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We now are the magi: we worship Christ because of who he is, but also because of what he has done for us and what he continues to do in his gift-giving to us.
When we get the narrative of Epiphany in Matthew 2, the gift-giving we see here is not about giving thanks per se or even sharing the gift of the gospel with others. There's something different going on here, and it is called worship. The Magi come bearing gifts as a tangible expression of their devotion and allegiance. They bring gifts as worship.
The gold, frankincense, and myrrh were not gifts of gratitude that said, "Thank you, Jesus, for saving me." Jesus hadn't saved anyone at this point. Neither were the Magi bearing gifts of love. They had never even met Jesus. At this point, the only thing we know they've received from God is a stellar GPS that flickered in and out. Their gifts were suitable for the dignity and honor of One, who, by the bare virtue of his person and exalted title, is to be worshiped through gift-giving. Jesus is worthy of worship simply because he is Christ the Lord.
People can and do give gifts to those who need nothing, lack nothing, and have the world in their hands simply because of who they are. You've seen people run to the British Royals with flowers and gifts. How much more should we run with gifts to Jesus, the Christ of God, our Savior, who in contradistinction to the Royals, gives life, breath, and salvation? He is worthy, ever so worthy.
Jesus is worthy of worship simply because he is Christ the Lord.
The Bible's theology of gift sets the pattern for understanding the world rightly by opening and closing the narrative of the Incarnation of the Savior-King with gift-giving. First, from the Father who so loved the world that he gave the Son, then with the human response exemplified by the Magi who brought gifts in a lavish yet thoroughly appropriate worship act.
The importance of recounting and celebrating the Magi was massive for nearly 1500 years because it extolled a biblical theology of gift, so much so that one of the most impressive buildings on Earth, the Hohe Domkirche Heilige Petrus in Cologne, Germany, was built to house the remains of the Magi. As we devolve into a society of takers rather than givers, the served rather than those who serve, the biblical account (as well as significance) of Epiphany has become overshadowed by apocryphal speculations that comport with a sentimental secularisation and commercialization of Christmas. Now, all kinds of inaccuracies regarding the Magi found in Christmas crèches detract from the gospel of God's giving and our giving through worship.
What kind of inaccuracies? Here are a few. First, the Magi don't show up a few hours after the shepherds, or even a couple days or weeks. Their visit comes months, perhaps even a year or more later. This is why, on Epiphany, nativity scenes correctly remove the shepherds, and when the Magi do find the Christ child in Bethlehem, Jesus and his family are living in a house, not a stable. The stable was likely a relative's downstairs space, used for animals but reappropriated for the Holy Family out of necessity. In no time at all, St Joseph had his family in an extended family compound or single-family residence until the retreat into Egypt.
It is likely that these men were Babylonian astrologer-priests of great wealth, privilege, and standing.
Another problem is the number of Magi. Texts from the second century say there were more than three in this gift-bearing entourage. We've taken the number three simply by counting the gifts: gold, frankincense, myrrh; 1, 2, 3. They weren't kings either. The moniker Magoi, gives us the Latin Magnus ("great"), from which we get words like magnanimous, magnificent, majestic, magical. Used here, it denotes great men of learning in philosophy and astronomy, not royalty. Herodotus says that the Magi were priests of the race of Medes; so, it is likely that these men were Babylonian astrologer-priests of great wealth, privilege, and standing. Herod respects their status as foreign dignitaries and assists them. But they aren't kings. No ancient records use the term "magi" for royalty. An early commentator made that unfortunate association, and it stuck in the church's imagination. Perhaps Christians might consider setting out a gaggle of academic scientists and priestly scholars around St Joseph's bi-level Bethlehem home.
How do we know all of this Magi business isn't apocryphal? Is there any credible evidence for the historicity of the Magi story? Yes, two different accounts provide verisimilitudes to the biblical record. First, there are historiographical references. For instance, a text written between AD 175-225 called the Revelation of the Magi borrows from an even earlier narrative known as the Infancy Gospel X. Both borrow their foundation story about the Magi from Matthew chapter 2. The well-known Protoevangelium of James is also a second-century apocryphal "Infancy Gospel" that corroborates details about Joseph and Mary, the star, and the Magi. Even though these texts are subsequent to and reliant on Matthew's first-century Gospel, notwithstanding, they preserve rather than negate an important narrative from the eyewitnesses. If nothing else, they tell us that Matthew's account of the Magi was massively important and left a deep impression on the earliest Christians. So much so that this Solemnity of the Epiphany of our Lord, featuring the manifestation of God in Christ to the Gentiles (and that's what the Magi are, namely non-Jew Gentiles) dates back to the earliest liturgies of the church as part and parcel of gospel proclamation and as a celebration of even more importance than Christmas!
