Sermon for: January 6, 2008 [Epiphany]
[Is 60:1-6][Ps 72:1-7,10-14][Eph 3:1-12][Matt 2:1-12]
Brian McHugh, priest


Gold. Frankincense. Myrrh. These are the three gifts that the Magi brought to the young Jesus. They are believed to have been Medean priest-politicians from Parthia or Persia. Jesus was probably somewhere around one year old at the time. They stopped to ask the soon-to-be-dead King Herod, a non-Jew who had bought the office of king from the Romans, where the true “King of the Jews” might be found. I confess to an utter cynicism about anything politicians say, so it does not surprise me that Herod lies to them and uses them to try and ferret out what might be a threat to his power. And while there is no non-Scriptural corroboration, Herod’s reputation for ruthlessness might indeed have led him to the mass murder of children born in the timeframe the Magi indicate. Genocide on various levels is not a new thing. We are acutely aware in our contemporary World what horrors people in power will do to keep it.

Why does Matthew’s Gospel alone include this story, for which there is no parallel historical evidence? I side with those scholars who say that the Matthew version of the Gospel is keen to show that the birth of Jesus is not just of concern to the Jews, but for the whole World. The Magi were non-Jews, and so represent the larger World for Matthew. And St. Paul, in his words to the church in Ephesus, says that through him and through the Mystery of Christ revealed to him, “the Gentiles – more non-Jews - have become “fellow heirs, members of the same body, and sharers of the promise of Christ Jesus”.[1]

Whatever else the Magi came seeking, I deduce by the gifts they brought that they were both seeking and expecting someone unusual. They bring Gold as if to a king. They bring Frankincense as if to a great priest. They bring Myrrh, used in the embalming process of important persons. Yet they bring all these to a child born in a makeshift barn to poor Jewish peasants. Costly gifts to a man who would later be arrested and crucified after a year of two as an itinerant practically homeless preacher. A man who in no worldly sense was anything kingly, anything of importance in the religious establishment, or anything worth the costly process of embalming. What are we to make of all this?

Yes, of course – Matthew’s message of a Divine Saviour for the whole World, revealed in the child Jesus, is deeply important. That’s easy to see. In my view, there isn’t a human being who at some time in her life doesn’t sense the need for a power to get us through Life’s challenges or to confront the power of evil. St. Paul’s famous cry of “The things I don’t want to do I find myself doing; Who will save me?” rings in our ears. The Persian Magi, the bright light or star in the sky, the splendor of the gifts, even the contrast between Herod and Jesus as a leader deserving our loyalty, all help to emphasize the importance of this child.

But I believe that the Magi, appropriately known as the “Wise” Men, have an equally important message for every human person, and particularly for those of us who have answered the call to follow Jesus and proclaim His Gospel.

The story of the Incarnation of Jesus the Son of God to a human mother by the power of the divine Holy Spirit is what I call a “truth story”. In this case, a truth-story about us. It points to the truth that what makes us human is the indwelling of God. That every human being, as the second story of Creation[2] teaches us, is composed of the "dust of the earth" and of the divine breath of God. Jesus Himself made this clear when He appeared in the Upper Room to His disciples. He breathed on them and said “Receive the Holy Spirit’. In doing this, He confirmed that we are fully human only when flesh and divine spirit become one. This is why the heart of our worship is the Eucharist, where we are given spiritual food and drink, Christ’s Body and Blood, the “true Bread which came down from Heaven”, food of the spirit to give life to the body.

Gold indicates Royalty, and Royalty reflects the majesty of all of us as human being - which is why kings and queens are called “Your Majesty”. Frankincense indicates Priesthood, even diety, which Scripture tells us we all share through the High Priesthood of Christ, and priesthood points to the intimate bond between flesh and spirit, between us and our Creator. Myrrh indicates preservation at death, and preservation points to the Mystery of Resurrection, of unending life in God.

The story of the Magi is also a “truth story”, seen in Nativity scenes and the Three Kings on Epiphany. It is to remind us that humanity needs to seek and know the compassionate God at the heart of us all. To remind us that we, like the Magi, are to honour the Christ of God who dwells in every human being; to honour the majesty and the godly nature of men and women - ourselves, each other, and all we meet.

Like the over-1000 mile journey of the Magi, becoming fully human is a challenge, often fraught with various Herods. But if we accept the journey of seeking the God Who breathes Life into us and makes us human, we join Mary and the Magi in showing the World where true Life and salvation are to be found – in the God of Love who makes a home with us.


[1] Eph 3
[2] Gen 2