4. The episode of the Magi

The Gospel of the infancy according to Matthew presents the antecedents of the great work of Jesus of Nazareth; shows how the roots of his existence are indicative of the fruits that his messianic work will bring. From 5 quotes from the prophets, the school of scribes that we call the school of Matthew, the group that makes the final editorial of this text, has elaborated narrations according to the apostolic tradition on the birth of Jesus. He is the Immanuel, the God-with-us. Scholars speak of a great inclusion, that is, a quote which contains all the text.

At the beginning, it is announced that a child that will be born of Mary, Joseph gives him the name of Jesus, but in order to fulfill what the prophet says, he will be called Immanuel. Matthew explains that this name means God-with-us. But this is understood in the end. The last words of the Risen Christ are "I will be with you." This is the Immanuel, Jesus-God is with us, with the Christian community every day until the end of the world. This is called inclusion. Jesus is the Immanuel; at the beginning and at the end of the text there is an element that frames the entire text and highlights the Christological theme and its relationship with the Church.

Jesus is God-with-us because the Church is the community in which the Risen Lord identifies himself. At the center of the gospel, in chapter 18 ecclesial discourse, we find another important saying that makes for the third with these two that are at the extremes: "Wherever two or three are gathered in my name, I will be there in their midst." Here is the Immanuel again. ‘I am / I will be’ = the name of God, in the midst of two or three gathered in my name. Therefore, the meeting in the name of Jesus is not simply a meeting in the parish; it implies the fact that people are united through Jesus, in relation to Jesus, and there is the authentic and real presence of the Risen Lord.

From the beginning we understand the meaning of the event. The final fulfillment sheds light throughout the history of Jesus. The first and the seventh part of the gospel they serve to clarify the central block, divided into five parts. But let's go back to the infancy narratives. After Joseph's dream, Matthew narrates a well-known episode, although little understood: that of the magi. The birth of Jesus is not narrated, but instead the dream of Joseph, who accepts to receive Mary, pregnant with the child. And then the visit of these strange characters called magi.

“When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, in the days of King Herod, behold, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem.” The beginning of chapter two of Matthew assumes that Jesus was born. It does not mention any details of the place, the modalities. It is simply mentioned with a parenthetical phrase: "When Jesus was born." We are told where: "in Bethlehem", we are told when: "In the days of King Herod."

All attention is focused on the "magi." It is not said how many there are ... the text does not say that there were three, and it does not even say that they were "kings" it simply presents them as μάγοι = ‘magoi’ and we turned them into ‘magicians’ Why do we call them 'magicians'? We don't really like the name very much, but in fact, in Greek μάγοι is what in English we call ‘magicians.’ But, properly, the Greek term indicated priests of the Persians of the ‘Zoroastrian’ cult, the priests of Zarathustra, linked to the study of the stars; more astrologers than astronomers, astrologers that studying the stars try to know how the world is going and to determine the events in the world.

They are foreigners, they are of another religion, they are a bit strange, but nothing is said about them, no description, just some magi who come from the east. “They came to Jerusalem asking: Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star at its rising and have come to do him homage.”

The presentation is not very logical. In Jerusalem, they are perplexed, especially King Herod: "When King Herod heard this, he was greatly troubled” He is the King of the Jews. If a new king is born, he is not yet king. Just imagine, probably the next two, three, four, five popes are already alive who do not know that they will be pontiffs, but in due time they will be. How do you know that the new pope was born? Simply, a child in 60, 70 years may become a Pope, but who knows about it now?

In Herod’s family, there is no son heir to the throne. If a child has been born who, in the future, will take away Herod's throne, this worries him. How do you know who is the king? These foreigners come to Jerusalem and ask “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We have come to do him homage”. Herod says: 'I am the King of the Jews; if you want to adore me, I have no problem.' ‘No, we want to adore the newborn.’ 'How can you say that another king has been born? Is he one who will take my job away?' They look for a king to worship.

