After Jesus was born in Bethlehem village, in the territory of Judah- during the reign of King Herod - a band of scholars and astrologers arrived in Jerusalem from Persia. They asked , “Where can we find and pay homage to the newborn King of the Jews? We observed a star in the eastern sky that signaled his birth. We’re on pilgrimage to worship him.” When word of their inquiry got to Herod, he was terrified - and not Herod alone, but most of Jerusalem as well. Herod lost no time. He gathered all the high priests and religious scholars in the city together and asked, “Where is the Messiah supposed to be born?” They told him, “Bethlehem, in Judah. The prophet Micah wrote it plainly:
It’s you, Bethlehem, in Judah’s land, no longer bringing up the rear.
From you will come the leader who will shepherd-rule my people, my Israel.”
Herod then arranged a secret meeting with the scholars. Pretending to be as devout as they were, he got them to tell him exactly when the birth-announcement star appeared. Then he told them the prophecy about Bethlehem, and said, “Go find this child. Leave no stone unturned. As soon as you find him, send word and I’ll join you at once in your worship.” Instructed by Herod, they set off. Then the star appeared again, the same star they had seen in the eastern skies. It led them on until it hovered over the house where the child lived. They could hardly contain themselves: They were in the right place! They had arrived at the right time! They entered the house and saw the child with Mary, his mother. Overcome, they bowed before him, then opened their luggage and presented gifts: gold, frankincense, myrrh. In a dream, they were warned not to report back to Herod. So they left the territory without being seen, and returned to their own country by another way.
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A friend of mine, Anna Murdock, is a lay minister in the United Methodist Church. Anna says “My mother and brother are enjoying searching through old church records for pieces of family history. When I walked into Mom's house this evening, she handed me a piece of paper and said, "Sit down and read this. I want to watch your face." So I did. It was a bit of history of Society Baptist Church out in the country near the town where she lives. The church was organized in 1821 and some charter members are Mom's ancestors evidently. It lists some charges made against church members ...
Failing to abide by church's established doctrine; drinking; operating a moonshine still; cursing;
un-Christian conduct; and COMMUNING WITH METHODISTS!
Rev. Jody Seymour at Davidson United Methodist Church in North Carolina, says: “People who journey without being changed are nomads. People who change without going on a journey are chameleons. People who go on a journey and are changed by the journey are pilgrims.”
January 6, today, is Epiphany. Every year, the lectionary brings us the Magi. Every year we take all the elements of three years’ worth of biblical story and scrunch it down into roughly six weeks - four of Advent, one for Christmas, and one for Epiphany. We tend to forget that this was a story played out over several years, and with many layers of meaning.
The Greek historian Herodotus cites the Magi as Medeans living in Persia, which at the time of Jesus’ birth was part of the Parthian Empire. They were scientists, priests, astrologers, and existed for around five thousand years; they were almost certainly Zoroastrians. They were not just 'wise men,' but an entire social class of priests and sages.
“They were the center of spiritual-political authority through the ages of several great empires. They interpreted dreams and were responsible for sacred rituals, including animal sacrifices. The Magi may have even been responsible for crowning any new ruler who came to power. If true, then to be crowned without the favor of the Magi would jeopardize the legitimacy of any king.
The Magi believed that the stars could be used to predict the birth of great rulers. They believed that the next great ruler was about to be born: the "king of the Jews." But even so, why visit the newborn king of a foreign nation? It is not implausible to assume that the main intention of the Magi was diplomatic in origin. If a new king had been born, it would prove useful to pay tribute to him and his family. They may have assumed that Herod, the ruler of Judea and Palestine, had produced a son, an heir to his seat of power, who would exceed his father's legacy by leaps and bounds. Rome and Parthia were the two "superpowers" of the era, and Palestine was a significant part of the political view.”
