Seeing his star in the East, the wise men set out to worship the newborn King of the Jews
Fr. Steven Scherrer, MM, Th.D.
Homily of Sunday, the Epiphany of the Lord, January 08, 2023
Isaiah 60:1-6, Psalm 71 (72), Ephesians 3:2-6, Matthew 2:1-12

Scripture quotations are taken from the Revised Standard Version unless otherwise noted

“Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, ‘Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we have seen his star in the East, and have come to worship him.’ When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. They told him, ‘In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it is written by the prophet: “And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will govern my people Israel.”’ Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star appeared; and he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, ‘Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him bring me word, that I too may come and worship him.’ When they had heard the king they went their way; and lo, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came to rest over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy; and going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way” (Matthew 2:1-12).

At the birth of Jesus wise men from the East saw a star that indicated to them that the longed-for Savior King of the Jews had just been born, and so they set out to the land of the Jews and came to their capital, Jerusalem, expecting everyone to know about the birth of this great Savior King who had been spoken about throughout the East that he was about to be born in the land of the Jews. The star that they saw indicated to them that he had just been born.

And so they set out on a long and arduous journey to pay homage to the newborn King and give him royal gifts, gold, frankincense, and myrrh. But to their surprise, when they arrived in Jerusalem, no one knew what they were talking about. The Jews were not aware of any newborn king. So in this way God used the wise men to notify his own people that their Messiah had just been born.

Even the Jewish king Herod heard about these wise men and their strange question about the whereabouts of the newborn king of the Jews, and concluded that the Messiah must have been born, and so he asked the chief priests and scribes where the Christ was to be born, and they told him in Bethlehem, as was prophesied by Micah, “And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will govern my people Israel” (Matthew 2:6, quoting Micah 5:2).

But Herod was not at all happy when he heard of the birth of the Messiah, for he assumed that he would rob him of his throne and set up his everlasting kingdom in his own palace. So he planned to kill the Messiah and use the wise men to find him. So he secretly called the wise men and told them, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him bring me word, that I too may come and worship him” (Matthew 2:8). His plan was to get information from the wise men as to where the child was so that he could send his soldiers to kill him lest he steal his throne.

When the wise men left Herod’s presence to go to Bethlehem, suddenly “the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came to rest over the place where the child was” (Matthew 2:9). Some have suggested that this star was a planetary conjunction, but no planetary conjunction can point out an individual house in the village. It is clear that St. Matthew is talking about a miraculous star provided by God.

Surely the wise men thought that they would find the newborn Savior King dressed in royal robes with attendants regally attired in a splendid palace or palatial home, the son of the king or of a noble family. But what they actually found was a poor woman in a humble abode in a little village with no sign of royalty about him. What sustained their faith that this child was the long-desired king of the Jews?

Surely the star itself reassured them, for no natural star can come so close to the earth that it can rest right over the place where the child was. That alone supplied for all that was lacking of royalty. And how did the wise men respond when they saw the child with Mary his mother? “They fell down and worshiped him, then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh” (Matthew 2:11). God then warned them in a dream not to return to Herod and so “they departed to their own country by another way” (Matthew 2:12).

How did these wise men know that the Savior King of the Jews was about to be born so that when they saw this miraculous star they concluded that his birth had just taken place? Surely it was through the Jewish Scriptures, for the Jews now inhabited all the regions of the East at least since the time of the Babylonian captivity, and many stayed on in Babylon and spread out further in these eastern lands so that their principal beliefs were generally known, and more specifically known by scholars.

The wise men surely knew Isaiah’s prophecy, “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government will be upon his shoulder, and his name will be called ‘Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.’ Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David, and over his kingdom, to establish it, and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and for evermore” (Isaiah 9:6-7).

We cannot help but be struck with wonder at how the Messiah was born. Who did God notify of this greatest event in history of the world? He notified shepherds camping out in the fields keeping watch over their flock by night. He also notified foreign wise men from the East – who were not even Jews. These two groups eagerly accepted Jesus as the Messiah, paid him homage, and were filled with wonder and heavenly peace.

These wise men are a wonderful example of faith and worship. They dropped everything and set out on a long journey to find an unknown king, and when they arrived in Jerusalem, no one had heard of a newborn king. Yet they did not weaken in their faith and resolve to find and worship him.

Their perseverance was rewarded. The star which originally appeared in the East now again appeared in Jerusalem as they were on their way to Bethlehem and guided them to the very house where the child was. Thus they accomplished their mission and fell down prostrate on the ground before this poor child on the lap of a poor woman in a little house in Bethlehem and worshiped him and offered him their gifts, gold, frankincense, and myrrh, the products of their home country or that they bought along the way.

Let us imitate their admirable example and, like them, focus our lives completely on Christ the Lord and worship him in our hearts, making him the center and focus of our life, for he came to save us from our sins and reconcile us with God, the source of all spiritual joy and heavenly peace.