Encounters Along the Way The Visit of the Magi Matthew 2:1-12

Mark’s gospel focusses on the words and works of Jesus and is the shortest of the gospels, a simple and straightforward account of what Jesus said and did. The narrative of Mark points us decisively to the cross and the material is presented in such a way that each occurrence in the life of Jesus seems like an experience “along the way” to the crucifixion. Over the next three months, we are going to look at the people whom Christ encounters “along the way”, digging in to see what we can learn about how to minister to those we might encounter along our way.

“After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written: “‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’”

Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”  After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.

It’s often quite easy to remove this from its context, so we need to remember that this occurrence happens within the regular rhythm of life for the infant Jesus. Following His birth in Bethlehem, Joseph and Mary found more permanent lodgings in Bethlehem, remaining there for up to two years following Christ’s birth. We all know that Christ was born in Bethlehem because of a Roman census edict, so the question becomes why did the Holy Family not simply return to Nazareth once the census was complete?

Mary’s relatives, Zechariah, Elizabeth and John were from the hill country of Judea, of which Bethlehem stood on the outskirts and knew more fully the events surrounding Christ’s conception and His divine nature. Joseph and Mary moved into a home in Bethlehem, close to the relatives who understood the “greater story of Jesus’ nature”, rather than immediately returning to Nazareth, where they would have encountered those who might have rejected them due to the questionable circumstances of Jesus’ conception. All in all, the life of the Holy Family was nearly indistinguishable from most others in the area.

Imagine what it must have been like for Mary and Joseph to have had the Magi unexpectedly show up at their front door. There was no reason for Mary and Joseph to ever expect these foreign sojourners to grace their door step. “The kings of Tarshish and of distant shores will bring tribute to him; the kings of Sheba and Seba will present him gifts.” (Psalm 72:10,11) This prophecy certainly could not have been seriously expected by Christ’s parents; the prophecy is too obscure, too vague to have led to actual expectations. We ought to recognize that the arrival of the Magi was a more or less unexpected event.

Secondly, the arrival of the Magi must have been quite unsettling for Mary and Joseph. Given the wording, it is more likely the case that when the Magi showed up, Joseph was not home. We know very little about the Magi, except that they were wealthy pagan astrologers from the east of Israel. Ancient sources speak of these men in mysterious tones, as though they possessed otherworldly knowledge and powers and in the earliest of Christian depictions, they appear as bearded men, dressed in Persian garb. How unsettling must this have been for Mary?

The visit of the Magi must have been completely overwhelming to Mary and eventually Joseph. Despite what we might have learned from our Christmas carols, we can also be fairly certain that there were more than three Magi who came to visit Jesus in Bethlehem. The Magi had come from "the east," and were probably themselves representatives of one or more great nations, traveling no doubt with a military escort and a sizable entourage of servants. The overwhelming nature of the gift of gold speaks for itself, but imagine receiving very expensive and exotic burial spices as gifts for your child.

Despite the unexpectedness and the unsettling and overwhelming nature of the visit of the Magi, Mary exhibits an openness to the whole experience that permits the Magi to leave the infant Jesus with a verifiable experience that He could look back on later in life. The Magi Effect Because Mary was open to the work of God around her, Jesus would grow up with the story of the Magi’s visit and the physical evidence of the gold, frankincense and myrrh the gifted to Him. The visit of the Magi formed a touchstone for Christ’s understanding of how God might be at work in those yet a part of Israel, flavouring His ministry and self-understanding in a very distinct way.

God has provided you with encounters in life that can produce a Magi effect; He has brought people into our lives within the normal rhythm of life, even in our most formative years, to help us understand both who we are in Christ and how we are to serve Him. God has permitted certain experiences – yes, even unexpected, unsettling and overwhelming ones – to break into the mundane pattern of life and shape you into the person He has created you to be. Two things are required for these to have lasting impact – an openness to such experiences and an awareness to them.

Today, I urge you to commit to both an openness and an awareness to such experiences, because as we each consider such things more closely, we will better understand who God is calling us to be both individually and corporately as a church. Ask yourself two questions: Who has God drawn into my life to produce a Magi effect? What experiences have I had that have resulted in a Magi effect in my life?