What Made Them Wise: January 6, 2019

Epiphany, Year C                                                                 

Matthew 2:1-12                                                    

            If the wise men were women rather than men, what would have been different? 

1.      They would have asked for directions. 

2.      They would have arrived on time. 

3.      They would have brought more useful gifts. 

 I have heard several versions of this joke.  In almost all of these versions, the women ask for directions.  However, there is a flaw in this joke.  The wise men did ask for directions.  They asked King Herod.  Whenever I see the Christmas story portrayed in a film, the star often looks more like a spotlight than a star.  Sometimes there is a light shining directly on the baby Jesus.  If that were the case, the wise men would not have been 6 miles off track in Jerusalem (as opposed to Bethlehem) and forced to ask King Herod where this King of the Jews was to be born.  To those of us who know the story, this seems like a foolish move.  Everyone knew King Herod was insecure about his kingship and prone to irrational violence.  However, these men were from out of town…way out of town.  They were not even Jewish.  They knew they needed directions.

            The Greek word that is translated to wise men is magi.  It has many translations, but one of the most accurate is an astrologist.  Today, astrologers are not seen as extremely significant, but in this day, they were the wise and insightful people.  They were the philosophers, scientists and poets.  They were also very spiritual and many adhered to another religion called Zoroastrianism, which was an ancient religion from the area which is now Iran.  The unique thing about this religion was its belief in one God.  At this time, it was only the Hebrew people who ascribed to this belief.  If the magi were Zoroastrian, then they knew exactly what they were looking for.  They were looking for the one true God. 

            Yet despite all their knowledge, they still didn’t know some basic things, like who not to ask for directions.  They also did not know the Hebrew Scriptures.  It was logical for them to go to Jerusalem.  Even if they had some vague knowledge of Judaism or the Hebrew Scriptures, they would have understood the significance of Jerusalem. Jerusalem was the  logical place to go.  Yet…let’s face it—logic hadn’t gotten them this far. They were following a star.

            But apparently the star was not the spotlight that Hollywood likes to use.  If it was a spotlight, all kinds of people would have turned up.  However, this king, this savior chose a subtle entrance into the world.  Everyone wasn’t supposed to show up.  God chose who showed up. Most of the people he chose were people we were never expect…. magi from the East being in that category.

            While King Herod was indeed evil, he had a lot of smart and spiritual people at his disposal.  He knew the experts to turn to when the magi showed up and asked about the King of the Jews.  These men were not experts in the stars, they were the experts of the scriptures.  They knew the scripture we heard read here only a few weeks ago from Micah.  “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 my people Israel.”  This new king would come from Bethlehem.

            Thankfully Bethlehem was a small place, and it would be a lot easier for the magi to find a newborn there, than in Jerusalem---so off they went.  The magi followed the directions of these experts of the Hebrew Scriptures and continued to follow the star and they found the child with his mother and knelt at his side and worshiped him.  They gave him the gifts that were fit for a king, perhaps not as useful as women would have brought, but significant in their symbolism.  Then instead of going back to King Herod, they followed a dream they had and returned another way. 

            In the Christmas pageants, the magi always show up right after the birth, but it was probably many days or weeks after.  This wasn’t an easy trip.  I imagine there was frustration at times.  They probably argued a little about which way they were supposed to go.  If I were them and I had finally made it to Jerusalem, I would have been a little annoyed to be told, no you’ve got another 6 miles to walk.  Yet they never gave up.

They were also open to all kind of signs and directions.  They did more than follow a star.  They also sought advice and counsel from experts.  They asked directions.  Then when the adrenalin rush was past and they were ready to go home, they listened to a dream…a dream, and followed another way home, probably a longer route.  Because they listened to that dream and took the long way home, they avoided King Herod who would have surely killed Jesus had he discovered his location.  They saved Jesus. 

            Sometimes I think we expect our faith journey to be easy, not one that is full of twists and turns.  Or we might expect one major challenge, but after that we deserve a journey unencumbered by obstacles.  We think that we get baptized, confirmed and then we are good.  In fact, we can stop studying, stop attending church.  We basically put our faith on cruise control.  But let me tell you, I just drove through West Virginia and cruise control doesn’t work when you are driving up and down mountains and through curvy roads.  You have to constantly readjust.

            The magi followed a star and a crazy king’s directions.  That is how they found Jesus.  And then once they found Jesus, things didn’t get easier.  They had to follow a dream and take an entirely different road back. They were probably thinking, well at least we know how to get home from here. Nope, God said, thanks for the presents, now I am going to throw one more challenge at you. 

            Despite those challenges, I have no doubt they made their way back.  More importantly, they made their way back with more wisdom then they started with.  When they began that journey, they were astrologers.  When they ended that journey, they were wise men.  They had seen the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.  Their lives didn’t get easier. They probably got harder.  But the important thing is that they had direction in their lives.  They knew who and what they were living for.   

            I wish I could tell you that once you have found Jesus, things get easier.  Some things will get easier, but there will also be a lot of challenges.  What I can tell you is that once you found Jesus, there will be direction in your life. It might not always be clear. You might have to seek out that direction in a number of different ways, but it is there.  We at the church are here to help you discover your path if you find yourself floundering a little.  If you think you are the only person who gets a little lost at times, I assure you that you are not. I’ve been lost, sometimes more lost than I care to admit.   The reason why I never stay lost for long is because I know I have a community who will help me find my way back.   So do you.  

