The Kingdom of Heaven Isaiah 60:1-6/Matt. 2:1-12
“WHAT'S SO WISE...? ”
In the opening verse of Matthew 2, we're informed that “After Jesus was born in Bethlehem..., wise men from the east arrived in Jerusalem, asking about the whereabouts of the newborn king...”
(Matthew 2:1)
Question: how do we know these guys were so wise? Well, for one thing, these guys actually stopped and asked for directions! How many men do that? Still, did they ace an exam or go to wise guy school or something? I remember being called a 'wise guy' when I was a kid, but I don't think it was a compliment! So is it an I.Q. thing or is some kind of formal education required? Inquiring minds...
Cartoonists and filmmakers have had a field day musing about that for years. In one, Mary wonders aloud: “Frankinsence and myrrh? What am I going to do with frankinsence and myrrh? If they're such wise men they could have at least brought a couple of gift certificates or a crib....!”
Another one shows the three discussing their gifts: 'Maybe he'd rather have a rattle...' 'No, man, trust me. Babies love myrrh'; to which the third replies, 'Makes perfect frankinsense to me.'
Yet another cartoonist explored the untold story of the three wise women, who arrived after the wise men left, bringing more pragmatic gifts of diapers, bottles of formula and hot casseroles.
So who were these guys? Fact is, much about them is shrouded in mystery. Matthew's the only biblical writer who provides us any information about them and even here, it's rather sparse. Contrary to popular belief, we don’t even know their names. Tradition says their names were Caspar, Melchior and Balthasar but those names don’t appear anywhere in Scripture. We also don’t know where they're from exactly. Matthew tells us they came from the east – but where exactly? Arabia, India, China, New Joysey? We don’t know. Even their arrival time has gotten muddled over the years.
For one thing, Matthew tells us that they arrived in Jerusalem first, but not until after Jesus was born. Matthew also tells us that when they do arrive in Bethlehem that “they entered the house where the child and his mother were.” (Matthew 2:11) So by the time they arrive Joseph had apparently moved his young family from the stable to a house. We've also been led to believe that there were three magi but Matthew doesn’t say that either. He mentions that they brought three gifts, from which it's assumed that there must have been three wise men, but maybe there was a fourth wise man...
One cartoon features the Fourth Wise Man, bringing fruitcake.” His gps is still recalculating!
Matthew’s reference to their coming from the east suggests that these “wise men” came from a number of places spread out over a vast area. The prophecy from Isaiah 60 also suggests that they traveled in a caravan that would’ve included not only camels bearing their gifts and food but also an armed escort, a necessity to insure safety from bandits and thieves, in light of the treasures they bore. “They will bring you wealth from many lands. Vast caravans of camels will converge on you!” (Isaiah 60:5-6) Sounds like there may've been a lot more than three on the scene that night.
So there are unresolved questions, but still, there is much we do know. We know they are not of the Jewish faith evident in that they do not claim this newborn king of the Jews as their king nor do they know the biblical prophecies. We also know that they are students of the stars, as they declare: “We saw his star, (the star of the newborn king of the Jews), as it rose in the east.” (Matthew 2:2)
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Clearly they've been tracking that star for some time. We know that they are esteemed men of means as the King, Herod Antipas, welcomes them to his court. We know they come bearing gifts fit for a king and come seeking to find that new born king in the nation’s capital, and they're as surprised as any to find this king, not born to royalty in the palace, but in a stable to a couple of refugees!
So there is, in fact, much we do know about these mysterious magi, as they're identified in the original Greek New Testament. Still, the question remains: “What’s so wise about these wise men?”
We cannot answer that question based on our knowledge of their past. We just don’t have enough info. But three things we do know, about these mag-nan'-imous magi, that point to their time-less wisdom, the first of which being their inclination for investigation. That is, they're seekers!
These students of the stars have stumbled upon something. Astronomers today know that what they observed in the starlit sky was an alignment of the planets Jupiter and Venus and the star, Regulus, which is Latin for the 'king star'. It's a celestrial event that only takes place once every thousand years or so, and did, in fact, occur at the time in history identified as “the year of the Lord”. Such an alignment would’ve been very bright indeed - and would explain a lot!
This cosmic and historical event was the theme of an annual showing at the Planetarium in Chicago when I was growing up. I remember being mesmerized by how science confirmed scripture!
