Magi Listen, The World is Changed.

Joseph’s ability to listen carefully to God has been important in Matthew’s nativity story¹. However, Joseph is not the only person who listens to God. Some very unexpected people also listen- the Magi.

The story of the Three Kings is a familiar one. Even if you are not particularly religious, you probably have heard about this story. As often happens with popular stories, what we think is in the story and what the actual story says may not be the same thing. For example, Matthew does not tell us how many people came to see Jesus. Nor does he tell us their names. Nor does he say they were kings. If we set aside what we “know” about this story, when we read it today, what will we find?

In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, magi from the east came to Jerusalem, asking, “Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star in the east, and have come to pay him homage.”When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him, and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it has been written by the prophet:

‘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.'”

Then Herod secretly called for the magi and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. 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.” When they had heard the king, they set out, and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen in the east, until it stopped over the place where the child was.

When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy.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. And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road. NRSVue 2:1-12

We don’t know exactly who the Magi were, or where they came from. What we can say is that they were probably astrologers and/or religious practitioners. The “East” may have been Arabia, Persia, India, Mongolia, or China. Or perhaps it was somewhere else. What we can say about the Magi is that they were not Jewish and they were not Roman. They were unexpected outsiders.

We might ask ourselves why would non Jewish, non Roman people travel to see this child? Why would they care? Travel in the ancient world was difficult and sometimes dangerous, so why travel to see someone who is not your country’s future king? Why did Matthew think this story was important to tell? What is Matthew trying to tell us about Jesus?

The Magi “observed his star”. In the ancient world many people believed stars and other celestial objects influenced human events, or foretold events. Some ancient cultures expected the birth of important people to be marked by unusual events in the sky.² It is probably more helpful to consider how the star functions in the story rather than worry about what exactly it was. We might think of this star as a heavenly messenger of some sort rather than a physical object. After all, Matthew’s nativity story is full of angels and dreams that guide people, why not a star-like guide?

We might ask ourselves why the Magi, the unexpected double outsiders, appear to be the only people who notice the star? What is Matthew telling us with this story?

The Magi followed the star to Jerusalem and then needed to ask for more information. On one hand, asking where the next king is could be quite foolhardy. On the other hand, where else would the new king be but in the capital city? So they asked around. When word got to Herod, he and “all Jerusalem” (probably meaning the religious and political elites) were frightened. A frightened king is a dangerous person. Herod tried to enlist the Magi’s help. He told them where the Messiah would be born in exchange for them locating the child for him. The star returned to lead them to Jesus. The Magi were “overwhelmed with joy”. They pay homage and give gifts. And then, “having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.”

This story in Matthew’s gospel has unexpected outsiders, possibly religious leaders, traveling a distance to worship the Messiah. The outsiders have seen the sign and correctly understood it. Indeed they have responded by traveling where the star leads. The people who we might have expected to know about the Messiah, both Jewish and Roman, haven’t noticed the sign. Remember the nativity stories act as prologues and preludes to the rest of the gospel. Matthew is suggesting to us that this Messiah is not simply the Messiah of Israel, or even the Roman Empire. This Messiah is the savior of the world. What God is doing in the incarnation is bigger than we could have imagined.

The Magi, just like Joseph were attuned to the ways God makes themselves known to us. They saw “his star”. Not “the star”, but “his star”. Somehow, in some way, the Spirit caused them to pay attention and to act. Not unlike Joseph pays attention and acts. They were warned in a dream, just like Joseph, and they acted to protect the baby Jesus, just like Joseph.

Matthew’s nativity story features Joseph and the Magi as people, unexpected, improbable people, who are listening for what God has to say to them. Joseph is just a guy in a small town who listened to the Angel in a dream ( he doesn’t even get an in person angel visit!). Because he was able to listen well, Mary and Jesus are protected and cared for. The Magi are unexpected people in the story Matthew tells. Yet they played a crucial role in keeping the Holy Family safe by not collaborating with King Herod.

Over and over again in scripture, God entrusts us humans with remarkable responsibilities. Sometimes we rise to the occasion and sometimes we don’t. It is an amazing theme we can trace throughout the Bible, God trusts us, and invites us to work with them in this world that God loves.

Matthew’s nativity story is a reminder and an encouragement for us to cultivate our ability to hear what God has to say to us. There isn’t a single way we learn to listen, but we do need to find our own ways of listening. Matthew also reminds us to not assume that we know who and how God will communicate with. God is present and active in places and in ways and with people that will surprise us. If, like Joseph and the Magi, we pay careful attention.

1. See Joseph Listens and the World is Changed ↩︎
2. Carter, Warren, Matthew and the Margins: A Sociopolitical and Religious Reading, Orbis Books: 2001, page75-76. ↩︎