On Sunday this week we celebrated the Epiphany of Our Lord Jesus, when the Wise Men came looking for Him and visited Him as a newborn baby. That day in the Gospel reading we heard that
When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea,
in the days of King Herod,
behold, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying,
"Where is the newborn king of the Jews?
We saw his star at its rising
and have come to do Him homage."
When King Herod heard this,
he was greatly troubled,
and all Jerusalem with him.
Assembling all the chief priests and the scribes of the people,
He inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.
They said to him, "In Bethlehem of Judea,
for thus it has been written through the prophet:
'And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
since from you shall come a ruler,
who is to shepherd my people Israel.'"
Then Herod called the magi secretly
and ascertained from them the time of the star's appearance.
He sent them to Bethlehem and said,
"Go and search diligently for the child.
When you have found Him, bring me word,
that I too may go and do Him homage."
After their audience with the king they set out.
And behold,
the star that they had seen at its rising preceded them,
until it came and stopped over the place where the child was.
They were overjoyed at seeing the star,
and on entering the house
they saw the child with Mary His mother.
They prostrated themselves and did Him homage.
Then they opened their treasures
and offered Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod,
they departed for their country by another way.*
When King Herod heard that Jesus, thought to be the King of the Jews, had been born, Herod was very troubled. Herod was king, yet he heard of a king being born.
Herod wanted to find out where the Messiah was to be born. Keep in mind that the prevailing conception of the Messiah back then was in stark contrast to how today we view Jesus, as Messiah, as saving us through His dying for us and His rising from the grave, triumphing over death for us. However, back then, the Messiah was expected to be a nationalistic and bellicose ruler who would liberate Israel from its enemies.**
In this context, Herod wanted to know where the Messiah was going to be born because Herod viewed the Messiah as a threat to Herod holding onto power. Thus Herod asked where the Messiah was to be born. Who did Herod ask? He asked the chief priests and the scribes. He asked the people who were most knowledgeable about the sacred Scriptures. He asked the people who were most likely to know where the Messiah would be born.
Herod was king of Judea, Idumaea and Samaria. Jesus born in Bethlehem, which was in Judea, where Herod governed as king.
From Herod's point of view, the Messiah had just been born where Herod was governing. Herod thought that the new king was going to become king right where Herod was king.
Herod saw Jesus as a threat to Herod's power. Herod thought that Jesus would grow up and rule as king right after Herod. However, as Jesus told Pontius Pilate just before Jesus was sentenced to die on the cross, Jesus' Kingdom is not of this earth.*** Rather, Jesus' Kingdom is in Heaven.
Herod feared Jesus since he was convinced that Jesus would take over Herod's kingship. However, Herod actually had no reason to fear that Jesus would usurp Herod's kingship.
Yet a little later in his life, Herod had much reason to fear Jesus for a different reason. When Herod realized that the magi decided not to return to him and inform him where the Messiah had been born, Herod was furious. Then Herod had slaughtered all the male children in Bethlehem and the surrounding countryside who were two years old and younger.**** Having ordered such widespread murder of innocent children, then Herod had much reason to fear Jesus, who will judge all people at the Final Judgment after we die.
Yet when Jesus was born, Herod incorrectly judged Jesus to be a threat to Herod's ruling power. Herod was mistaken in his assessment of the situation. Herod feared when he should not have feared.
Who does each of us fear? Who do we see as a threat? Are those people we see as dangerous actually not cause for concern?
Often we see the stranger as a threat because the stranger is someone we do not know. As humans we fear who and what we do not know.
Yet might the stranger actually be someone who has been helping us? I think of poor people who have come here, often illegally, from Mexico and nearby countries. Impoverished migrant farmworkers come to the United States from Mexico and Central American countries to work in fields in the United States. They pick and pack vegetables and fruits, valuable and indispensable work, which is also exhausting and demanding labor, yet for low wages. Then those of us living here in the United States go to grocery stores and supermarkets and buy fruits and vegetables which have been picked and packed by these very immigrants. If we propose building a wall along the border between the United States and Mexico, do we think in the same instant of the immigrants who cross that border and of how they do the painstaking work to harvest the fruits and vegetables we eat?
Jesus instructed us to welcome the stranger.***** He added that insofar as we welcome those who are the least among us, we are then welcoming Him.******
Who do we fear? Who do we welcome? We will have to explain to Jesus why we did not welcome who we feared. Let us not fear Jesus; let us welcome Him wherever we meet Him, however He seeks to help us; let us welcome Him into our hearts.
