Matthew 2:1-12 on the Wise Men
That It May Be fulfilled: a Serial Study of the Gospel of Matthew
Every Christmas season, we view the “three kings” in crèches and pageants visiting the Christ child, kneeling down, and presenting their offerings of homage to the “newborn King.” That scene is so familiar that we take it for granted. Yet Matthew’s narrative brims over with surprises that prompt us to reflect on it more deeply.
For instance, Matthew does not report the arduous trip to Bethlehem or the desperate search for lodging for the Virgin soon to deliver. There is no mention of a cave of Jesus’ humble birth, no manger, or swaddling clothes. If we just had the report of Luke, we would not know of angels announcing the birth to crude shepherds and filling the sky with soaring anthems of praise.
Matthew 2:2 Foreign Visitors
As soon as Matthew relates that Mary gave birth to her firstborn son, naming Him “Jesus,” Matthew reports that foreigners appear in Jerusalem asking where the “King of the Jews” is born. Note that these sages are aliens. They are Gentiles from a foreign land and practitioners of a pagan religion. For centuries, the descendants of Abraham and David had longed for the fulfillment of the promise of a new King, a descendent of David who would come to deliver them from the oppression of their enemies. Yet when this Messiah came, not only Herod “but all Jerusalem with him was troubled” (OSB Matthew 2:3).
Matthew 2:2 The Troubling of Herod and Jerusalem
St. John Chrysostom asks, “Why was Jerusalem troubled?”’ Chrysostom laments that the prophets had foretold that God would send a Savior from above. Now, there was a sign from heaven that He had come. Gregory the Great says that Herod “wanted to prevent his earthy kingdom from being endangered” (40 Gospel Harmonies 10.2.)[1] But St. John Chrysostom says that “Jerusalem remained troubled by the same idolatrous affections that had previously caused them to turn from God “ They were anxious at the very time God was imparting on them His greatest benefits (Chrysostom. Gospel of Matthew. Homily 6.4):
Matthew 4:6 The Scholars
Matthew The Sanhedrin, the assembly of Jewish scholars, suppose that the Wise Men were referring to a sign of the birth of the Promised Savior. By consulting the scriptures, they knew where to look for Him. We might think they would have been eager to investigate this possible fulfillment of scripture. Yet they merely passed the information along to the king.
Matthew 2:10-11: The Wonder of the Star
Note that a star and not an angel went guided and went before the Magi. Gregory the Great suggests that the star was an appropriate sign for foreigners who would not have comprehended the appearance of an angel (Gregory the Great. 40 Gospel Homilies. 10.1)[2] But what was that star? Contemporary astronomers have tried to identify a unique comet, supernova, or conjunction of stars that appeared around the time of Christ’s birth. Yet consider the distinctive features of the star: it shone brightly in broad daylight. It first appeared in the East, but it moved like a beacon, showing the way the Wise Men should follow. Yet it hid itself when the sages were in Herod’s domain. Then it reappeared and hovered over the place where the Christ child was. Accordingly, Chrysostom says that it was “not an ordinary star, for no other star has this capacity to guide, not merely to move but to beckon, to ‘go before them,’ drawing and guiding them along their way” (Chrysostom/The Gospel of Matthew. 7.3). [3]
Matthew 2:7-8: King Herod’s Treachery
Finally, there is King Herod. The only place where the star did not shine was in the palace of King Herod because it was the domain of darkness and deceit. Lies are meant to hide the truth through falsehoods. Thus, Herod cloaked his treacherous malice with sincere devotion. He sent the unsuspecting Wise Men on an errand of wickedness. So those who are not watchful are recruited for the designs of evil.
For Reflection
How should we understand such a story when there is so much that is not said or explained? The star was no ordinary phenomenon, and we cannot read this narrative with an ordinary mind. We already find two domains in the opening chapters of the ‘gospel. There are two kings, two Kingdoms, two ways of living, and two ways of being. We cannot judge the latter, the Kingdom of the Son of God and Son of David, by the other. In the story of the Wise Men, Matthew introduces his readers to a new mindset, a perspective open to the revelation of the mystery of the work of God, and a viewpoint that longs for the Newborn King to establish His reign of goodness, love, and peace. Matthew presents the Lord Jesus, the Incarnate Son of God, to lead us in the way of His Kingdom. The Gospel writer requires only one thing of us: a heart that is willing to follow the Son of David and to learn His teachings.
Works Cited
Simonetti, Manlo , and Thomas C. Oden. Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture: Matthew 1-13. Kindle ed. Intervarsity Press, Academic, 2014.
Endnotes
[1] Manlo Simonetti and Thomas C. Oden, Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture: Matthew 1-13, Kindle ed., 1A (Intervarsity Press, Academic, 2014), PL76 1111; CS 125.56 p. 12.
[2] Simonetti and Oden, Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture: Matthew 1-13, 22.
[3] Simonetti and Oden, Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture: Matthew 1-13, NPNF 1 10:46 p. 92.