Epiphany January 8, 2012
Isaiah 60: 1-6 Ephesians 3: 2-3a, 5-6 Matthew 2: 1-12
We know them as Kings, Wise Men, Magi - a word referring to a “learned scholar” of the ancient Persian Empire. In an effort to discover the truth of what is told about these persons, many have sought facts about what is described. These are facts that we simply will not know. We are told that they followed a star, that an event that was observed in the heavens somehow guided them. It led them to a place where a humble, young couple cared for an infant child. Some of have said that there may have been a phenomenon in the skies, perhaps a conjunction of planets, perhaps a comet, that happened around this time. Perhaps this is the reference made. We are not sure. While there are basic truths that the Gospel of Matthew seeks to convey, often the search for a factual foundation for the event, unless it is found, has led to a denial that it occurred. Facts that some like to find are not reported. This, however, does not diminish the truth of a lesson to be learned.
The story also describes gifts as being offered by these individuals: Gold, Frankincense, Myrrh. These are gifts which symbolize truths about the child they sought. They are signs of their acknowledgment of the importance of the journey which they made. They are signs of the offering of themselves in giving honor to one who was otherwise insignificant and unknown.
Why is this story told? Is it a story to be found in the beginning of a biography of Jesus? Is it the recording of an incident that is not recalled by other writers about Jesus? Is it an effort to encourage an adventure to find archeological evidence of this event? It is none of these.
The story of the Kings, the Wise Men, the Magi is told to us in order to reveal to us, to challenge us to acknowledge, the truth about this child. Who is it that is revealed to us in the humble manger, in the mysterious events of his birth? It is God with us, it is the literal embodiment, incarnation, of the love God has for us in taking on our human condition.
What is the truth? The truth is that the heavens, the universe, all of creation, reveal the reality of God and God’s presence is this world. The truth can be known by studying and following the magnificence of creation. The truth is that wise individuals, wealthy individuals, learned individuals, with no tradition or background or teaching in the history of God with the Chosen People, such as were Herod and the other leaders, were open to and willing to acknowledge the entry of God into the world. The truth is that these individual offered gifts from themselves, symbols of themselves, in recognition, in honor, of their discovery, their experience of God’s presence in their midst. This is the truth of the Kings, the Wise Men, the Magi. And this truth exists today, as it did then, at the birth of Jesus Christ.
Where are these Wise Men to be found today? They are found in those who humbly acknowledge the reality of the power and presence of God not only mystery of creation, but also, and even, in humble circumstances of everyday life. Where are these Wise Men to be found today? They are found in those who constantly engage in a search for knowing the truth of the life given to us by a Power, a Source which is beyond all of our learning and knowledge, a Power and Source that is genuine love made manifest in our presence today. Where are these Wise Men found today? They are found in those who recognize that real worth, real value in life comes from sharing what is a part of each of us, part of our real wealth, material or not. This generosity of self is a reflection, a recognition, of the generosity of God that has been and is shared with us.
The Kings, the Wise Men, the Magi can be found in us. They are found in the faith that acknowledges the goodness of God. They are found in the hope and trust that leads on the quest, the journey of our lives, searching for the reality of God-with-us. They are found in the love symbolized in the gifts of lives that reflect and give thanks for the generosity and love shown to us by our good and gracious God.