Well, what did they find in Jerusalem? Herod had syphilis, was paranoid and almost dead. There was a laundry list of people happy to take his place, and help him along to the next world if need be. He had killed his previous wife and several sons out of suspicion that they were trying to kill him. He knew the new king was not one of his offspring. So he consulted with advisors, found out about the prophecy, and determined to find this usurper to his power.
After a journey of about 1300 miles into a foreign country, the Magi found Mary, Joseph and the child who was approximately two. What went through the minds of these aristocrats as they met this peasant couple of a different race and religion? The gifts they brought imply a legitimising of the rule of this king. They were not Jewish. They were foreigners, Gentiles, considered pagan. If you look closely at your Christmas cards, you might see that tradition has one of them African, one Asian, and one Caucasian. Nowhere in the text does it say there were three - there could have been more.
Magi, rich and influential Zoroastrian priests, scholars and astrologers - made a pilgrimage to a town in a country more than a thousand miles from their home. They saw a convergence of celestial phenomena which they believed heralded the birth of a new king, perhaps even a new kind of king. They travelled an incredible distance, even by today’s reckonings, found the one they were seeking, and when they did presented incredibly expensive and significant gifts, and according to Matthew, worshipped the baby. They were not of the same faith as Jesus’ family, yet somehow what they found transcended any individual faith. Even these scholars and priests had an “Aha!” moment - in fact, a couple of them. They took a long journey to an unknown place, which in itself was full of learning; they stretched themselves in coming to find a child of Peace, yet one who was not of their faith at all; they saw through Herod’s schemes, and returned on a different road - another one they likely had not travelled before; they were changed people.
The whole Christmas story is full of “Aha!!” moments. Mary goes on a journey to visit her cousin Elizabeth, and realises that her pregnancy will change everything; Joseph, in an “Aha!” moment, goes on a journey of self-discovery, willing to fly in the face of religious tradition, and go against his own culture. Joseph and Mary set out on a journey together, as husband and wife - into unknown territory full of danger. They return to Nazareth and for a couple of years life is quiet. Then, unbeknownst to them, Herod meets some foreign priests and scholars looking for a child who they say will be King of the Jews, and he orders slaughter of all male children under two. Word of this edict filters down. Once again, Joseph has an “Aha!!” moment, takes Mary and Jesus - and they move again, this time into a foreign country - Egypt - where they live as immigrants. The Magi find them there.
Something happened to all the players in this story. All of them knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that there was no return to the same life, from the journeys they had taken. They were true pilgrims, because they were willing to set out on a long, long journey without knowing if they would even live. The Magi found what they were seeking, and left changed by their entire experience. Mary and Joseph were changed as well. They did not turn away these “pagans”, or refuse them because they were Gentiles. They welcomed the visitors and accepted the gifts.
Here, in a sense, is where Anna Murdock’s story comes in. We in the church have tended to be divided. When we look back in our history, we’ve discriminated against other branches of Christianity, and other faiths. Yet along the way we have also begun to realise we are all pilgrims, all on a journey of faith; we’ve begun to have “Aha!!!” moments of our own. Light is beginning to dawn, a little bit at a time. The whole church is on a journey into a foreign place, a place we have not existed before, where the Christian church is not the centre of faith, but part of something larger. It is unknown territory for us, and in this unknown territory we as individuals are changed.
So who are we, today? Who are the Magi today, who come seeking? Are we willing to set out on the road with them, looking for something we only think is happening? Are we true pilgrims, or nomads, or chameleons?
If we are pilgrims, then we are on this journey with all peoples of all faiths - and we owe it to those others, and to God, to have respect for the ways God is revealed in the world. Our religion should not be our God, but rather the means by which we find our God revealed in humanity. May it be so.
Sources
1. www.magijourney.com
2. http://nouspique.com/component/content/article/52/248-the-magi-today
3. Dr. Jody Seymour, Davdison United Methodist Church, North Carolina.
4. Anna Murdock, United Methodist lay leader.
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