We should not read the text simply anecdotally, like a fable, but we must learn to understand the depth of such a text, because it is a theological elaboration. They are foreign wise men of other religions who come to Jerusalem in search of a king to be worshiped. But why should they worship a king of the Jews? Why should they pay homage to a king? "We are looking for a king to worship." It is strange and Herod does not understand what is happening. The hint that these foreigners have offered is the fact that they have seen a star. It can be translated: "We have seen its star in the East" or also, "We have seen its star rise" because the concept of ‘East’ is precisely that of the sunrise or the rising of another star. What have these astrologers from the East seen? A star. Today we would be sure that it is a comet because in our examples we always put that, but the text does not say it. Just mentions a ἀστέρα = ‘astera’ = star.

The first in the history of art to represent a comet was Giotto, in the Scrovegni Chapel in Padova, Italy at the beginning of the 1300s, because, frequenting a circle of amateur astronomers, they mentioned about Halley's Comet that had been observed a few years earlier. And, based on the descriptions made by these astronomers, Giotto designed a comet, something like an artistic invention. The fact was that all liked it and it was imitated by many others until it became a standard.

The text does not speak of a comet. What did these astrologers see? Modern researchers have set out to look for astral phenomena of this type: the appearance of a large comet, someone talked about a supernova, an explosion that gave rise to a new celestial body or the conjunction of planets.

Astrologers handle these concepts; and then someone speaks of a particular superposition of Jupiter and Saturn. Jupiter would be the king of the gods and Saturn is the reference to the Jews. How can they say that? In English, we have the word Saturday, and Saturday is the Jewish day; in English is called Saturday, so it is the day of Saturn. Typical American reasoning! Jupiter is king and Saturn = Jews, if the two planets are put together, astrologers understand that the king of the Jews was born. And then perhaps looking at the reconstructions of these astral movements, it is also possible to identify the precise time in which this conjunction of planets has been observed.

All useless, unfounded proceedings are not what Matthew is saying. his area of reference is the Scriptures. If there is reference to a particular star, Matthew thinks of the star seen by Balaam, a magician from the east as mentioned in the book of Numbers in chapter 24, there is a great oracle of Balaam, “son of Beor, the oracle of the man whose eye is true” who is called to curse Israel, when he actually blessed it and announced something they were looking forward to. “I see him, though not now; I observe him, though not near: A star shall advance from Jacob, and a scepter shall rise from Israel” (Num 24:17).

It is the promise of the monarchy of David, a star/a scepter. 'A star shall rise’; a great personage has emerged who has the scepter (sign of the royal command). Therefore, the Star of David arises. It is the oracular prophetic announcement of a monarchy in Israel that will bring unity to the people and power to the nation. A magus from the East announced that a star would rise in Israel. Now other magi come from the East and say that this star has arisen. A star has risen from Jacob, a scepter has risen from Israel, the king of the Jews was born.

The true monarchy, the one that inherits the promises made to David and his descendants, now it has come true. Herod understands that it speaks of the Messiah, the son of David and asks the court scribes to explain to him where the messiah will be born. And they know the theory and explain to the king that Micah said it will be in Bethlehem, because David was born in Bethlehem and, therefore, from Bethlehem the new shepherd will emerge. The star rises in Bethlehem, the place where David had arisen. The distant people have moved; they have come a long way and reached Jerusalem.

In the capital of the kingdom, the theory is known, the scriptures are known, the city is identified, but you don’t move the story of Matthew. The story of Mathew serves to say that those who are distant come closer and those who are close, those who know the theory, do not actually accept it. It is an anticipation of what will happen after Easter. The people of Israel, the natural recipient of the evangelical promise, will not accept it.

Knowing the Scriptures, seeing the life of Jesus they were not able to welcome and understand the fulfillment of the Scriptures. But the distant ones, like the people of Antioquia, where the Mathew’s school works, they come closer and they are willing to embrace the ancient Scriptures and recognize that Jesus is the fulfillment. Those who come from afar are looking for a king to worship. And it's not Herod; it is not to that dominant human mentality that has power for itself, what those who come from afar want to worship.

