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Matthew 2:1-15
Our scripture passage for today begins with Matthew 2, verse 1.
In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, “Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, 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 wise men 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 at its rising, 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.
This is as far as the lectionary tells us to read today, but I’m going to read just a couple more verses. As one scholar I read this week pointed out, “If you stop with the usual text, you have a royal Messiah, ready to ascend to his throne. The universe has revealed him, and all is in harmony. Matthew is telling a more complicated story.”[1]
Verses 13 – 15 says:
Now after they had left, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Get up, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.” Then Joseph got up, took the child and his mother by night, and went to Egypt, and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet, “Out of Egypt I have called my son.”
The story gets even more difficult after this, but this is plenty for today. The story gives us more than enough to unpack. So let’s start with these magi. The NRSV translation calls them wise men, but most translations use “magi.” Of course, the experts disagree on exactly who and what that means. Many scholars say they were philosophers and astronomers, since they studied the stars. But I read a new perspective this week, at least new to me. Magi is the plural form of the Greek word magoi, which, according to some, actually meant Zoroastrian priests.
“They were neither kings nor wise men. Maybe they earned the title wise men because of their skills in interpreting dreams and understanding astrology. They were well known for telling fortunes and preparing daily horoscopes. They were scholars of their day and enjoyed access to the Persian emperor….
The primary prophet for Zoroastrianism is Zoroaster. Zoroastrians believe that he was miraculously conceived in the womb of a 15-year-old Persian virgin. Like Jesus, Zoroaster started his ministry at age of 30 after he defeated all Satan’s temptations. He predicts that ‘other virgins would conceive additional divinely appointed prophets as history unfolded.’ Zoroastrian priests believe that they could foretell these miraculous births by reading the stars. Like the Jews, Zoroastrian priests were anticipating the birth of the true Savior….Matthew presents Jesus as the expected King of the Jews and the Gentiles. It was important for Matthew to show that the Magi went to Bethlehem not Rome to look for the King of the Jews, the Messiah. Matthew’s audience understood the Persians to be a long-standing religious and political ally against Rome.”[2]
If only they were still allies—because Matthew’s audience was Jewish. They were the people of Israel. And these Persians, who were their ally, were from the land now called Iran.
Just one word, and suddenly there’s even more to unpack, isn’t there? And suddenly my desire to avoid politics just got tougher. Of course, it was always there. The political was always part of the story.
A few weeks ago a Facebook friend encouraged everyone not to post anything political during the Christmas season. I almost laughed and wanted to ask her if she’d read the Christmas story, because it’s political from beginning to end. (I just try not to ruin the Christmas Eve service by talking about it!) But think back to the angel’s pronouncement to Mary:
“You will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”
Kings and kingdoms and divine proclamations of royalty. Politics.
When Mary visits her cousin Elizabeth, she proclaims:
“God has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.
God has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly;
God has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty.”
It’s hard to get more political than God removing the powerful from their thrones. Now we have foreigners asking who is the king, we have a paranoid and murderous ruler, the holy family driven from their homeland by violence, seeking asylum in a foreign land. There’s no way that isn’t political.
The last few days have been scary, for us and our allies. I am talking, of course, about the news we received on Thursday evening, that the president had ordered the killing of the top general in Iran. Some experts argue that we are safer with this man gone from the world, while other experts warn that he is even more powerful as a martyr. Some experts say the preemptive strike was warranted, while others predict many more lives will be lost because of this act. It is hard to know what or whom to believe. I am not smart enough or wise enough to know the impact this will have on our safety, or on the safety of our allies in the region.
But I do know this: Jesus was born into a brutal, violent world, and it did not change merely because of his presence in it. His family still had to flee a murderous ruler. King Herod still sought to destroy him, and, if we are to believe the verses that follow, destroyed other innocents in his quest. Jesus was born into a violent world, and his birth did not change that. His life did not change that, as his brutal, violent death demonstrates. So what does that mean for us?
Christ’s work isn’t done. God’s work isn’t done. And that means it’s up to us. It is up to us to work for peace. It is up to us to be a voice for change. It is up to us to find, as the magi did, another way. Another way rather than war. Another way rather than bloodshed. Another way for peace on earth to come at last.
On Friday the United Church of Christ national officers sent out this statement:
“Having celebrated Christmas and the birth of Jesus, now preparing for the season of Epiphany, we call upon the congregations, the members and the clergy of the United Church of Christ to join together in a time of prayer and fasting for peace throughout the world. Threats to that peace are numerous and can be felt in all corners of the globe. Today especially we are mindful of the global unrest ensuing given the latest actions of the United States and Iran. Both governments have taken steps that the other could determine to be an act of war – a war this world does not want, does not need and will not win. It is a war that many fear, once started, could trigger disasters felt in every part of the world. We are calling on all affiliated with the United Church of Christ to use this prayer either in worship or in their personal prayer life during the season of Epiphany as a means of advocating for peace in these days. We also invite all who are willing and able to commit to a day of fasting for peace–a personal commitment of spiritual practice and discipline centering on the mindfulness that makes for peace between peoples and nations. Please also feel free to contact your elected representatives and let them know that you are participating in a time of prayer and fasting for peace and would encourage them to use the power of their office to do what they can to avoid any further escalation which could lead to war.”
The prayer that we are encouraged to use is very familiar to me. In fact, I sent it out to our care group leaders on Thursday, to be used in our care group meetings this month. I sent it out hours before we learned of the drone strike, and a day before the UCC officers encouraged us to read it. It is a poem/prayer by theologian and civil rights leader Howard Thurman called “When the song of the angels is stilled.”
When the song of the angels is stilled,
When the star in the sky is gone,
When the kings and the princes are home,
When the shepherds are back with their flocks,
The work of Christmas begins:
To find the lost,
To heal the broken,
To feed the hungry,
To release the prisoner,
To rebuild the nations,
To bring peace among people,
To make music in the heart.
May this be our prayer, today and every day.
[1] Swanson, Richard W. A Provocation: The Epiphany of the Lord: January 6, 2019. www.provokingthegospel.com.
[2] http://www.workingpreacher.org/preaching.aspx?commentary_id=3931