Light On
7 Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. 8 Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, "Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage." 9 When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. 11 On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. (Matthew 2:7-11)
It's likely that the wise men were actually Persian astrologers from the priestly caste called magi. The magi were gentiles who should not have had access to God's good promises, but their study of the movement of the stars led them to a prophecy about the birth of a king. King Herod was not fully of Jewish heritage but he was raised in the Jewish traditions. Herod was considered to be the King of the Jews by the Roman government which had given him the responsibility to govern predominantly Jewish regions. Herod tried to garner favor with the Jewish population by updating and enlarging the temple in Jerusalem, but his jealous paranoia sent him into murderous rages that led him to have one of his wives, two of their sons, her brother, and his mother-in-law killed - as well as 46 members of the Sanhedrin (a Jewish council). When the magi came seeking the one "born king of the Jews", this set off yet another killing spree that took the lives of Jewish boys aged two and under. While the magi sought truth wherever it led them, Herod could accept no truth that might decrease his power.
Darkness hides - it connotes deception, secrecy, evil, fear. Conversely, light reveals - evidenced by truth, freedom, joy, revelation. Herod's fear kept him in darkness despite his knowledge of the birth the true king that could free him from his own oppression. The openness of the magi to the truth freed them to search without prejudice until they found the Light of the world. The pull of the darkness remains strong today - adults and children alike are overcome with fear and anxiety, political power struggles fuel misinformation and deception in an effort to take or keep power, even in times of peace the violence in our streets takes thousands of lives each year. We need the Light. We need the revelation that God is with us, and has all power. May we dare to step out of the shadows that hide us from ourselves, and step into the Light that frees us from all fear.
1 Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you. 2 For darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the LORD will arise upon you, and his glory will appear over you. 3 Nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn. (Isaiah 60:1-3)
11 If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me
and the light become night around me,”
12 even the darkness will not be dark to you;
the night will shine like the day,
for darkness is as light to you.
(Psalm 139:11-12)
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