January 4, 2015: Matthew 2:1-12

At the End of the Rainbow

Year B, Epiphany                                                      

                                               

            There are a couple of negative aspects of my commute across the HRBT (which I affectionately call Herbert).  However, there are a lot of beautiful things as well.  There have been amazing sunsets and sunrises.  There have been helicopters hovering with men suspended in the air below.  But by far, my favorite thing is the rainbows.  I have seen two and they have been spectacular.  This last one was so vivid that it seemed as though I could see where it ended.  It appeared to be right on the edge of Ocean View, which is on my route home.  I know there is no pot of gold nor leprechauns (those are all in Ireland).  However, I was giddy at the prospect of seeing the end of the rainbow.  But as I drove on, it seemed as though it was moving and when I got to the place where it should have ended, the rainbow was no longer visible.  I know it sounds a bit foolish for an adult to think she could find the end of the rainbow, but in that moment, it seemed possible. 

            I imagine it would sound just as crazy if I told you that I was trying to follow a star and messages that came to me in a dream.  Anyone who followed a star or messages sent to them in a dream would be considered a little odd today.  Yet we never question this story in the Gospel about wise men from the East.  There was a recent study by the Pew Research forum.  Adults were asked about their beliefs and feelings related to Christmas.  75% of those questioned believed that there were wise men who followed a star and brought gifts to Jesus.[1]  Given the overwhelming skepticism of religious beliefs today, I find this absolutely astounding.

So who were these wise men foolish enough to follow a star? The Greek word that is translated to wise men is magi.  That word can be interpreted in several ways, but the most viable translation is astrologer.  They were experts in the stars…interpreters of the night sky.  They observed this rising star and they followed it.  I bet even in that time when following dreams and stars was a lot more common, this was probably rather risky.

            We cannot be certain what the meaning of the star was for the magi, because we know so little about them. Something must have motivated them to take such a journey. It is evident that they were from a foreign land and were not familiar with the Hebrew Scriptures or traditions.  So that was not what was guiding them.  A popular belief in the Gentile world at the time was that each person was represented by a star which appeared at his or her birth.[2]  Another belief was that stars could be counterparts or angels of great men.[3]  These wise men, these experts of the stars knew that this star was special, that this star represented no ordinary man.  This star was so magnificent, so unique, that it must have represented someone special enough to be worthy of a long and potentially dangerous journey into a foreign land. 

            However, it is not the motivation that baffles me as much as the actual logistics.  One of the things I have always wondered about this story of the wise men and the star is how you follow a star.  I don’t know a lot about astronomy but it seems as though that would be difficult.  Usually when this story is depicted in movies, the star is simply brighter than the rest and it shines directly like a spotlight onto the nativity scene.  But there is no indication that this is true.  What was unique about this star was that it seemed to move.  Stars rise and set just as we see the sun rise and set. Yet this star never set.   The texts says that it went ahead of them and then stopped. 

There have been a lot of theories about this star over the years.  Some people have hypothesized that it might have been Hailey’s Comet or a close alignment of Jupiter and Saturn which would have caused a bright light to appear for a short time and then disappear.  Yet none of that fits with what the text says.  They couldn’t have followed a comet.  Camels don’t move that fast.  

            This star was guiding them.  It was almost a companion with them on this journey.  They knew that their journey was complete when it stopped.  That was where they found Mary and the baby Jesus. Now, if I was in that group, I would have been a little perplexed, maybe even disappointed.  This long trip in search of a great man, and this is where it ended.  It ended over a peasant family in the middle of an utterly unremarkable place.  They were more open-minded than I would have been.  They were simply overwhelmed with joy and they entered the home and knelt before this seemingly ordinary family. Then they presented precious gifts that were gifts worthy of a king.  

            What was it that gave them the assurance that this was truly where the star had led them?  How did they know that this child would be a king? We can never be sure of those answers, but I have a theory.  They had followed this star for a very long time. They had put their faith and trust in this star.  They were able to do that because of their knowledge of stars and their commitment to the stars.  We no longer follow the stars.  Yet we do follow a great light and that is the light of Jesus Christ.  We are followers of Jesus Christ.  As we move through this journey that is our life, that light should be a constant companion. There might be times when it will seem to be farther away than we would like.  Or it will seem so dim that we will wonder if it is really there anymore.  Yet the more committed we are to that light and following that light, the more we will realize that it is not the light that dims, but our own vision because we have let other things get in the way of that view.  We have stopped trying to see and search. We have stopped trying.

            Recently, I did a little reading about rainbows.  Apparently, there is no way to find the end of a rainbow, because it is actually a circle.  As long as you are on the ground, the end will always be just ahead of you.  In a way, I find that very annoying.  I mean, we all want to find the end and now that is impossible.  It seems that we are kind of preoccupied with endings or beginnings, when what is really important is the quest.  It’s the search and the journey. 

We follow Jesus not because he will lead us to the end of life, but because he leads us on a journey that never truly ends.  That means that we can never get too comfortable or too sure of ourselves.  Like the wise men and their assurance of the star, we can only be sure of Jesus Christ.  The moment we think we have it all figured out—that we have all the answers is the moment when we are the most lost.   Really, it is not the end, the beginning, or even the journey that is the most important.  The most important part is who is at the center of that glorious circle.  Who is at the center of your life?  That –that determines everything. 

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[1] http://www.pewforum.org/2014/12/15/most-say-religious-holiday-displays-should-be-allowed-on-public-property/#majorities-believe-christmas-story-historically-accurate

[2] Jerome Commentary  p. 67

[3] The Interpreters Bible   p. 257