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December 31 Lesson: The Faith of the Wise Men
Winter Quarter 2023-2024: Faith That Pleases God
Unit 1: Profiles In Faith
Sunday School Lesson for the week of December 31, 2023
By Jay Harris
Lesson Scripture: Matthew 2:1-12
Key Verse
“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.” (Matthew 2:2)
Lesson Aims
- To begin viewing the faith of the wise men through the Church’s celebration of Epiphany
- To separate what we can know about the magi from the Bible from the traditions about them
- To imagine how the magi were drawn to embark on their journey and how they proceeded
- To understand the faith-connection they were making that justified their journey
- To reflect on the turmoil Jesus’ birth created in Jerusalem and with Herod
- To ponder the meaning of the gifts they brought to Jesus
- To consider the actions of the magi in light of Isaiah 60, Psalm 72, and Ephesians 3
- To assess what we learn from the faith of the wise men and the implications for the Church
The Connection between the Story of the Magi and Epiphany
In our exploration of the Winter’s Quarter’s theme, “Faith that Pleases God,” we continue to look at various “Profiles in Faith” as we conclude Unit 1 in this study. The profile in faith that is our focus today is the faith of the wise men. The importance of the story to the Church is huge, so you could also say that we are also looking at the faith of Matthew’s Church. We will go back and forth between the faith of the magi themselves to the Church’s faith that sees in this story the fulfillment of prophecy.
Preachers who preach through the liturgical year using the Common Lectionary are led to make these connections. Every year, on January 6, the Day of Epiphany, the traditional scripture passages for the day help us make these important connections. We will use these scriptures (and others) in today’s study to help us draw out the meaning of the faith of the magi.
Does your church observe Epiphany? What do you remember from these observances?
Who Were the Magi and How Did They Enter the Story?
We can use the term “magi” and “wise men” interchangeably. “Wise men” is a good translation of what is meant by magi, but calling them “magi” helps us remember that that they were not just any random wise men. They belonged to a particular guild of wise men. This is how our scripture introduces them.
1In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, magi from the east came to Jerusalem, 2 asking, “Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star in the eastand have come to pay him homage.”
It might be helpful to separate certain traditions from what the Bible does and does not say about the wise men. We can add what biblical scholarship tells us. Tradition tells us there were three wise men, but the scripture never tells us how many wise men there were. We make assumptions based on the three kinds of gifts the wise men brought. There could have been two, four, or more.
Tradition gives the “three” wise men names, Melchior (the bearer of gold), Balthazar (the bearer of frankincense), and Gaspar (or Caspar, the bearer of myrrh). Tradition made them kings (due to a reference in Isaiah 60, which we will examine later). Tradition depicts them as kings representing three different countries (Arabia, Persia, and either India or Ethiopia). It must be said that the basis for these traditions come from churches who claimed these wise men as their patron saints for having brought the gospel to their lands.
The best scholars tells us that the magi (however many there were) were most likely from Persia and belonged to a priestly class of wise men who operated from that region. These wise men were astrologers of sorts and looked for meaning in the stars.
Just based on this introduction in Matthew’s gospel, these wise men observed a star. Perhaps it was a star or comet or two or more planets that came into alignment or angels appearing together in the sky. We do not have to know exactly what the star was, only that these foreigners saw something in the night sky that seemed to them to be very significant and made them exceedingly curious.
The position of this new and strange light led them to the Hebrew scriptures. They conducted their own research into these scriptures, which led them to the prophecies concerning the Jewish Messiah. Moreover, the strange light led them to believe that the promised Son of David, the King of the Jews, had been born.
This was not just a matter of idle curiosity for these foreigners from the East. They came to pay this newborn “king” homage. Their intuition told them that the birth of the Jewish Messiah was of interest not just to the Jews themselves, but to the whole world. “Intuition” is probably not a strong enough word. A better term for what they were experiencing was an emergent faith.