Having seen something in their star search these seekers from the east decide to investigate further. What’s noteworthy is the fact that they conduct this investigation themselves. That alone sets them apart. When Queen Isabella sought a new trade route to the Indies, for example, she didn’t hop on a ship and set sail, she sent Columbus. When King Herod wanted to eliminate this newborn king he didn’t go himself he sent out his troops. When Thomas Jefferson wanted to find a trade route across the American wilderness, he didn’t jump on his horse and take off, he sent Lewis and Clark.
Not so with the magi. They sense something big is going down. They interpret what they see in the night time sky as a clue that a king is to be born, and not just any king, but a king of kings. So what do they do? Do they make room in their daily planner to attend the next symposium on the mysteries of the cosmos? Do they hire a Corps of Discovery to send out on their behalf? No, they grab some camels, acquire some royal gifts and head off to investigate this mystery themselves!
That is indeed wise. And we do well to do likewise. Too often we get so caught up in the business of life that we don’t pause to investigate life’s greatest mysteries: Why am I here? Does my life serve some greater purpose? What happens when I die? Is there more to life than this?
It’s wise to explore such timeless questions. Who knows, in doing so, as it did with the magi, may lead you to a life changing discovery! If you have yet to take Alpha, or have and seek renewed connection, come join us! After all, as it has been said: Wise men – and women – still seek him!
So curious, so eager, to experience something deeper in life than what they’ve known so far, the wisdom of the magi is manifested in how far they went out of their way to connect with the Creator of the cosmos, the God who places clues before us that there's more to life than we can imagine.
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A second thing we know about them is that this discovery had a profound impact on them. Matthew reports that, “After their meeting with King Herod, the wise men went their way, and the star they had seen in the east guided them to Bethlehem... When they saw the star, they were filled with great joy, as it led them to the place where the child was.” (Matthew 2:9-10)
Such is the experience of those who realize that they're being led..., and that which they long to know and experience in the deepest part of their soul is actually true! God does exist. And more than that, we exist because He exists and we exist that we may seek him and finding him come to know that we matter not because of the things we accomplish but because He loves us so much that He sent his one and only son, that whoever should place their hope and trust in him, may live a life of significance!
Realizing that God was leading them to this discovery of a lifetime brought great joy indeed!
As the apostle Paul declared to the Greek seekers in Athens: “God's purpose is for the peoples of the nations to seek after Him and feel their way toward Him and find him – though he is not far from any one of us... For God has set a day for judging the world with justice by the man He has appointed, and He proved to everyone who this is by raising him from the dead!” (Acts 17:27,31)
The wise men did just that! They went out of their way to seek after him, and in so doing set out with one purpose in mind – to bring gifts to this new born king and to worship him. That's the third thing we know about these mysterious magi, these wise men from the east.
The magi were wise because somehow they got it! Even though they knew little to nothing of the Bible nor the prophecies about a royal birth in Bethlehem, yet they still recognized a God moment was on the horizon and they pursued it with everything they had! They came to worship him as an act of humility and to give it up for the king of kings! Worship, after all, is not about us. It's all about lending our voices and our gifts and abilities, in union with others, to glorify and magnify the Lord.
As Mary so beautifully put it: “Oh, how my soul magnifies the Lord! How my spirit rejoices in God my Savior! For the Mighty One is holy and He has done great things for me!” (Luke 1:46f)
We, too, can follow in the footsteps of the magi, those wise men from afar who let it all go - all the stress and distractions, self-indulgence and unforgiven. They came to give it up - and to gain a kingdom! They came to worship the newborn king. They did this not only in word and songs of praise, but also by offering their gifts to His service. In the original Greek this is made clear by the fact that their gift-giving and their praise is all one sentence!
“And coming into the house, they saw the child and Mary his mother, and bowing down they worshiped him, offering to him their treasures of gold, frankinsence and myrrh.” (Matthew 2:11) They gave of their selves – contributing as well as praising! Even now, there's time to do the same!
The Magi provide a glimpse into the kind of kingdom this newborn, messianic king brings. In Matthew, the first ones to worship him are not the religious insiders of the day but outsiders, foreigners, who are far off when they are first introduced, a reference that reveals something not only about where they are from geographically, but spiritually. Matthew tells their story because it gives us a glimpse into the radical nature of this kingdom at hand. In the starlit stable we find a king for those who struggle to belong, who are far off and yet are drawn to his light all the same! Thanks be to God!