Today’s scripture: Matthew 2:1-12 (NRSV) (The Message) (KJV) What might God be saying to me?
My thoughts (Tyler Connoley):
Who Invited Them?
When I was a kid, my parents wouldn’t let me watch the television show Bewitched. The reason was simple: The Bible speaks against witchcraft and sorcery, and my parents didn’t want me thinking such things were okay. (I have friends whose children can’t read or watch Harry Potter stories for the same reason.) In college, when people would ask me what my sign was, I would honestly tell them, “I don’t know.” Astrology is also forbidden in the Bible, and so I didn’t want to know what sign the Zodiac gave me.
So, imagine my surprise when I learned that the “wise men” who celebrated Jesus’ birth were actually astrologers and sorcerers. The Gospel of Matthew tells us that “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 at its rising, and have come to pay him homage.'”
Magi is plural for magus, which is the Greek word from which we get magician. But these weren’t illusionists like Penn and Teller, they were sorcerers — exactly the kind of people who were forbidden in Deuteronomy 18:10, and were supposed to be killed according to Exodus 22:18. They also apparently studied astrology, and had seen a star foretelling the birth of a great king in Israel. (Astrology is also forbidden in Deuteronomy.)
It’s hard for most of us in the twenty-first century to understand how shocking the story of the magi would have been for the Jews who read Matthew’s Gospel. The fact that these men were integral to his story would have been appalling for anyone who took the Law of God seriously. And that’s exactly the way God wanted it.
The magi remind us of the fact that Christ came for all people — even the reprehensible. They also remind us that when we come to Christ’s birthday party, anyone might show up, and everyone is welcome.
Thought for the day: If you come to Jesus’ party, expect to rub elbows with unexpected guests. Where Jesus is, all are welcome.
We encourage you to include a time of prayer with this reading. If you need a place to get started, consider the guidelines on the How to Pray page.