Hi First Presbyterian Church,
It's time for our Mid-Week Meet-Up! Although we observed Epiphany during worship this past Sunday, as Pastor Erin explained, the official day of Epiphany is not until January 6th – as it is every year. Remember the song, “The Twelve Days of Christmas?” Well, that’s because there are literally 12 days of Christmas, from December 25 through January 6th. January 6th marks the end of the Christmas season and is the day when we remember the magi who visited the newborn Jesus.
I love the story of the magi, but the truth is – we don’t know a lot about who these particular magi actually were. We can only infer some details about them based on the little that is mentioned in Matthew 2:1-18. The most significant detail we’re told about them is the noun used to describe them – “magi.” The Greek word that the Gospel-writer Matthew uses is magos. You can probably see a similarity between “magi” and the word “magic.” That’s no coincidence. These “wise men” who came to visit Jesus weren’t kings (as we sometimes sing about them). They were magicians. Specifically, they were practitioners of forbidden magic. They were… sorcerers. I understand that you might be confused by my calling the magi “sorcerers,” but it’s probably true.
Did you know that the word magos is used in 3 other places in the Bible? In Daniel 2, Nebuchadnezzar employs a group of magi to use divination to interpret his mysterious dream. In the Old Testament Law, this form of divination was forbidden. In Acts 8, a man named Simon (who was a magi) offers the apostles money to teach him how to use the “magic” of the Holy Spirit. The apostle Peter rebukes him and tells him the Holy Spirit is not a source of “magic” nor is the Holy Spirit’s power something to be bought with money. In Acts 13, a man named Elymas (who was a magi) was offended by the preaching of Paul, Barnabas, and John, and he actively worked to persuade people not to believe in Jesus.
So, you can see, the overwhelming portrayal of magi in the Bible is not very positive. They were sorcerers who often opposed the work of God. Yet, it is “magi from the East” who came to worship Jesus in Matthew 2. These magi were the most unlikely characters to be looking for Jesus; and yet, in the story of Matthew 2:1-18, they seem to be the only ones who are, in fact, looking for Jesus. That’s kind of the point of the story! The magi didn’t know the Law of Moses. They may have never even heard of a Messiah. They were astrologers, and all they knew was that the stars told them to find Jesus, and so they did. The miracle of the magi is that the God of Jesus spoke to them through a pagan art of astrology… so that they could find Jesus and worship him.
I love the story of Epiphany, because it reminds us that no one is too far beyond God’s ability to reach with the good news of Jesus. If you took a moment to think about a person that you think is farthest from God than any other person you know, just remember: you never know what God may be doing in their life. This applies especially to people who you don’t personally know. If you see a person that doesn’t appear to have much of a spiritual life or a person that doesn’t seem to worship the way you do, just be careful of your next thought, because you never know what God might be doing in their life. You may be standing in front of someone on their way to find Jesus. They may be on their way to find the hope, joy, love, and peace of salvation. The last thing we should do is give them a reason to turn back. Instead, let’s stand ever-ready to help them on their way. To me, that’s the meaning of Epiphany.
Peace to you,
Pastor Aaron