Here in the season of Advent, I want to look a little more closely at the familiar stories of Jesus’ birth in the gospel of Matthew to help us see some of the things we may otherwise miss in this story that is so familiar to us.

In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, magi from the east came to Jerusalem, asking, “Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star in the east and have come to pay him homage.” (Matthew 2:1-2)

              Did you ever wonder why Herod, the chief priests and scribes of the people didn’t notice the star? It seems obvious to the magi, those visitors from the east. They noticed it “at its rising,” (in some translations of v.2) and followed it all the way to Bethlehem. Yet, Herod, who fancied himself the king of the Jews, along with the chief priests and scribes all missed it. They had to consult the holy books to find where the Messiah was to be born and then rely on these outsiders to guide them to the place.

              As someone who is not very observant, I can relate to missing something so obvious, but I don’t think that’s what is going on here. I think Matthew is trying to tell us something.

              First, perhaps we all need to be a little more attentive to God’s work in our midst. Herod and the religious leaders were so caught up in the world as they saw it, especially their own worldly power, they missed this sign that was obvious to the magi. Can we get past the distractions of Christmas to see the wonderful thing that God is doing among us?

              Second, take note how the ones who did see the star are, “magi from the east.” These visitors were most likely Zoroastrian astrologers from Persia, or modern-day Iran. These outsiders were the first, according to Matthew, to see that God was doing something new, something big, not unlike the shepherds in the gospel of Luke. For Matthew, God’s outreach in Jesus includes outsiders, strangers, foreigners. It includes everyone. This gospel which begins with visitors from the east ends with Jesus commissioning his disciples to “go and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:16-20). The kingdom of God is for all!

              Once they found the child in Bethlehem, these visitors from afar paid homage to the baby Jesus with gifts of gold, the gift for a king, frankincense, the gift for a priest, and myrrh, a spice used to prepare a body for burial.

              As we receive the Christ-child this Christmas, will we receive him as our king, as opposed to the kings of this world? Will we accept him as priest, a conduit open to God? And will we follow him all the way to Jerusalem and the cross on a hill?

              Matthew packs much for us to consider in his story of Jesus’ birth. May the lessons here guide us through the seasons from Epiphany and Lent through Easter and Pentecost as we seek to follow Jesus until the time we come to this story once again.