Scripture Matthew 2:1-12
Now Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of King Herod; suddenly sages from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, “Where is the one born king of the Judeans? For we have seen his star at its ascent and have come to reverence him.” When King Herod heard this, he was shaken, and all Jerusalem with him; then calling together all the chief priests and religious scholars of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah would be born. They said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for it has been written by the prophet:
‘And you, Bethlehem in the land of Judah,
by no means are least among the rulers of Judah;
for from you shall come a ruler
who is to shepherd my people Israel.’”
Then Herod secretly called for the sages and learned from them the time when the star had appeared. Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go, search diligently for the child, and when you have found him bring me word so that I may go and reverence him.” When they had heard the king, they left, and there suddenly, was the star that they had seen at its ascent going before them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw that the star had stopped, they rejoiced; their joy was exuberant. On entering the house, they saw the child along with Mary, his mother; and they fell down and reverenced him. Then, opening their treasure, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.
Sermon
I had an Epiphany this morning: I realized that I never addressed the meaning of the word in this sermon, just went on and on without defining it. The dictionary gives us nine definitions, but they all boil down to some version of the first three:
1. A Christian feast celebrating the manifestation of the divine nature of Jesus to the Gentiles as represented by the Magi, traditionally observed on January 6.
2. A revelatory manifestation of a divine being.
3. A sudden insight or intuitive understanding
I had a sudden realization this morning—so, that was the third definition, and, I think the most common use of the word.
We have before us this morning a story that is at once awe-inspiring and laced with the sinister. We have the magi, noble personages from the far East—most likely Persia, what we call ‘Iran’ today. And we have a king, whose response to the presence of the magi and the news they bring is nothing short of panic. We have a natural phenomenon turned supernatural, divine, holy; and we have the most ordinary thing in the world: a child, not quite a newborn, whose family loves and protects him when the king’s true nature is revealed. Awe. Fear. And, in the end, an epiphany, leading to great hope.
Let’s start with the magi. Our translation describes them as “sages,” wise ones, but another author has called them “some combination of astrologers, philosophers, magicians, religious advisors, courtiers, intellectuals of prestige and wealth, but not kings and not three.” [1] My own theory about their being called kings is simple: They were fabulously wealthy and were probably clothed like royalty. Reading the text, we see that three gifts are offered… but that doesn’t necessarily add up to three magi. At times the church believed there were twelve, and they all had names and ages assigned to them. [2] But perhaps the most important thing about them is that they are “from away.” Far away. Depending upon which ancient route was taken, the distance from Tehran to Bethlehem is between 800 and 1000 miles, in those days, a journey of about four months.
They are called “wise,” and yet they do something we might consider naïve: They approach a king well-known for his brutality to ask about his successor, who has, apparently, only recently been born. In doing this, the magi set into motion the terrible machinery of the state with deadly consequences.
Let’s talk about the king. Having recently read a book on Herod the Great with our church book group, I learned that he was strategically gifted, and a great builder of gorgeous architecture, but his fear and paranoia almost always overwhelmed his better instincts. Herod did not hesitate to kill anyone he feared might have designs on his throne, and that included his wife’s teenaged brother, whom Herod himself had appointed high priest.
When the arrive, sharing what for them is joyous news, Herod is shaken, and all Jerusalem with him. As a puppet king of the Roman Empire, Herod was appointed by Rome and could easily be removed if he fell out of favor. Herod is shaken because of two possibilities that occur to him. Either Rome wants him out and word has gotten around to everyone except for him; or, there is an uprising among the people he rules (possibly focused on a child who has a better lineage than Herod). [3] The people are shaken because Herod’s temperament is well-known. A paranoid, angry king is an extremely dangerous king.
The magi ask directions—where can we find this king?—and Herod immediately calls his closest advisors—the chief priests he has appointed and the religious scholars who are his allies. He asks them where the Messiah is supposed to be born. (This nudges us toward the theory that Herod believes there’s an uprising against him somewhere.) Then, he returns to the magi and does two things. First, he enlists them as spies, though he does so with a lie: He asks them to come back and tell him where they found the child, so that he, too, can go and pay reverence to him. Later events reveal that this is not his plan at all. [4]
But the magi go. They search. The star leads them to the house where Jesus is staying, and they find him with his mother. They fall on their knees; they are as overwhelmed with joy as Herod is with fear and fury. These foreigners who are not Israelites somehow understand that this child will be a good king, and a king for the good, and that he will reign, not only over his own people, but as a king for the entire world. For them, the Epiphany is this: The light of Christ has dawned for foreigners, outsiders, just as brightly as it has dawned for Jesus’ own people. The love of God is cannot be hoarded by those who believe they have the inside track. The love of God is immeasurable, so there is more than enough for the entire world, the entire universe. The magi are the first to truly understand this mystery.
The magi offer Jesus gifts, and these gifts have been interpreted throughout history to mean all kinds of things. The most common interpretation is that gold, frankincense, and myrrh represent Jesus as king, priest, and a human being who can and will die. However, these gifts are more useful for this poor family than we ordinarily think. In a short time, they will be on the road, refugees to Egypt after Joseph is warned in a dream that Herod wants to kill his boy. Gold is money, period. It can take them a long way, and they have a long way to travel. Myrrh is an ointment with which bodies are anointed before burial, but it is also a soothing and healing anti-inflammatory balm. It can be used for diaper rash! Frankincense also has healing properties and can be used for joint pain. Frankincense and myrrh are used in traditional medicine for both digestive and respiratory issues. With these three gifts, the holy family have much-needed financial resources as well as medicinal compounds for their journey to a foreign land.
The magi head back to Persia, but they avoid Jerusalem on their return trip. They have had a dream that they should not return to Herod’s court, so they take a different route.
What does this story mean for us, today? The wise ones are our guides.
The magi allow themselves to be captivated by the unexpected, and to follow—a star, a dream, a hope.
They allow their joy to overflow.
They give the very best they have.
They take an unexpected path home.
All this, in the face of the deadly threat of Herod’s vanity and paranoia. Somehow, he does not affect them. In addition to the truth the star has led them to, they see the truth about Herod, as laid out by writer Meda Stamper:
…although the Herods of this world think every story is theirs, they are never the real king, and the kingdom of the One guiding the holy family and the faithful magi transcends all the kingdoms of the earth and does not follow their rules.
The Gospel will end with life. And behold, God-with-us always. [5]
Let us be like the magi. Let us allow ourselves to be captivated by God, and to follow—a star, a dream, a hope.
Let our joy overflow.
Let us give the very best we have.
And let us take God’s path—not our own—for the sweetest possible homecoming.
Thanks be to God. Amen.
[1] Meda Stamper, “Epiphany of Our Lord: Although the Herods of this world think every story is theirs, they are never the real king,” Commentary on Matthew 2:1-12, January 6, 2025, Working Preacher, https://www.workingpreacher.org/commentaries/revised-common-lectionary/epiphany-of-our-lord/commentary-on-matthew-21-12-14.
[2] Ibid.
[3] Warren Carter, “Epiphany of Our Lord: Allies, Spies, Lies, Infanticides,” Commentary on Matthew 2:1-12, January 6, 2026, https://www.workingpreacher.org/commentaries/revised-common-lectionary/epiphany-of-our-lord/commentary-on-matthew-21-12-15.
[4] Ibid.
[5] Stamper, op. cit.
Scripture Translation from “A Women’s Lectionary for the Whole Church, Year A,” by the Rev. Dr. Wilda C. Gafney.