining the works of nature, and observing
the motions of the heavenly bodies. From the east - So Arabia is frequently
called in Scripture. It lay to the east of Judea, and was famous for gold, frankincense,
and myrrh. We have seen his star - Undoubtedly they had before heard Balaam's
prophecy. And probably when they saw this unusual star, it was revealed to them
that this prophecy was fulfilled. In the east - That is, while we were in the
east.
Verse 2. To do him homage - To pay him that honour, by bowing to
the earth before him, which the eastern nations used to pay to their monarchs.
Verse 4. The chief priests - That is, not only the high priest
and his deputy, with those who formerly had born that office: but also the
chief man in each of those twenty-four courses, into which the body of priests
were divided, 1 Chron. xxiv, 6-19. The scribes were those whose peculiar
business it was to explain the Scriptures to the people. They were the public
preachers, or expounders of the law of Moses. Whence the chief of them were
called doctors of the law.
Verse 6. Thou art in nowise the least among the princes of Judah
- That is, among the cities belonging to the princes or heads of thousands in
Judah. When this and several other quotations from the Old Testament are
compared with the original, it plainly appears, the apostles did not always
think it necessary exactly to transcribe the passages they cited, but contented
themselves with giving the general sense, though with some diversity of
language. The words of Micah, which we render, Though thou be little, may be
rendered, Art thou little? And then the difference which seems to be here
between the prophet and the evangelist vanishes away. Micah v, 2.
Verse 8. And if ye find him, bring me word - Probably Herod did
not believe he was born; otherwise would not so suspicious a prince have tried
to make sure work at once?
Verse 10. Seeing the star - Standing over where the child was.
Verse 11. They presented to him gifts - It was customary to
offer some present to any eminent person whom they visited. And so it is, as
travelers observe, in the eastern countries to this day. Gold, frankincense,
and myrrh - Probably these were the best things their country afforded; and the
presents ordinarily made to great persons. This was a most seasonable,
providential assistance for a long and expensive journey into Egypt, a country
where they were entirely strangers, and were to stay for a considerable time.
Psalm 102:13-15
Verse 13. The set time - The end of those seventy years which
thou hast fixed.
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