What do you make of God choosing these particular persons and using a star to get their attention? Although we can readily understand why the Jewish Messiah would be of interest to Jews, why do you think these non-Jews would be attracted to him and be drawn to offer him gifts and their reverence? What characteristics would you apply to their faith?
The Stir that Jesus’ Birth Created
Another way that tradition perhaps misleads us is in the timing of this event. In the nativity scenes that adorn our churches and homes, we place the wise men along with the shepherds at the manger where Jesus was born,
on the night he was born.
Matthew tells us, however, that the magi went to Herod inquiring about the Messiah’s birth
after Jesus was born. Perhaps the star appeared on the night Jesus was born, but Luke’s gospel makes no reference to it. At any rate, the appearance of the star both prompted their journey and guided them. The magi’s research and their journey started when Jesus was born or shortly thereafter.
For reasons that are revealed later in the story, Jesus may have been nearly two years old when the magi visited him and paid him homage. The magi came to worship not a newborn infant right after his mother had given birth, but later after some of the new had worn off. Joseph, Mary, and Jesus would have already left the shepherd’s stable and found other accommodations in Bethlehem.
The timing of the magi’s meeting with Herod also meant that something big had happened right under the nose of Herod and his advisors, and they had missed it.
3 When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him, 4 and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. 5 They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it has been written by the prophet:
6 ‘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.’”
Notice the uproar created by the news of the Messiah’s birth. This is certainly not depicted in the Nativity scenes. The birth of the Messiah happened under the radar of the political and religious establishment without its knowledge. The prophecies had been around for centuries, but the timing was always a mystery, if the prophecies were still believed at all.
When Herod inquired, the prophecies did lead them to
where the Messiah was to be born. He was to be born in Bethlehem (O little town of Bethlehem). He was not born in Jerusalem, where one might expect the Messiah to be born. Bethlehem was little, but not altogether little in importance. After all, King David had come from Bethlehem. So, why would the promised Son of David not also be born in Bethlehem?
We might wonder why Herod and the religious leaders were so quick to believe these foreigners, these outsiders. Perhaps, it was
because they were outsiders. The wise men had nothing to gain politically by spinning a tale. There was an innocence to these outsiders that made them believable. It would be just like God to share the news of the Messiah’s birth with foreigners before privileged insiders were allowed in on the secret.
This is also why Herod and all Jerusalem were not only surprised, but frightened. Think about it. Before Jesus could speak in complete sentences, foreign emissaries were being drawn to him, and a high government official and capital city were turned upside-down by the news of his birth. Herod was frightened because Herod perceived that the birth of the Messiah represented a threat to his own power, position, and privilege.
Why was
all Jerusalem frightened with him? It was because the birth of the Messiah threatened the status quo. Jerusalem was the power center. People who live in the center are usually much more invested in the status quo. They also like what has become familiar. They would rather have the familiar than change, even if there was potential for positive change.
7 Then Herod secretly called for the magi and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. 8 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.”
Although the birth of the Messiah would have been big news for God’s people, Herod did not make any public announcement about the revelations that the magi had brought. Notice that Herod “secretly called” for the magi. He wanted to keep the birth of the Messiah under wraps.
Herod also wanted to know the exact time the star had appeared. He told the magi to bring him a full report on the pretense that he, Herod, could go and pay the Messiah homage. We know from subsequent events that Herod was not being truthful. Herod intended to do harm to the Messiah, but he kept his murderous intentions from the magi.
Why do you think Jesus’ birth caused such a stir? What accounts for the vast difference between the stir that was happening in the hearts of the magi versus the stir that was happening in Jerusalem? Do you think Jesus causes a similar stir of both kinds in the hearts of people today? Do you think Jesus poses a threat to the status quo today? Could that be what is behind the resistance in people opening their heart to Jesus? How do you think that resistance is finally overcome when people give their lives to Christ?
