Matthew 2:1-12
This text is used for the Lectionary Year B on January 4, 2015.
In the history of the Christian Church the story of the Wise Men is not emphasized as part of the Christmas story. It stands alone—and after the celebration of Christmas. Over the years, it has been remembered with a unique celebration called the “Feast of the Three Kings” or “Epiphany.” The date each year is January 6. It’s an important date for us but one we all too often pass over. The wise men represent that noble spirit of curiosity that searches for truth, and goes the distance to find it—and having found it, recognizes deity and bows before it. They could have been satisfied with research and speculation on the nature of the stars. But they were not. Their search led to the fulfillment of life.
Their presence in Matthew’s gospel defined God’s salvation as universal. These men were outsiders. They did not “belong” in the story. They came from a foreign place and returned to a foreign place. They were Gentiles, not Jews, and outside the ancient covenants between Abraham’s people and God. Yet there they were, standing with the Christ child, bowing before him with gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. When their worship ended, they returned to the place of their origin taking with them the message: God’s unique Son, hidden, secret, and obscure was hidden, secret, obscure no longer. In a way greater than the angels, the shepherds, or even Mary and Joseph, the wise men tell us what the coming of Jesus was about. It’s about God’s all inclusive love.