So You’re a Priest: The Magic of Christmas

The 4th Sunday of Advent!

The Advent reading for this Sunday was Matthew 2:1-12.

Probably no part of the nativity story in Christian folklore has more inaccuracies associated with it than the story of the visit by the Magi. Consider:

their number: Tradition holds that there were three magi. However, Matthew does not record the number of visitors, only the number of gifts.

their names: Although the Eastern church has a variety of names for the magi, in the West since the 8th Century the names given to the visitors are generally Caspar, Melchior, and Balthasar. The Bible does not record their names.

their profession: Tradition holds that the visitors were kings, or wise men. The term magi (plural for mage) used to refer to them comes straight from the Greek text. Technically, a mage was a Zoroastrian priest; as part of their religion, these priests were also astrologers. As the term made its way west, it came to be used for other dabblers in the occult, e.g. Simon Magus (Acts 8:9-13) and Elymas the Sorcerer (Acts 13:6-11). Mage comes into modern English as the word magic.

their homeland: Traditions vary as to the origin of the magi, from Greece, to Egypt, to Persia, and even China. The Bible simply says, "from the east." (However, if we assume that the magi was, in fact, Zoroastrian priests, since Zoroastrianism was centered in Persia in the east, that makes for a pretty credible case.)

their date: Traditional cards and nativity scenes have the magi visiting the infant Christ in the manger; however, Matthew 2:7 records that Herod quizzed the magi about the date in the past when the nativity star had appeared and later Herod gives his soldiers orders to kill all of the boys in Bethlehem under the age of two (Matthew 2:16). Therefore, the implication is that the magi may have arrived somewhat after the birth of Jesus.

So, what do you do after you have worshipped at the feet of Jesus?

2 Corinthians 5:16-21

Commentary

v16 regard from a worldly point of view. Literally, "understand according to the sinful nature." This is the mindset that looks at a saint or a sinner and only sees a way to make a buck, or an impediment to one’s way of life, or a bug to be squashed. This is the mindset of the Sanhedrin as it contemplates Jesus. This is the mindset of the gays right now as they protest Obama’s selection of Rick Warren to give the inaugural prayer. This is the mindset of American evangelicals who try to make the country a theocracy.

v17 new creation. "New" in this passage refers to something with a new, unused, or heretofore unknown quality. Thus, if anyone is in Christ, the tenor of their life is supposed to be fundamentally changed—not a little better, not a little nicer, but of a different quality. Isn’t this where we struggle? We want our old life, plus the bonus of Christ, but Christ says everything must change!

v18-19 ministry of reconciliation. By now, we should be picking up on the world "ministry", suspecting that it is the word diakonia (from which we get the word deacon) meaning humble service. Our suspicions are correct. "Reconciliation" refers to friendly relationship with God (and only to a lesser extent to relationships between people). Therefore, our humble service is to bring others into this friendly relationship.

v20 Christ’s ambassadors. One might object, saying "I cannot force anyone to change!" That is not the role of an ambassador. An ambassador is supposed to represent, to speak for, another. When Zalmay Khalilzad, current US Ambassador to the UN speaks at the UN, he does not speak for himself, but rather for the US president, George W. Bush. Khalilzad cannot force the UN to change; however, speaking with him is supposed to be as good as speaking with the president himself. Can we say that as Christians? Is speaking with us as good as speaking with Jesus? According to Paul, it’s supposed to be!

Application

The magic of Christmas is that the magi are utterly changed. It’s no illusion, no sleight of hand; they are a new creation.

Matthew 2:12 says, "Having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route." Ancient theologian Gregory the Great preached a famous sermon on this text, saying, "Having come to know Jesus, we are forbidden to return by the way we came." We are a new creation. The quality and direction of our lives cannot be what they were. If there is no change of quality, no change of direction, maybe there was no real change at all.

Tradition holds that the magi were baptized by the apostle Thomas on his way to India. One must imagine the magi, back from Bethlehem utterly changed. Their priestly profession had changed; they were now priests for the infant God that they had seen, but could not possibly fully comprehend. Their fascination with astrology had changed; why seek signs from God in the heavens when you have seen God in the flesh? Their orientation was turned upside-down; instead of the emphasis on moral duty and human responsibility inherent in Zoroastrianism, now their sole duty was to live as heralds, as ambassadors of the Coming King. If they were, indeed, baptized by Thomas, they lived for perhaps 40 years between the promise beheld in the visit to the Child and the fulfillment of the full gospel and sacrament of Christ delivered by Thomas. Forty years is a long time to wait, but sometimes that is what God calls us to.

Points to Ponder

Are you a new creation? Where is the quality of your life different for having Christ in you? Can anyone notice the diffference?

If we are Christians, were are called to be Christ’s ambassadors. Is speaking with us as good as speaking with Jesus?