Light Will Guide You Home

Matthew 2:1–2 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi 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.” CONSIDER THIS In our journey through the nativity, let’s take a few days in Matthew’s gospel to look at some historical figures that take their place inside our nativity, even though they were actually late to the party. Let’s talk about the wise men. Here is an interesting fact. Matthew spends more time talking about the wise men and their pursuit of Jesus than he does on Mary and Joseph’s story. Why do you think that is? Perhaps Matthew doesn’t want us missing the story of the star and the seekers because maybe, just maybe, their story was Matthew’s story. (Spoiler alert: it is our story as well.) Let’s talk about the Magi, which some translations render as “wise men.” There is a lot we don’t know about the Magi, but a few things we can assume from the opening verses found in the second chapter of Matthew: (1) they were astrologers who studied the stars, (2) they were also philosophers who may have had access to Jewish Scriptures, and (3) quite possibly the biggest thing to note, they were Gentiles, not actually a part of the Jewish faith. Why is this important? Because, as Gentiles, these Magi were outside of God’s greater story. Just imagine. On one ordinary average night, the Magi gather to talk stars and philosophy when a new star appears in the sky that was not to be found in their charts and maps. This star led them to God’s Word and, perhaps, the prophecy of Daniel found in the Old Testament that spoke of the coming Messiah who would be hailed as the one who would come in the name of the Lord and be killed (9:24–26). Perhaps they also knew of Balaam’s oracle found in Numbers 24, where he declared: “A star will come out of Jacob; a scepter will rise out of Israel” (v. 17b). We have no way of knowing for sure what Scriptures they had read. However, what we can know for certain is this: the star illuminated the way, God guided them, and they joyfully followed God’s direction. That is the power of light; it helps us find our way in the darkness. In 1954, a navy pilot set out on a night training mission from an aircraft carrier off the coast of Japan. As he lifted off in stormy weather, his directional finder inside the aircraft malfunctioned, and he unknowingly headed off in the wrong direction. If that’s not bad enough, his instrument panel that was normally illuminated had also short-circuited, causing all his interior lights in the cockpit to go out and leaving him utterly and completely in the dark. As the pilot looked around, all he saw was darkness. It was as if all that was outside his plane was now inside. That’s a terrifying thought, isn’t it? However, all was not lost. As he looked down on the dark waters of the ocean below him, his eye caught a mysterious glow. What the pilot saw was a faint blue-green glow trailing along the ocean’s surface. Thankfully, he had trained and prepared enough to know that what he was looking at was a cloud of phosphorescent algae glowing in the sea. The pilot also knew that these particular algae would only glow when ships would stir it up as they traveled across the waters. The algae was showing the way. According to the pilot, it was the “least reliable and most desperate method” of navigating a plane back to safety, but for future Apollo 13 astronaut Jim Lovell he knew it was exactly what he needed to do.1 He simply followed the glowing phosphorescent algae as if it were a giant flashing arrow showing him the way back home. Like Lovell, the Magi found themselves in a dark world. They had all this knowledge of stars and the Scriptures, yet they were not quite sure of their place in the middle of it all. But here is the beautiful truth: the wise men acted upon what they knew to be true. When they saw the star, when that flicker of light signaling the Light of the World had come into their story, that was all they needed. Their knowledge turned into action. Why? Jesus’s story was worthy of their sacrifice, journey, and travel to come and worship him. THE PRAYER  God of wonder, God of light, just as the Magi followed the star that led them to Jesus, so, too, we embark on a journey of faith, seeking out your presence and guidance. Today, we thank you for intertwining their story with ours, reminding us all of your faithfulness and the hope that comes from following your voice and call. Amen. THE QUESTIONS How does the light of Christ lead us today? What guides you and your story?