When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, in
the days of King Herod, behold, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, 2 saying, “Where is the newborn king of the Jews?
We saw his star at its rising and have come to do him homage.” 3 When King Herod heard this, he was greatly troubled, and all Jerusalem
with him. 4 Assembling all the chief priests and the scribes
of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. 5 They said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it has been written through
the prophet: 6 ‘And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah, are by no
means least among the rulers of Judah; since from you shall come a ruler, who
is to shepherd my people Israel.’” 7 Then Herod called the magi secretly and
ascertained from them the time of the star’s appearance. 8 He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search diligently for the
child. When you have found him, bring me word, that I too may go and do him
homage.” 9 After their audience with the king they set out. And behold, the star
that they had seen at its rising preceded them, until it came and stopped over
the place where the child was. 10 They were overjoyed at seeing the star, 11 and on entering the house they saw the child
with Mary his mother. They prostrated themselves and did him homage. Then they
opened their treasures and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and
myrrh. 12 And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed
for their country by another way.
The Magi were a group
of wise men (clairvoyants, astrologers, sorcerers commonly called sages) who
interpreted dreams, astrology, magic, etc.
There was an ancient belief that the stars marked the birth of great leaders
so the rising of a new star marked a significant event. Christian tradition names the three Magi
Caspar, Melchior, and Balthazar.
Melchior from Persia brought Gold - a symbol of the kingship of Christ. Gaspar from India brought Frankincense
(incense) as a symbol of the divinity of Christ. Balthazar from Africa (probably Persia [Iran]
or Arabia) brought Myrrh [an embalming oil] as a symbol of Christ’s redemptive
suffering and death. They represented
the Gentile world and Christians believe that the OT pointed forward to them; “May
the kings of Tarshish and the islands bring tribute, the kings of Sheba and
Seba offer gifts. May all kings bow
before him, all nations serve him (Ps. 72:10-11).” The Magi’s visit came after the Purification
of Jesus which took place 40 days after Jesus’ birth (Lk. 2:22-38).
Jesus was born in the town
of Bethlehem in Judea during the reign of Herod, a cruel and vicious king who
served as a vassal of the Roman Emperor from 37 BC to 4 BC. Bethlehem was significant because it was
David’s birthplace and the site of his anointing (1 Sam. 16:1, 12-13; 17:12). It was prophesied as the place where the
Messiah would be born (Micah 5:2). Upon
learning that Magi from the East were inquiring about “the newborn king of
the Jews,” Herod sought counsel from the chief priests and scribes about
where the “King of the Jews” was to be born. Herod, concealing his true intention to harm
the child, deceitfully asked the Magi to report back to him when they found the
child so he could worship him. When the
magi found baby Jesus and his mother Mary, they bowed down and worshipped him. They showed deference to the ‘King’ and gave gifts
of gold, frankincense, and myrrh, symbolically representing Jesus' kingship,
divinity, and eventual sacrifice (Is. 60:6).
They were divinely warned in a dream to return by a different route to
their countries.
Heavenly Father, you
sent humanity’s creator to be one with his creation so that in the fullness of
time he could lead his creation to salvation.
Grant us the grace to grow spiritually during this Christmas season and
beyond. This we ask through Jesus Christ
our Lord. Amen.
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References
Chiu, José Enrique Aguilar, et al. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. Paulist Press, 2018.
Brown, Raymond Edward, et al. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Upper Saddle River, NJ, United States, Prentice Hall, 1990.
Orchard, Bernard, et al. A Catholic Commentary on Holy Scripture. Feb. 1953.
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