GOSPEL READING:
Matthew 2:1-121 Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, 2 "Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we have seen his star in the East, and have come to worship him." 3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; 4 and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. 5 They told him, "In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it is written by the prophet: 6 `And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will govern my people Israel.'" 7 Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star appeared; 8 and he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, "Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him bring me word, that I too may come and worship him." 9 When they had heard the king they went their way; and lo, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came to rest over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy; 11 and going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. 12 And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way.
SCRIPTURE READING:
Isaiah 60:1-61 Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you. 2 For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the LORD will arise upon you, and his glory will be seen upon you. 3 And nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising. 4 Lift up your eyes round about, and see; they all gather together, they come to you; your sons shall come from far, and your daughters shall be carried in the arms. 5 Then you shall see and be radiant, your heart shall thrill and rejoice; because the abundance of the sea shall be turned to you, the wealth of the nations shall come to you. 6 A multitude of camels shall cover you, the young camels of Midian and Ephah; all those from Sheba shall come. They shall bring gold and frankincense, and shall proclaim the praise of the LORD.
Meditation: If Jesus truly is who he claims to be, the
eternal Son of God and Savior of the world, then why is he not
recognized by everyone who hears his word and sees his works? John
the Evangelist states that when Jesus came into the world the
world knew him not and his own people received him not (John
1:10-11). Jesus was born in obscurity. Only the lowly shepherds
recognized him at his birth. Some wise men also found their way to
Bethlehem to pay homage to the newborn King of Israel. These men
were not Israelites, but foreigners. They likely had read and
discussed the Messianic prophecies and were anxious to see when
this Messianic King would appear. God led them by means of an
extraordinary star across the desert to the little town of
Bethlehem where Jesus was born.
John Chrysostom (347-407), in his homily on this passage from
Matthew 2, explains the significance of the star of Bethlehem:
"Note how fitting was the order of events: the wise men saw the star, were received by the Jews and their king; they heard prophecy to explain what had appeared; the angel instructed them; and then they journeyed from Jerusalem to Bethlehem by the guidance of the star. From all this we learn that this 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. The star remained after bringing them to the place, in order that the child might also be seen. For there is nothing conspicuous about the place. The inn was ordinary. The mother was not celebrated or notable. The star was needed to manifest and illumine the lowly place, until they had reached their destination at the manger." [The Gospel of Matthew, Homily 7:3]
In their thirst for knowledge of God, the wise men from the East
willingly left everything, their home and country, in pursuit of
that quest. In their diligent search they were led to the source of
true knowledge - to Jesus Christ, the Light and Wisdom of God. When
they found the newborn King they humbly worshiped him and gave him
gifts fitting for a king.
The Lord of the universe who revealed the star of Bethlehem to
the Gentiles of the East so they could come and worship Jesus, the
Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6) and King of Kings (Revelations
19:16), gives each one of us the same light of revelation to
recognize and accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior. Faith is an
entirely free gift that God makes to us. It is through the help of
the Holy Spirit, who moves the heart and opens the eyes of the
mind, that we are able to understand, accept, and believe the
truth which God has revealed to us through his Son, Jesus Christ.
In faith, the human will and intellect cooperate with grace. "Believing
is an act of the intellect assenting to the divine truth by
command of the will moved by God through grace" (Thomas
Aquinas).
To know and to encounter Jesus Christ is to know God personally.
In the encounter of the wise men with Jesus we see the plan of God
to give his only Son as King and Savior, not just for the Jewish
people but for all the nations as well. The Lord Jesus came that
both Jew and Gentile might find true and lasting peace with
God. Let us pray today that Jew and Gentile alike will find
the Lord and Savior on their journey of life. Do you bring the
light of Jesus Christ to those you meet through the witness of
your life and testimony?
Lord Jesus Christ, we thank you for bringing salvation to all the nations. May the gospel of salvation be proclaimed to every nation today and to every person on the face of the earth. Help me to be a good witness of the joy of the gospel to all I meet.
Psalm 72:1-2, 7-8, 10-13
1 Give the king your justice, O God, and your righteousness to the royal son!
2 May he judge your people with righteousness, and your poor with justice!
7 In his days may righteousness flourish, and peace abound, till the moon be no more!
8 May he have dominion from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth!
10 May the kings of Tarshish and of the isles render him tribute, may the kings of Sheba and Seba bring gifts!
11 May all kings fall down before him, all nations serve him!
12 For he delivers the needy when he calls, the poor and him who has no helper.
13 He has pity on the weak and the needy, and saves the lives of the needy.
Daily Quote from the Early Church Fathers: The glory of Christ's divinity is revealed, by Chromatius (died 406 AD)
"Let us now observe how glorious was the dignity that attended
the King after his birth, after the magi in their journey remained
obedient to the star. For immediately the magi fell to their knees
and adored the one born as Lord. There in his very cradle they
venerated him with offerings of gifts, though Jesus was merely a
whimpering infant. They perceived one thing with the eyes of their
bodies but another with the eyes of the mind. The lowliness of the
body he assumed was discerned, but the glory of his divinity is
now made manifest. A boy he is, but it is God who is adored. How
inexpressible is the mystery of his divine honor! The invisible
and eternal nature did not hesitate to take on the weaknesses of
the flesh on our behalf. The Son of God, who is God of the
universe, is born a human being in the flesh. He permits himself
to be placed in a manger, and the heavens are within the manger.
He is kept in a cradle, a cradle that the world cannot hold. He is
heard in the voice of a crying infant. This is the same one for
whose voice the whole world would tremble in the hour of his
passion. Thus he is the One, the God of glory and the Lord of
majesty, whom as a tiny infant the magi recognize. It is he who
while a child was truly God and King eternal. To him Isaiah
pointed, saying, 'For a boy has been born to you; a son has been
given to you, a son whose empire has been forged on his shoulders
(Isaiah 9:6).'" (excerpt from TRACTATE ON MATTHEW
5:1)
[Note: Chromatius was an early Christian scholar and
bishop of Aquileia, Italy. He was a close friend of John
Chrysostom and Jerome. He died in 406 AD. Jerome described him as
a "most learned and most holy man."]