They are willing to bend their knees in front of another kind of king, the Lord Jesus, within the simplicity of a house in Bethlehem. Herod tries to deceive the magi by pretending to be interested, sends them ahead recommending they let him know where the child is located. The magi depart and leaving Jerusalem they see the star again.

In reality, a star is very far; it cannot accurately indicate a place, a city. Between Jerusalem and Bethlehem, there are about 9 kilometers. On the basis of a star, the country of Bethlehem is not recognizable. The town of Bethlehem is very small ... the star is always in the same place, It does not stop on a country, much less on a house. It is a theological story.

The star is an image of faith, of an availability for the transcendent that distant foreigners from another religion allow themselves to be guided by the signs of creation. If one is available, along with the Scriptures that mention Bethlehem, there is also the creation that indicates Bethlehem and, following the two paths, are confident to start the march; they arrive, enter the house and they realize that the star precedes them: "When they saw the star they were filled with immense joy." It is the enthusiasm that is needed to recognize that the desired goal has been achieved. "They entered the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary." They didn't see a king, they didn't enter a palace, but in a simple house in Bethlehem: "They saw the child with his mother. They prostrated themselves and did him homage.”

It is the same verb that we find in the end of Matthew; on the mountain in Galilee, the disciples upon seeing the risen Jesus, they prostrated themselves in adoration. When Jesus was a small child the Magi did the same gesture of adoration. These distant foreigners, strange characters, had recognized in that child the Immanuel, the God-with-us. The king who has been given all power in heaven and on earth; he deserves worship.

"Then they opened their treasures and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.” These are symbolic gifts. Church tradition never hesitated to interpret them this way: Gold could also be understood as coins, as money, but in fact it is an object what is gifted in gold, probably a crown and therefore reminiscent of royalty. But what is incense for? If we contemplate a scene from ordinary life, we can see that Joseph receives the gift of precious incense. What does he do with is? Does he use it to put it in the censer? Incense was used in the temple as a sign of recognition of divinity; burn incense facing the Lord, it meant raising the prayer to God.

Offering gold means acknowledging that the child is king. Offering incense means acknowledging that he is God. And myrrh is the strangest and most paradoxical gift. To us it just sounds like an exotic term. Myrrh is a very fragrant and precious perfume, but it was used for the anointing of corpses; it is as giving the chest of death. A child is not given a coffin. It is true that it would be a useful gift that one can put under the bed keeps it there and in due course it will be useful ... it can be kept, but one does not give it as a gift. The gift of myrrh to a child has a symbolic value. Myrrh serves the dead, it is an ointment that announces the burial of Jesus, therefore, it is the recognition of humanity, it is an indication of mortality.

It is the third element: king, God and mortal man. And these alien astrologers kneel in front of a child despite acknowledging his mortal humanity, but they know that he is also God and that he is the universal king. Therefore, they do not obey Herod. They have worshiped another king and left Herod in his palace, let him go his way and they returned by another way. There was a change in their lives; they do not reveal to Herod what they discovered; they are different from the time when they arrived. They return to their land by another way. A change has occurred.

The encounter with the Lord Jesus, recognized as king, has changed their lives. This episode is a marvel of theological history that shows universal openness. We have the custom of representing the magi also with different skin colors, precisely to indicate large groups of humanity and perhaps represent them in different ages; one young, one middle aged, and one elderly. It is possible to recognize Jesus in all stages of life.

The apocryphal tradition has also given them names. We know them as Melchior, Gaspar and Balthasar and they are significant names. One represents the king of light: Melchior, black in color -- Africa. Balthasar is a Babylonian Semitic name, it represents the Semites and Gaspar is a German name, represents the Nordic, blond, they are the Indo-European. They are traditional inventions to say that all peoples, not just Israel, all people of all ages, of all races, of all cultures and of all religions are looking for a king to worship: Jesus is that king, that child mortal man but true God to worship.

Matthew puts at the beginning the meaning that will be understood at the end and in the story of his gospel he will then explain what the infancy gospel had already hinted at.