Journeys of the Heart: The Three Wise Men

I have been considering the story of the Magi from Matthew’s Gospel. It is my favorite Christmas story.

2:1Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, Wise-men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, 2:2Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we saw his star in the east, and are come to worship him. 2:3And when Herod the king heard it, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. 2:4And gathering together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ should be born. 2:5And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written through the prophet,

2:6And thou Bethlehem, land of Judah,
Art in no wise least among the princes of Judah:

For out of thee shall come forth a governor, Who shall be shepherd of my people Israel.

2:7Then Herod privily called the Wise-men, and learned of them exactly what time the star appeared. 2:8And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search out exactly concerning the young child; and when ye have found him, bring me word, that I also may come and worship him. 2:9And they, having heard the king, went their way; and lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was. 2:10And when they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. 2:11And they came into the house and saw the young child with Mary his mother; and they fell down and worshipped him; and opening their treasures they offered unto him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. 2:12And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way.

When I was a young child, my family’s nativity display was placed on a table at the bottom of the stairs of our house. Mother set up our nativity, and none of my five brothers or I were allowed to touch it, much less play with the figures. It was untouchable. And I was captivated. There was the stable that had been made of wood by my father and pine cones served as bushes. Mary was cloaked in blue, kneeling by the crib of the Infant with the bearded Joseph kneeling on the opposite side. Small white angels that were actually candles sang carols to the family as well as the cow and donkey who were there too. Sheep grazed outside in the cotton that was meant to be snow. There was no star over our stable although Mother sometimes had a bright colored Christmas light hung in the rafters over the Holy Family. The light was always yellow.

As the years went by, more figures were added to the nativity, including more shepherds, angels, and then three Wise Men. The Wise Men were made of bright colored plastic with glitter on their capes, and they were much smaller than Mary and Joseph as well as the cow and donkey.
They looked like midgets compared to the others and seemed out of place, as if they didn’t belong. Mother set them outside, away from the stable as if they were still traveling from afar. And she always placed them in a straight line.

Although the legend of the Wise Men is not specific, it seems as the story opens that they had lost sight of the star they were following and ended up going to Jerusalem - seeking information on the location of the infant who was to be a King. This information they asked of Herod, a ruler who is known in history as a treacherous, violent and petty tyrant that the world knows only too well. History says he killed his own sons in his bloodthirsty paranoia. Even Augustus quipped that it was better to be Herod’s dog than one of his children. No sons were safe in his world.

The Bible says that when King Herold heard of the Wise Men’s search, he was troubled along with the city he held sway over. He called his religious advisers to seek their input on the question of where the infant was to be born. His advisers directed the Wise Men to Bethlehem - and like many religious leaders through the centuries, they could give directions but didn’t take the journey themselves. They left it to the Wise Men and stayed in Jerusalem.

And it was logical for them to stay. Where else could they feel worthy and relevant but in the very center of political power? In Jerusalem, they could stand shoulder to shoulder with the powerful and perhaps dictate what was good for the masses. They could then claim to have impacted the lives of their flock and boast of success in their chosen profession. Jerusalem was the place to be.

Many religious leaders throughout time have seemed to choose Jerusalem over Bethlehem - as if their mission is one of ushering in the Kingdom through political power. The delusion that laws and force can usher in religious utopias and salvation has doomed thousands of human beings to death and misery. The region of the world where the Infant King was born so many years ago has been devastated by this delusion for centuries. Conflicts between Shiites and Sunnis, Christians, Jews, and Muslims have destroyed any hope of lasting peace in the birthplace of the Prince of Peace. And in other areas of the world, the message of the Infant King has faded into a self-centered, feel-good campaign of cheap grace that asks nothing of followers except to make money and share with the church. Service to others is irrelevant - only a profession to a creed that is similar to signing up for one political party over another.
This lack of message and disputes involving social mores, property, and money have driven many believers out of church doors in search of a spirituality that sparks a light within their souls. Old buildings lie empty.

But the baby adored in the stable would have no problems with property, money or social customs. He would never look to Ceasar to issue edicts to bring about His Kingdom. He would reach out to those shunned by the 1st century religious bodies and governments. He would touch the untouchables, forgive the sinful, eat with the outcast, heal the sick, and be executed on a cross between two thieves. In the end He would have a woman of the streets as His closest companion while of his chosen disciples, one would betray Him and the rest would run away. He would appear to be a total failure.

But it was perfectly logical that He was not in Jerusalem. He was never where He was expected to be. And the Wise Men were told by the religious leaders to go to Bethlehem.

Herod asked them to find the king and send word to him of their success so he could come and worship too. And they resumed their journey - apparently unaware that Herod was a wolf in sheep’s clothing. They couldn’t see the truth from the false.

Many who spend their lives in Jerusalem are blind to the true and the false even today. Our society bombards us with toxic messages that glamor and glitter, riches and wealth are the paths to happiness. The emphasis on appearance ignores the Realities of life. The toxic message that relishes the anorexic looking body over the values of honesty, compassion, selflessness, and service has resulted in a society that worships the external phenonmena of the ego over the Great Reality Who lives deep within us.

And like the Wise Men, they cannot tell the true from the false. They cannot see the danger that lurks beneath the disguise of King Herods they meet. They are asleep to the reality that no human power nor any drug can satisfy the deep ache that lies behind their hearts, that no amount of political power can erase the abyss that lies within, and that no secular power will ever fullfill their true needs, regardless of promises. But many become trapped and cannot find their way back home - their way out. And they die long before their deaths.

But the Wise Men left Jerusalem before it was too late and went on towards Bethlehem. And the star reappeared and guided them by its light. They had found again the path that leads to Life, and the scripture says they “rejoiced” with great joy.

And when the star stood over the place where the King was, they found no palace fit for a

king. They found a baby. That’s all. A baby. Although the scripture says that the baby and mother were in a “house,” I see them in the stable along with the shepherds and animals right after the birth. There the star continues to shine upon the baby and his mother who lovingly gazes upon her child. The Wise Men are there, and the oldest is brought to his knees and offers his crown to the child and mother. Behind him his two companions lean forward, perhaps in awe or confusion that they have traveled so far only to find a young mother and her baby. Do they question, “And this is the King?” In a poor stable? Who expected this would be the end of their long journey? Just a baby - the most helpless and powerless of the human family. In a stable. He is never where He is expected to be.

But the Child brought the Wise Men to their knees - just as He has brought so many others to their knees through the centuries. And like that night so long ago, it matters not whether one is a Jew or Gentile, rich or poor, from the East or West. All were and are welcome in His stable.

It is unknown whether or not the Wise Men recognized the Child. The story doesn’t tell us. But they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh - and by these gifts, they seem to have known His fate: gold fit for a King, frankincense for a priest who would minister to the throngs, and myrrh for one who would die.

And later, when warned in dream to avoid Herod, they returned home by “another way” - which is the only path to be taken when the One who makes all of life different is found in one’s life. The old ways can no longer be followed. One must find another path - “another way.” And for many, this includes giving up old ideas about God, life, and others. It means giving up the self-centeredness that rots the soul. It means finding ways to be selfgiving one day at a time. It means seeking always the Great Reality - seeking each moment the One who was born that night so long ago - in a poor stable in Bethlehem.