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Matthew 2: 1 – 2 2 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi[a] from the east came to Jerusalem 2 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.” They were rich, they were learned, they were clever. One might be tempted to think they had it all. In their far off land, they learned enough to set them off on a long and arduous journey, knowing that it was the trip of a lifetime, to witness something never seen before, something of earth shattering importance. A new king was to be born and they were going to be there, centre stage, to worship him. Who knows what their motivation was. We have no insight into their characters, no record of their interactions as they made that journey together. We just know that they went, and they had prepared themselves for a mighty king. The closer they got to the birthplace, however, the less certain of themselves they became. Those intelligent, confident men found themselves uncertain as they drew towards Jerusalem and so, having run out of their own personal resourcefulness, they made their way to the obvious place – the Palace. For where else would a new born king be? It was a reasonable assumption, but as we well know, a dangerous one which had the potential to derail God’s plan for salvation before it had time to flourish. “Where’s the king?” they asked. We all make assumptions about the world in which we live. We can all become too clever for our own good. We can all think we understand much more than we really do. And these attitudes can lead us to exactly the same point as those wise men. We reach the point we have to admit that we don’t know. What is amazing is that though the wise men found themselves in a dangerous cul-de-sac, God turned them round and showed them the way. And when they followed his pointing, they reached the place where the infant king awaited, and there they saw that the greatest riches in the world were not what they had always treasured, or what they could buy, but the love of God, sheltered in a manger. This Advent-tide, we too are invited to approach, setting aside our expectations and open to the surprise that God offers us.
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