In today’s Gospel, we hear the story of the Magi who come bearing gifts for the baby king Jesus. They are notified of His birth because a star appears in the night sky. They leave their home in the east, and follow the star to Israel where they eventually find the child with the help of King Herod. When they arrive at the place where Jesus and His family are staying, they worship Him and honor Him with gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. When it was time for them to return home, an angel warned them not to return to Herod because he wanted to harm the child. So they went home another way.
The Magi are fascinating characters who embody faith. They left their home with their treasures to seek out the newborn King of a different country just because they had spied a new star in the sky. It is no doubt that the star had the significance as a sign from God as they went with such fervor. One could think of Abraham who left his homeland in the east at God’s calling to settle in the land that Jesus was born.
Because of their faith, the Magi became some of the first heralds of the good news that the Messiah had come. The angels, the shepherds, and then the Magi told Israel that their king had been born. The Magi are given a particularly uncomfortable task of telling King Herod this good news. While Herod feigns his excitement and has other plans for the baby king, the Magi have done the will of God, sharing the gift that God had given them through their faith and star gazing. And God rewards their faith by allowing them to find Him. God uses the deception of Herod to give honor to His Son and reward the faith of the Magi.
When the Magi saw the star over the house, their faith turned to joy. The moment they had traveled for had arrived, and they were not shy about their intentions. They laid prostrate, worshiping Jesus, and they opened their treasures to Him, giving Him kingly gifts. They had sacrificed much to see the King, and their journey was rewarded by God. Because of this, the Magi transition into a newness of life. They return home by a different route, out of Herod’s way, signaling their rejection of the world and its empty promises.
So as we reflect on the gift that God has given us this Christmas season, let us remember that great faith will call us to do some difficult things. It will push us out of our comfort zone and sometimes bring us face to face with God’s enemies. But the promise of the Magi is that if we give our gifts, time, and talents to God, He rewards us with Himself, and we will never be the same.