By Another Way

The second thing this passage does in Matthew is crack open the story of Israel and show how it is in fact the story of the whole world. The leaders of Israel are not the ones here who receive Jesus as king. Neither the political leaders nor the religious leaders are able to see Jesus for who he is. Rather, it is these Gentiles from the east, strangers from a foreign land who come and bear witness to this great revelation, through their journey and through their worship.

The problem and promise of Epiphany is that it is something that happened long ago in history and yet it happens still today. It is an event that occurs every time we, like the wise men, come to Jesus, fall down, and worship. This story is an invitation for us all to come and see for ourselves. Where is this man who was born King of the Jews? There are signs given to us to point us in the right direction, not enough to remove all mystery or hope, but enough for us to follow. Our fellow travelers may not be the ones we expected. They might be strangers from a foreign land, they might come across as a bit naïve, they may have come into this story by another way, but we all come in search of this King. We have seen his star rise, and we have come to worship him. When we find him at last—or rather, when he finds us—we will rejoice exceedingly with great joy.

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From a sermon on Matthew 2:1–12.