Dr, Barclay with Something to Think About - WHY THE MAGI?

 

WHY THE MAGI?

If it seemed unusual that the first announcement of Christ’s birth would be by angels to a group of shepherds, does it not seem even more unusual that the message was also relayed to people who were not only far removed from Judea, but not even Jewish? The shepherds at least were Jewish, and thus probably knew to some degree the prophecies regarding the coming of the Messiah, and, of course, also they were in Judea. So, why were the Magi told?

The shepherds were people who were sorely in need of some good news. They were poor outcasts. As we saw last week, they were the lowest of society: unkempt, unwashed, uneducated, unwanted. The Magi, however, were the complete opposite compared to the keepers of sheep. They were intellectual, educated, and probably pillars of their community. They were accepted by society. In fact, they were so accepted by society that they are often referred to as kings (even though there is no evidence to support this in the Bible). But as stated earlier, they were not Jewish and they were not in Judea. 

So again, why the Magi? How did it come to be that “…wise men from the east came to Jerusalem saying, ‘For we have seen His star in the east and have come to worship Him.’” (Matthew  2:1-2) 

God apparently deemed these men* important enough to be part of that historical event. And they apparently understood how significant Christ’s birth was, electing to travel about 1000 miles from the East, only following a star. How did they know the star was for Him? And did no one else see the heavenly object? Did they know of the Jewish prophecies from the time of the Jewish captivity years previous, or was this star specifically designed for their eyes only? It would take a lot of insight or spiritual guidance to recognize what this heavenly phenomena meant and to initiate such a journey.

So again why the Magi? Why were these non-Jewish men, who resided far from Judea chosen to be a part of this event? What was their significance?

Let us recall what God said through Paul in Romans 1:16. That the “…gospel of Christ…[would be] the salvation of God for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.” In 1 John 2:2 it states that Jesus “…Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.” Is this what the non-Jewish, non-Judea residing Magi represent - the fulfilment of the promise that salvation is for everyone? Was that the true purpose of their brief** appearance in the Bible to show us that Jesus was to be the “…good tidings of great joy which will be to all people” (Luke 2:10)?

From the Jewish shepherds in Judea who were poor, unwelcome, uneducated, and despised to the wise, educated, prosperous, worldly, and respected Magi of the East, the good news went out. Those who were responsive to the message from the angels found Christ. Those who were receptive to what they had observed in the sky, accepted what they had previously been told, and risked the journey required, following that remarkable star also found Christ.

The same applies to us today. If we are willing to listen to what the Bible tells us and to see what is all around us then we, like the others, will find Jesus. We really only need to pay attention because…  

…since the creation of the world 

His invisible attributes are clearly seen, 

being understood by the things that are made, 

even His eternal power and Godhead… 

(Romans 1:20) 

The Magi understood from the star that something of a divine nature had taken place. Their belief and acceptance should give us all something to think about.

*We don’t really know how many Magi travelled to see Christ, as there is nothing in the Bible that says there where only three. The Bible only states that there were three gifts, it doesn’t say how many people.

** And their appearance was brief. After the manager story in Matthew, these particular wise men are not referred to again in the Bible. However, they have not disappeared from history. It is believed that the bones of the Magi can be found in a reliquary behind the high alter in Cologne Cathedral in Cologne Germany - a church which was in part built to house these relics.