Today’s Scripture
Reading (December 19, 2017): James 3
The story of the Magi at
that first Christmas continues to intrigue me. I know, strictly speaking, the Magi never made it to the manger, so they are not part of what should be our
traditional manger scene. But we keep on sneaking both them and their gifts
into our Christmas celebration. Maybe the inclusion of these gift-giving strangers just makes us feel a little better about our
consumerism that is on display for all to see at this time of year. So the
three Magi (or Kings or Wisemen) keep sneaking into our celebration.
It is incredibly likely that the Magi were
Zoroastrian priests. They believed in one God, named Ahura Mazda (Wise Lord),
and were well-known for teasing messages out of the stars. This is where the Christmas Star enters the
story. While our Christmas carols seem to have everyone and their pet donkey (“The
Star” is in theatres now – someone can send me my check for the advertising)
following the Star to Bethlehem, this is highly unlikely. It is improbable that
the Christmas Star was anything like we imagine it to be. It was a new star
whose story needed to be teased out of it
by expert astrologers. The problem is
that “astrology” is frowned on by the teachings of the Bible. As we read the story of the Magi, these Zoroastrian
priests seem to do everything wrong – they practice astrology, worship a god
who is not the Yahweh of Israel, and have no idea what is in the sacred
writings. And yet, they find their way to Bethlehem and bring honor to the
child who was born the King of the Jews.
Contrast these
Zoroastrian practitioners with Herod. On the surface, Herod does everything
right. He calls the priests of Judaism and, at the very least, has them search
the sacred Scriptures for the place where the Messiah would be born. He doesn’t
seem to give a second thought to the Christmas Star, maybe because he knew that
astrology was forbidden. And yet, even though Herod followed the right
procedures, his motivation was dominated by
envy and selfish ambition; and he intends
to kill this baby who is born “King of the Jews.”
Properly understood, the
story of the Magi continues to be a cautionary tale for us. Too often, we more
resemble Herod than we do the Magi. And that can be good. Unless, like Herod,
our envy, and selfish ambition get in the
way. It is the heart of James message. Intentions count. They also have the
potential to twist what we do, making even the best practices lead to evil of every kind. The intentions of the Magi redeemed their practices, even though those practices could have been considered evil, or at the very least outside of the godly standard. Herod did
everything right, and yet his intentions turned what was godly into evil
practices of every kind. Envy and selfish ambition will always have that
effect. And that we need to understand, especially in a time of year that is often marked by giving and charity.
Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: James 4 & 5
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