Fearsome News – Matthew 2:1-12

A text – Matthew 2:1-12

2 In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, magifrom the east came to Jerusalem, ² asking, “Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star in the eastand have come to pay him homage.” ³ When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him, ⁴ and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiahwas to be born. ⁵ They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it has been written by the prophet: ⁶ ‘And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah, for from you shall come a ruler who is to shepherdmy people Israel.’”

⁷ Then Herod secretly called for the magiand learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. ⁸ Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage.” ⁹ When they had heard the king, they set out, and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen in the east, until it stopped over the place where the child was. ¹⁰ When they saw that the star had stopped,^[ they were overwhelmed with joy. ¹¹ On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. ¹² And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another way.

A reflection:

We know from Luke’s gospel that the first Christmas greetings flowed between angels and shepherds near Bethlehem – the angel, dazzling white and starkly astonishing to people living rough out with flocks in fields, announced the birth of God’s Son on earth. The news and the angel himself were so terrifying that the first words of the message were “Fear not!” As in, “I know I have knocked the breath right out of you, but listen – this is good news that I want you to share with as many people as you can!”

Then very early in Matthew’s gospel, the magi or wise men or astronomers (or, less likely, kings) came riding into Jerusalem from eastern empires, causing panic among the governing elite. These strangers tell King Herod (who ruled as a non-Hebrew person, by force, for Rome) they are looking for a child-King whose birth was signaled in their countries by a star, which had drawn them there in a journey of perhaps many months. Maybe they should have taken a page from the angel announcer and started by saying “Fear not!” because Herod and all the people were frightened, not by a radiant angel but by the news that these foreigners had come to worship a new young king. I imagine the magi regretted making this stop to ask for directions, even though it was the appropriate thing to do. When they saw Herod’s frightened reaction, they must have known no good could come of this conversation, no matter how deviously and obsequiously Herod behaved toward them.

The magi themselves were overwhelmed with joy to reach the Christ Child, and their gifts and their adoration were offered with both glee and reverence. Then God came to them in a dream and told them not to return to Herod. This warning confirmed what they had probably already guessed, so they were glad to find another safer route homeward.  

News of Jesus’s birth frightened people, for different reasons. The poor and marginalized shepherds were frightened for a moment by the angels, and then became the first apostles, telling everyone they met about what they had seen. The rich and powerful Herod and his court were frightened deeply and for a long time, and they responded with murder and mayhem. When God and humans meet, the power is explosive. As much as we love a gentle Christmas story, the coming of Jesus was not that. God had come in person into the world God had created. Something big was happening.

A prayer:

Lord God, Thank you for loving us. Thank you for coming yourself to live on the earth as we do. Help us not to dismiss your act of love to understand and abide with us. It was and is so big. Amen.