* Matthew 2:1-12
** Jerusalem Bible, Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group, Inc. (New York, 1990), p. 1661, 1663, note "m" to Mark 1:34
*** John 18:36
**** Matthew 2:16
***** Matthew 25:35
****** Matthew 25:40
When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea,
in the days of King Herod,
behold, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying,
"Where is the newborn king of the Jews?
We saw his star at its rising
and have come to do Him homage."
When King Herod heard this,
he was greatly troubled,
and all Jerusalem with him.
Assembling all the chief priests and the scribes of the people,
He inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.
They said to him, "In Bethlehem of Judea,
for thus it has been written through the prophet:
'And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
since from you shall come a ruler,
who is to shepherd my people Israel.'"
Then Herod called the magi secretly
and ascertained from them the time of the star's appearance.
He sent them to Bethlehem and said,
"Go and search diligently for the child.
When you have found Him, bring me word,
that I too may go and do Him homage."
After their audience with the king they set out.
And behold,
the star that they had seen at its rising preceded them,
until it came and stopped over the place where the child was.
They were overjoyed at seeing the star,
and on entering the house
they saw the child with Mary His mother.
They prostrated themselves and did Him homage.
Then they opened their treasures
and offered Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod,
they departed for their country by another way.*
When King Herod heard that Jesus, thought to be the King of the Jews, had been born, Herod was very troubled. Herod was king, yet he heard of a king being born.
Herod wanted to find out where the Messiah was to be born. Keep in mind that the prevailing conception of the Messiah back then was in stark contrast to how today we view Jesus, as Messiah, as saving us through His dying for us and His rising from the grave, triumphing over death for us. However, back then, the Messiah was expected to be a nationalistic and bellicose ruler who would liberate Israel from its enemies.**
In this context, Herod wanted to know where the Messiah was going to be born because Herod viewed the Messiah as a threat to Herod holding onto power. Thus Herod asked where the Messiah was to be born. Who did Herod ask? He asked the chief priests and the scribes. He asked the people who were most knowledgeable about the sacred Scriptures. He asked the people who were most likely to know where the Messiah would be born.
Herod was king of Judea, Idumaea and Samaria. Jesus born in Bethlehem, which was in Judea, where Herod governed as king.
From Herod's point of view, the Messiah had just been born where Herod was governing. Herod thought that the new king was going to become king right where Herod was king.
Herod saw Jesus as a threat to Herod's power. Herod thought that Jesus would grow up and rule as king right after Herod. However, as Jesus told Pontius Pilate just before Jesus was sentenced to die on the cross, Jesus' Kingdom is not of this earth.*** Rather, Jesus' Kingdom is in Heaven.
Herod feared Jesus since he was convinced that Jesus would take over Herod's kingship. However, Herod actually had no reason to fear that Jesus would usurp Herod's kingship.
Yet a little later in his life, Herod had much reason to fear Jesus for a different reason. When Herod realized that the magi decided not to return to him and inform him where the Messiah had been born, Herod was furious. Then Herod had slaughtered all the male children in Bethlehem and the surrounding countryside who were two years old and younger.**** Having ordered such widespread murder of innocent children, then Herod had much reason to fear Jesus, who will judge all people at the Final Judgment after we die.
Yet when Jesus was born, Herod incorrectly judged Jesus to be a threat to Herod's ruling power. Herod was mistaken in his assessment of the situation. Herod feared when he should not have feared.
Who does each of us fear? Who do we see as a threat? Are those people we see as dangerous actually not cause for concern?
Often we see the stranger as a threat because the stranger is someone we do not know. As humans we fear who and what we do not know.
Yet might the stranger actually be someone who has been helping us? I think of poor people who have come here, often illegally, from Mexico and nearby countries. Impoverished migrant farmworkers come to the United States from Mexico and Central American countries to work in fields in the United States. They pick and pack vegetables and fruits, valuable and indispensable work, which is also exhausting and demanding labor, yet for low wages. Then those of us living here in the United States go to grocery stores and supermarkets and buy fruits and vegetables which have been picked and packed by these very immigrants. If we propose building a wall along the border between the United States and Mexico, do we think in the same instant of the immigrants who cross that border and of how they do the painstaking work to harvest the fruits and vegetables we eat?
Jesus instructed us to welcome the stranger.***** He added that insofar as we welcome those who are the least among us, we are then welcoming Him.******
Who do we fear? Who do we welcome? We will have to explain to Jesus why we did not welcome who we feared. Let us not fear Jesus; let us welcome Him wherever we meet Him, however He seeks to help us; let us welcome Him into our hearts.
* Matthew 2:1-12
** Jerusalem Bible, Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group, Inc. (New York, 1990), p. 1661, 1663, note "m" to Mark 1:34
*** John 18:36
**** Matthew 2:16
***** Matthew 25:35
****** Matthew 25:40
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