There is
a story about the nun who was teaching a class about this feast of the three
kings coming to pay homage to the newborn Jesus. And she asked the group, she said, “What do
you think they did for a living? What was
their occupation?” And one little boy raised his hand and said, “They were
firefighters.” And she said, “Where did
you get that idea?” He said, “Well, the
Bible says they came from afar.”
My brothers and sisters in
Christ. Today we celebrate the Feast of
the Epiphany, the coming of the wise men to pay homage to the newborn
King. And no sooner was Jesus born into
the world than we see people dividing themselves into three groups. The three groups of people are always to be
found in regard to Jesus. Let’s take a
look at these three reactions to the Child Jesus in the gospel this
morning.
There was the reaction of
Herod. The reaction of hatred and
hostility. Herod was afraid that this
little child was going to interfere with his life, his place, his power, his
influence. And his first instinct was to
destroy Him. And there are still those
who would gladly destroy Jesus Christ because they see in Him the one who interferes
with their lives. They wish to do what
they’d like to do and Christ will not let them do what they like to do. A person who’s one desire is to do what he
likes has never had any use for Jesus Christ.
The follower of Christ is the one who has ceased to do what he likes and
who has dedicated his life to do as Christ wants him to do.
Secondly, there was the
reaction of the chief priests and the scribes, a reaction of complete
indifference, couldn’t care less. They
were so engrossed in temple rituals and legal discussions that they simply
disregarded Jesus. He meant nothing to
them. And there are still those who are
so interested in their own affairs that Jesus Christ means nothing to
them.
And then where was the
reaction of the wise men from the east, the magi, from the Median tribe of
priests. Men of holiness and wisdom. Their reaction was one of adoring worship, a
desire to lay at the feet of Jesus the noblest gifts which they could
bring. Each gift matched some
characteristic of Jesus and His work.
The gift of gold. Gift for a king. You know no one every approaches a king
without a gift. The gold is the king of
metals, a fitting gift for a king. A
king who would not reign by force but by love.
Not rule from a throne but from a cross.
Remember that Jesus Christ is a king and we submit and surrender to him.
There is the gift of
frankincense, a gift for a priest. The
temple worship and temple sacrifice used frankincense, the sweet perfume of
frankincense was used at those ministrations.
It was the function of a priest and his function was to open the way to
God for all people. He was a bridge
builder and that is what Jesus did. He
opened our way to the presence of God the Father. He made it possible for us to enter into the
very presence of God.
And then there was the gift
of Myrrh, a gift for one who is to die.
Used to embalm bodies. Jesus
Christ came into the world to live for us and in the end to die for each and
every one of us.
The wise men left their
homes to follow the star. They came to
worship with simplicity and joy at the feet of the Child. They brought their gifts in gratitude and
praise for the new light that they had been given. And we all know the story of the wise
men. We also know that these three
strangers are friends of ours. We feel a
kinship with them because we too are on a journey, and we too are seekers and
we will find that at the end of the journey there is a door that is like the
door to the stable to which the magi pass.
We go through the door by faith and we find as they did a God who loves
us so much that He joined us in the flesh in the person of Jesus Christ.
Now the feast of Epiphany
reminds us that we all have a gift that we can give to the King of Kings. Our gift, not a one-time gift of gold,
frankincense and myrrh but a full-time gift of love and service. That should be our gift to the newborn
king.
So we close with a prayer of
generosity by St. Ignatious. Lord, teach
me to be generous. Teach me to serve You
as You deserve. To give and not to count
the cost. To fight and not to heed the
wounds. To toil and not to seek for
rest. To labor and not to ask for reward
except to know that I am doing Your will.