I realize that this is late, the epiphany was the 6th, but I was just thinking about it and thought i'd share my reflections.
First off is the plain and simple fact that even the wise men thought they would find this King of Kings with the rest of the royalty! This is the main reason that so many Jews did not believe that Christ was the Son of God and there redeemer. They hoped and prayed for someone to release them from the Romans, they wanted a conquerer. And they got one. Just not in the way they expected. Now, back to the original point: the wise men were wrong. They came to Hared and asked: “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” (Mathew 2:2). Sometime we expect Christ to come to us in this huge Broadway production manner, and I don't know about you but I can't really see God dancing around with jazz hands singing "Stayin' Alive". But that's what everyone pretty much expected but instead of jazz hands, they wanted Russell Crow's Gladiator storming into the Roman council kicking butt and taking names! The Wise Men were called Wise because they saw a sign that God gave them and they followed. This is something we all need to work on (me especially).
One part that I find really cool about the Wise Men is very simple and mind blowing. They were not Jewish, they were star gazers and astrologers which were two things that the Jews were not to fond of. Yet, they saw a sign saying that a King of Kings was being born and they knew that they were honor bound to show their allegiance. These, I believe, were the fist converts. They came and gave gifts that prophesied Christ's life in ways that only God could know. The gold to show his innate royalty, frankincense to show his divinity, and myrrh to preserve his future crucified body. This leads me to wonder, how could these three men have known so much without knowing the scripture? For when they reached Jerusalem and ask for Herod's assistance they get their answer from those who had the Word memorized.
These men who tell the Wise Men where to look for the King of Kings also fall under the wise being right and wrong. They knew where to find him and all the prophesies leading up to this knight, but completely ignored it. Some say it's because they just did not believe in what they said, but I find that hard to stomach when they've devoted their entire life to reading the scriptures and debating them. No, I think they thought that it for the Christ to as a baby was impractical to the cause they thought the Christ would come for.
These wise men traveled long and far to find their king. That is humility if i've ever seen it! They were Kings in their own right and yet here they come from God knows where to pay homage to a BABY! There is much to learn from these men. The part that I find pretty cool, they are only mentioned once and never again brought up and yet they are the foundation of converts to come. Because if they can believe that a baby they followed a star for is the Son of God, then who is to say that he is not? These men were our Seven Hawkins to our Catholic Church today: extremely smart, studying the sky, and figuring out the universe as best they can. And they bowed down to a new born babe in a stable in one of the poorest towns of Judea.
Merry Belated Christmas and I hope that God blesses you in this new year!
May you fulfill all your New Years Resolutions!
Clara
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