January 6th, the twelfth day of Christmas, and it’s
last, is also Epiphany. For a final
moment, that links us with the old year, we gather once more around the manger.
The Wise Men were ‘Magi’, which means we actually don’t know too much about them or who they really were. Theirs’s seems to be a myth narrative all about ‘Seekers after Truth’ who were prepared to travel many miles to honour and worship a ‘King’ like embodiment of the Wisdom of the Ages and the Hope for the Future.
Going to a palace to find such a leader was perhaps understandable and fitted in with the much tried and, yet, much failed ‘paradigms’ that filled the past chapters of history.
Of course, the point of the story is that such an old way of thinking, with leadership solely defined by a sense of power and single-nation identity, is flawed and fruitless. The Wise Men talk to Herod, a puppet King, and find in him the epitome of monarchical insecurity, madly jealous of anyone who might be more popular than him.
Nevertheless, these Wise Men had become Herod’s temporary friends and confidants. They accepted his hospitality, and by involving him in their quest they had inadvertently formed a poisonous alliance with a megalomaniac.
The Wise Men were ‘Magi’, which means we actually don’t know too much about them or who they really were. Theirs’s seems to be a myth narrative all about ‘Seekers after Truth’ who were prepared to travel many miles to honour and worship a ‘King’ like embodiment of the Wisdom of the Ages and the Hope for the Future.
Going to a palace to find such a leader was perhaps understandable and fitted in with the much tried and, yet, much failed ‘paradigms’ that filled the past chapters of history.
Of course, the point of the story is that such an old way of thinking, with leadership solely defined by a sense of power and single-nation identity, is flawed and fruitless. The Wise Men talk to Herod, a puppet King, and find in him the epitome of monarchical insecurity, madly jealous of anyone who might be more popular than him.
Nevertheless, these Wise Men had become Herod’s temporary friends and confidants. They accepted his hospitality, and by involving him in their quest they had inadvertently formed a poisonous alliance with a megalomaniac.
This was a potential moment of compromise for our Wise Men,
who seemed to have taken their eyes off the star. Their challenge now was to cast off Herod’s
grasp and regain once more their independence.
They called him Herod the Fox for a reason. He wanted to ensnare the Wise Men by seemingly being in favour, if not supportive, of their mission. Asking that they call by again on their way home and tell him where they had found Jesus. It was a cunning plan!
Instead our travellers from the East find the baby, offer their gifts in worship, and return home by another route, deliberately keeping Herod in the dark and thus protecting the Infant King.
The wise Men of Epiphany meet truth, honour truth and protect truth.
There will be many calls upon us in 2020, may we, as Seekers after Truth, value and protect truth wherever we find it in this New Year.
They called him Herod the Fox for a reason. He wanted to ensnare the Wise Men by seemingly being in favour, if not supportive, of their mission. Asking that they call by again on their way home and tell him where they had found Jesus. It was a cunning plan!
Instead our travellers from the East find the baby, offer their gifts in worship, and return home by another route, deliberately keeping Herod in the dark and thus protecting the Infant King.
The wise Men of Epiphany meet truth, honour truth and protect truth.
There will be many calls upon us in 2020, may we, as Seekers after Truth, value and protect truth wherever we find it in this New Year.
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