The second substantiation for why we can trust Matthew's account is the star itself. The leading research on the Star of Bethlehem comes from Rutgers University's Michael Molnar. In his book, The Star of Bethlehem: The Legacy of the Magi, [1] Molnar explodes all preceding methods for understanding the biblical text by not looking at them as modern-day astronomers but as first-century astrologers. Instead of looking for a celestial event around 6 BC that would have been of interest to us, he focuses instead on what would have been seen as a dramatic portent by a Middle Eastern astrologer of the time. In doing so, he uncovers a phrase that Matthew borrowed from Babylonian astronomers, saying the Magi saw the star "when it rose" (verse 2): the Greek phrase means a "heliacal rising." A "heliacal rising" occurs when a star first becomes visible above the eastern horizon just before sunrise.
Astrologically, the heliacal rising of any planet was of great significance. Molnar identifies an event that fits the bill: the heliacal rising of Jupiter and its near approach to the Moon on 17 April 6 BC with Jupiter situated in Aries, which was associated with Israel. For ancient astronomers, Aries = Israel. When something happened in Aries, you checked the papers to see what was happening in Israel. Amazingly, a heliacal rise of this conjunction accounts for why the Magi could track it from the east, but no one could see it in Jerusalem. The conjunction of Jupiter and the Moon was invisible on Earth because the Sun would've been too bright. The Babylonian Magi, however, used advanced mathematical astronomy and would have known where to look, even during the day, and when it appeared from time to time, Matthew tells us in verse 10, "They rejoiced with an exceedingly great joy!" No kidding — they had been on a blind hunt based on mathematical calculations! In ancient astrology, lunar occultations of Jupiter are always regal portents, so they knew they were looking for a King. The Moon moving in front of Jupiter while the latter is in Aries is the indicator that they are on a quest for the "new king of the Jews."
Molnar's work accounts for why the Magi stagger into the capital city of Jerusalem and have no idea where to go next. That is why verse 8 tells us that Herod, of all people, told them the prophecy from Micah 5:2 that the great ruler of Israel would come from Bethlehem in the land of Judea. They were close but not there yet. I suspect they weren't five minutes out of Herod's company and were pouring through the Hebrew Scriptures, devouring the prophecies about the promised Messiah and expecting, as their gifts evidence, to meet YHWH in human flesh.
Meeting the crown prince is one thing; meeting God in the theophany to the Gentiles is another.
This is why they likely detoured Jerusalem's high-end shops to upgrade their gifts before setting out for Bethlehem. Meeting the crown prince is one thing; meeting God in the theophany to the Gentiles is another. Their gifts were meant to display the greatness and glory of the One they were about to encounter. Put differently, they brought the right stuff to worship.
Through the prophetic word of God, through the illumination of the Holy Spirit, they encounter Emmanuel: God with us. Matthew says in verse 11 that they worshipped him; they bowed with their heads to the ground — which wasn't what you did for kings, but the posture of worship for God. Then they opened their gifts: Gold, frankincense, and myrrh. The gifts are significant. The Church Father Origin explains the meaning behind each gift:
- Gold was the element of royalty; only the king bore a scepter of gold, and vassal kings gave greater kings gold and did homage in gifts of gold. Here, they declare on behalf of the Gentile world that Jesus is King — not only of the Jews but also the Gentiles. And because he is King, they worship.
- Frankincense simply means "pure incense," or unalloyed incense. In other words, the highest and finest incense. The use of incense was reserved almost exclusively in the ancient world for ceremonial worship. It represents then - as it does now - prayers, petitions, entreaty, supplications, thanksgiving, and adoration rising to heaven before the throne of God. This gift worships the deity of Christ. Because he is God, they worship.
- Myrrh is an extraordinary perfume. It was the possession of nobility, exceedingly expensive and bespoke of Christ's humanity. Like the ointment lavished upon the feet and head of Jesus by Mary Magdalene, myrrh was used to prepare bodies for burial. Myrrh is the symbol of what it means to be human in the fallen world; it symbolizes not mortality itself but mortality being sweetened by hope, by something far more pleasant — life itself. They worship the God-Man who will be enthroned over heaven and Earth. They worship Jesus because he is the last hope of the world.
We now are the magi: we worship Christ because of who he is, but also because of what he has done for us and what he continues to do in his gift-giving to us. This is why we gather and give our voices, time, and abilities to the benefit of the Church of Christ. This is why we can give out of the abundance that we have received: we are at the same time totally out-given by Christ, who gives us the sacrifice of his body and blood so that we may have life and light and have it more abundantly.
[1] Michael R. Molnar, The Star of Bethlehem: The Legacy of the Magic (New Brunswick: Rutgers University Press, 1999).
