01/03 - Some Unexpected People Find the New Baby

Matthew 2:1-12

Jesus attracted some of the least expected people and was overlooked by people who should have paid him the most attention, a pattern that continues to this day. The Magi were among the first of the unexpected people attracted to him.

The Magi, probably by some kind of astrology used in their religion, figured out that a new king of the Jews had been born. Their knowledge about the new king was incomplete; for example, they did not know the place of his birth. Even realizing their knowledge was limited, they were willing to begin their journey to find the new king.

The journey of the Magi was long and arduous. Some guess they came from Persia, over a 1,000 miles away, or even farther east. They would have traveled many months only to spend a short time, perhaps a few hours or days, paying honor to a baby who would not even understand who they were.

Although they apparently knew little about the divine nature and historic role of the child, they decided he was worthy of their worship. They found the baby Jesus, worshiped him and offered him exquisite gifts. The Magi showed faith by acting on the little knowledge they had.

In contrast, people in Jerusalem, including the king and the religious leaders, were not aware of the birth of the special child. They knew some facts about the coming Messiah but completely missed the event. They had to learn about it from strangers who probably were closer to pagan than monotheistic believers like they were. And as far as we know, after the Magi tell them, no one in Jerusalem makes the six-mile trip to Bethlehem to see the child.

There is much we can learn about faith in Jesus from this story. Like the people of Jerusalem, we know some facts about him, but like the Magi, our knowledge is at best partial and perhaps faulty in some ways. Regardless of our knowledge, the important question is Will we just learn some facts about Jesus, like the people of Jerusalem, or will we, like the Magi, experience him? Will we travel the distance to find him, give him our greatest gifts, and worship him?

Later, in his public ministry, Jesus told parables about people making heroic efforts and spending everything to gain great treasure. Perhaps while telling these parables, he remembered Mary’s and Joseph’s accounts of the Magi who came over a great distance to find him, bringing costly gifts.