A Devotion
By Joe Guagliardo
Matthew 2:1-12
“The Magi visit Jesus”
January 6, 2024
Have you ever had an “Aha” moment? It’s another way of saying you had an Epiphany. Here is one of the Oxford Language Dictionaries’ definitions of Epiphany.
“A moment of sudden revelation or insight.”
We’ve all had them. Remember in the past when you were taking a test, and you were totally stumped by a question. Then suddenly, after looking at the question repeatedly, or perhaps moving on to another one, the Aha moment hits. You remembered the answer to the question.
You’re trying to fix the kitchen sink. The drain is clogged. Try as you might, you can’t figure it out. Then, all of a sudden, Bam, the answer to fixing it hits you.
It happens more often than you think. We have sudden revelations or understandings of something.
Most of you know where I’m heading with this conversation.
I’m talking about the celebration of Epiphany in the Christian church. This year, Epiphany falls on Saturday, January 6.
***************************The Point***************************
The Magi Visit the Messiah
“After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi (2:1 Traditionally wise men) from the East came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”
When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:
’But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for out of you will come a ruler
who will shepherd my people Israel?’ (2:6 Micah 5:2,4″)
Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me so that I, too, may go and worship him.”
After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then, they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense, and Myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.”
Matthew 2: 1-12
Let’s first look at the story.
Epiphany is the time of year when we remember the Magi, or Wise men who visited Jesus.
The passage above states:
“On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him.”
Even though modern-day displays show the Magi at the stable at Jesus’s birth, they actually showed up at Jesus’s home many months after he was born.
The Magi were, in a sense, wise men. They were perhaps priests, astrologers, or astronomers who traveled from the Middle East, following the star that led them to the home of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. Many experts believe they came from Babylon, which is modern-day Iraq.
As we know, the Magi/ Wisemen brought gifts. The assumption is that there were three of the Magi because of the three gifts, but we really don’t know how many people arrived from the East.
The gifts were Gold, incense, and Myrrh.
The gold suggests royalty or kingship. Somewhere along the way, the Magi had an epiphany and knew Jesus was the Son of God.
They also brought incense. Incense was used in worship in the temple. And the smoke rising from the incense symbolized God-pleasing prayers going up to heaven.
The final gift given was Myrrh.
The Myrrh symbolizes Jesus being a human and that he would someday die. Myrrh is what they call a resin and is used in perfume but also used on someone’s body after they die.
These gifts were given to Jesus and His family by people who had a “revelation.”
They knew that they were in the presence of the Son of God.
We’ve all heard and read the story of the three Wise Men. Like them, we believe that Jesus is and was the Son of God. He was sent to us to save us from ourselves.
Praise God for His love and saving Grace that, through our Faith, gives us eternal life.
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