“Where is the child who has been born king of
the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him
homage.” Mt 2:2
Isn’t it interesting that on this feast of the
Nativity, Matthew’s chief focus is on the Magi, wise men from the east, and not
primarily on the birth of Jesus itself? While Matthew obviously appreciates his
birth, he’s almost matter of fact about it, offering no details. Recall how today’s
gospel starts “After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea...” instead,
he chooses to dwell on the effect this birth has both on the Gentile world as
well as on Herod and the whole of Jerusalem.
In
this, Matthew doesn’t seem to be afraid of using symbols, particularly the star
that leads the wise men on their long journey. This is no ordinary star, as
Chrysostom observes, but a miraculous one, confirming their path as if it were
an inner compass needle. And then there’s the wise men. They themselves
symbolize the entire gentile world, who in this child will find the fulfillment
of their hopes. In the Book of Numbers, Balaam offered the prophecy: “I see
him, but not now, I behold him, but not near. A star will come out of Jacob; a
scepter will rise out of Israel.” The star that the wise men followed was
leading them to what their hearts longed for. They followed the light they had,
but it only took them so far. Because they didn’t have the full revelation of
the scriptures, they needed to inquire in Jerusalem where the infant king of
the Jews was born. The irony is that while the Jewish leaders – Herod, the
chief priests and the scribes had the scriptures, they were unable to see the
star. Think of that: they knew the Messiah was to be born in Bethlehem, but
they were unable to see the star because they saw the Messiah as a threat to
their power, a foreshadowing of the resistance Jesus would meet in his public
ministry. So the star wouldn’t shine for them. One could say, metaphorically, it
left them to rot in Jerusalem looking at themselves.
With the wise men it was different. On learning
of that the Messiah-king was to be born in Bethlehem, they continued their
journey, and the star immediately reappeared, filling them with joy and guiding
them exactly to the place where the child was to be found. And here we see the
real point of the story: upon seeing the child with Mary his mother, they knelt
down and did him homage. The Greek word proskyneō that is used here is
significant. In scripture it is used exclusively in reference to an object that
is divine. Thus, in this context the proskynesis of the wise men
reflects actually prostrating at the feet of a king, albeit an infant nursing
at his mother’s breast. Their physical gesture reveals their need to give
themselves utterly and completely to the one before them who is worthy of
worship, that is to say to Christ. They do this before they ever offer him
their gifts.
Which leaves us with a question: what would be
the gift we offer Christ this particular day? It seems to me the real gift, the
only gift that Christ is really interested in is the proskynesis, the
prostration from the heart that signals our self-offering to him. For that is
what puts us in authentic continuity with all that the wise men symbolize: the
willingness to journey to the one true king who seeks to gather all into his
kingdom. The good news is that we don’t have to wait for a yearly celebration
to do this. We can reaffirm it every day.
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