The Magi Find the Christ Child and Present Him Gifts
We do not know how much the magi were aware of Herod’s true intentions when they left Herod, but their marching orders had never really come from Herod anyway.
9 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.
The magi had learned from the religious leaders that they needed to go to Bethlehem. So, they set out. In the end, they did not need the directions that the chief priests and scribes had given them because the star appeared ahead of them until it stopped over the house where the child was. This makes me wonder if it was angels that produced the light in the night sky. This would account for the wise men being the only ones that we know of to see the star and follow it to the place where Jesus was.
Whatever the source of the light was, God intended to draw these particular foreigners in a way that spoke to them in their unique cultural context. The magi were Gentiles, not Jews, who were tuned in to stars, so God spoke to them in a way that God would not normally choose to speak to Jews. God wanted the magi to find the Messiah and cause a connection to be made. God met these Gentiles where they were in terms of their understanding.
10 When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy.
Imagine being on the journey that these magi had been experiencing. The light also informed them when they had reached their destination. Imagine the joy that enveloped them and overwhelmed them. Their faith journey had been a journey of seeking, but when they saw that the star had stopped, their journey had become an experience of finding!
11 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…
Little did the magi know that when they gave gifts to the Christ child that they were fulfilling prophecies that were several centuries old. Little did they know that the subject of these prophecies was also much bigger than them. Their actions symbolized a movement of God far greater than just those wise men who gathered in Jesus’ house that day.
What prophecies were they fulfilling? What movement of God were they joining without really knowing the extent of what they were joining?
At the beginning of our study, we made a reference to the Church’s celebration of Epiphany. Every year, the Church looks at four scripture passages on this day. The central scripture is the story of the magi in Matthew 2 that we have been studying. The other three scriptures help us answer the questions about the prophecies the magi were fulfilling.
The Old Testament scripture is Isaiah 60:1-6. The scripture describes a day when the earth will be experiencing darkness, and the Lord will announce, “Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.” What God will be doing among his people will attract others outside the Chosen People: “Nations shall come to your light and kings to the brightness of your dawn.” Isaiah foresaw when the influence of God’s people, the light of God’s people, would reach out to surrounding Gentile nations and draw them. Isaiah saw a return to the influence that God’s people had in Solomon’s day, when representatives from other nations brought their wealth to contribute to the building of the temple. In this prophecy, it mentions that the camels bearing gifts “shall bring gold and frankincense and shall proclaim the praise of the Lord.”
The Psalm for the day of Epiphany comes from Psalm 72. This psalm is a coronation prayer that was first used for Solomon’s coronation as king. The prayer calls upon God to bestow upon Solomon all the characteristics of an ideal king: the ability to judge with righteousness, to bless his nation with abundant resources, to defend the cause of the poor and needy, to deliver the oppressed from violence and exploitation, to reign in peace, to have a long life, and to have dominion from sea to sea. The prayer also envisions kings from other nations falling down before him bestowing upon him gifts and their service. It even mentions the “gold of Sheba” being brought to him. It says, “May all nations be blessed in him.”
The Epistle for the day of Epiphany comes from Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians (3:1-12). The heart of the passage says, “In former generations this mystery was not made known to humankind, as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit: that is, the gentiles have become fellow heirs, members of the same body, and sharers in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.” (Ephesians 3:5-6)
The story of the magi definitely echoes some of the details in these prophecies. Think of the connection between light dawning in the darkness and the star that appeared to the magi and guided them. Think of the connection between the nations mentioned in the prophecies and the magi being representatives of these foreign nations. Think of the connection between the gifts mentioned in the prophecies and the gifts that the magi gave to the Christ child.
Think of the way the magi’s actions signaled a much larger movement of God in sharing the gift of salvation through the Jews, the Chosen People of God, with the wider world that included all the Gentile nations. The fact that the magi were non-Jews is why the Church makes such a huge deal about the story of the magi.
