Jan 05 2010
The Three Wise Men
The gospel reading on the feast of the Epiphany is an unsual story because it’s only found in Matthew’s gospel; the story of the three wise men. What is fundamental about this story? What makes this story unique for the feast of the Epiphany? We all know how the story goes; three wise men from the east found a bright star and followed it to Bethlehem where they found the baby Jesus. There is something unique about the direction of the East. Here are some references to the Old Testament. “I saw the glory of the God of Israel coming from the east (Ezk 43:2); The man brought me back to the entrance of the temple, and I saw water coming out from under the threshold of the temple toward the east – for the temple faced east (Ezk 47:1); An east wind from the LORD will come, blowing in from the desert (Hosea 13:15). Have you ever wondered why would three men decide to come all the way to the foreign land of Israel? Why bother walking thousands of miles only for the sake of a star? Somewhere down the line, the story has changed from being wise men to being kings. Whatever they really were, we still pose the question, “What motivated them to travel? Was it important if they actually made the journey or was the story just a symbolisation of what Jesus represented in his later life? Will understanding this story help us in our faith journey and pay homage to Jesus the way these men worshiped the baby Jesus?