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Monday, January 09, 2006
How To Be Spiritually Wise
Isaiah 60:1-6; Matthew 2:1-12
What made the Wise Men wise is not mysterious, even though an awesome air of mystery surrounds them. Matthew calls them "Magi." Whoever and whatever they were, three simple yet profound things led them into a wise way of life.
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They came from Eastern lands, trekking westward to find God's "Sun of Righteousness, risen with healing in his wings." (That's the Messiah, in Malachi 4:2.)
We call them the 3 Kings. Which makes sense, sort of, since they gave three gifts to the baby Jesus in Matthew 2:11. But there could have been two or twenty of them. And Matthew doesn't call them kings, either, but "Magi." Maybe wizards, or astrologers.
One thing tradition and the text do agree on is that these pilgrims were Wise Men.
That's in contrast to King Herod and his spiritual advisors, who look pretty foolish this time around.
When the visitors drop into the royal palace to pay their respects to the newborn royal baby, he's not there! Scratching their heads, they tell how a special star led them to the Jewish homeland where they'd find the prophesied Jewish Messiah lying in his crib.
Now it's Herod and the scholars' turn to do some scratching. Prophecy, eh? A fast Google search through sacred scrolls, and -- Bingo! "Go to Bethlehem! When you find the baby, do your worship thing. Then come back with a map so we can pay our own respects."
They roll up the scrolls, tuck them safely away, and then they fold up their hands and fall spiritually fast asleep.
Why didn't they hit the road with the Wise Men? What did these religous professionals miss that made the Wise Men wise?
For one thing, their perspective was horizontal. They didn't consider heaven's point of view. Unlike the Magi, who scanned the heavens and followed the magical star.
Give them points for knowing their Bible, the User's Guide for Jewish and Christian people of faith. That's the best source for your beliefs and behavior guidelines.
But they had no concern to do what it told them. What good does it do to cross-refer prophesies, plot salvation history, cross textual t's and dot interpretive i's -- if you don't put your faith into practice?
Christmas cards and bumper stickers tell us "Wise People Still Seek Him!"
I say, Let's you and I walk in the Wise Men's footprints, looking for signs of Jesus each step along the way.
The most obvious place to find him is in your Bible. But he'll catch you by surprise every living day, if you're watching and listening for his clues. When you catch them, please, don't forget to let them do their work in your daily life.
posted by Jack Buckley at
4:20 PM
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