It should be remembered however that this has been God’s plan all along. Remember God’s promise to Father Abraham and Sarah in Genesis 12:1-3, where he promised to bless them and their descendants, so they in turn would be a blessing to
all the families of the earth. Their descendants, the Jews, were given the special vocation, or calling, to model faith and a relationship with God and the blessings that flow from that relationship.
It was God’s plan from the beginning to use his special relationship with the Jews to sow the seeds of faith, grow them, and spread the faith to Gentiles. Both Jews and Gentiles, however, had grown apart from God to the level that God decided to intervene. God sent his Son, born of God and born of a Jewish woman, to reach out to the world with the gift of salvation.
In what ways does the story of the wise men represent a fulfillment of God’s promise to Abraham and Sarah? In what ways does God still entrust those who have received the gift of salvation with the responsibility of sharing this gift? When we come to Christ, in what ways do we also bring our gifts and influence to God’s mission?
The Gifts the Magi Gave and their Interpretation
The story of the magi makes us wonder about the nature of the gifts they brought to the Christ child.
11b They offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
One must admit that these are not the usual gifts to bring a child who was the age of Jesus at the time. We know that at least two of the gifts were foreshadowed in the prophecies. The gift of gold is a gift that would be given to a king. The gift of frankincense was a kind of incense to be used by a priest in conducting divine worship. These two gifts were fitting gifts to offer a Messiah who was to be both priest and king in terms of the ministry that the Messiah would fulfill.
On the face of it, Jesus was a carpenter-turned-itinerant-preacher, and therefore neither a king or a priest. However, when Jesus completed his mission on earth, we understand why we consider him to be our high priest forever and the King of kings and Lord of lords. This is where the myrrh comes in. Myrrh is definitely the oddest gift to give a child. Myrrh is used in embalming. Myrrh is a gift that foreshadowed Jesus becoming our sacrifice through his death and resurrection. When Jesus gave his life on the cross, he became our king, priest, and sacrifice.
12 And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.
Thank God that he warned the wise men not to return to Herod, because we know from Matthew’s gospel that Herod had murder on his mind. After the wise men left Jesus, an angel also warned Mary and Joseph to flee from Bethlehem to Egypt. According to Matthew 2:16, “When Herod saw that he had been tricked by the magi, he was infuriated, and he sent and killed all the children in and around Bethlehem who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had learned from the magi.” Herod tried to eliminate his competition, but he did not succeed because Mary and Joseph had been warned to escape to Egypt.
The Church saw a connection between Herod’s slaughter of the innocents and Pharaoh doing the same thing centuries earlier in an attempt to control the Hebrew slave population. Just as Moses was preserved in his time through God’s intervention, so was Jesus’ life preserved by intervening in Jesus’ time. The journey of Mary, Joseph, and Jesus to Egypt and back symbolized the journey of God’s people to Egypt and back more than a thousand years earlier.
All these parallels in history were very significant to the Church because they underscored the fact that all these events that happened in the gospel story were not accidental. They were planned by God and guided by God. These events unfolded as a part of God’s grand purpose of redemption.
All this gives us pause. Jesus’ life was preserved when he was an infant, all so he could grow into adulthood and live out his ministry and then willingly give his life on the cross for our salvation.
Do you think that the magi knew the meaning of the gifts that they gave? What do you make of the parallels in salvation history between the Old Testament and the New Testament? How does the story of the magi help you appreciate the gift of Christ? What will you carry from your celebration of Christmas into the new year?
Prayer
Gracious God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, you sent your light into the world to show us the gift of your Son whom you sent into the world to save us. May the light of hope accompany us into the new year, that we may not give into despair and share your hope and your peace with those who need it, through Christ our Lord, Amen.
Dr. Jay Harris serves as the Superintendent of Clergy and District Services for the South Georgia Conference. Email him at jharris@sgaumc.com. Find his plot-driven guide to reading the Bible, the “Layered Bible Journey,” at www.layeredbiblejourney.com.
