Advent Week Two: Matthew 2

Chapter 2 of Matthew is a story that compares and contrasts two groups of people who were supposedly awaiting the coming of the Messiah. On one hand we have the outsiders, the Magi (often times today referred to as kings), and on the other hand we have the religious establishment of the Jewish faith: the chief priests and the scribes. One group searched out the Messiah, while the other passively stayed behind despite hearing that the Messiah had been born. One group wished to honor the Messiah, while the other wished to help Herod in his evil plan. And one group wished to recognize the importance of the Messiah, while the other wished to hold onto their status in society. 

Ironically, in this story, it wasn't the insiders who chose to search, honor and, recognize the Messiah, rather it was the outsiders. And what makes it rather humorous, was that not only were the Magi outsiders, but they were also a  group of men who would have been recognized as being false diviners (Deuteronomy  18:11, Isaiah 2:6; 47:11-15). Yet despite being false diviners, somehow YAWEH had imparted truth to these men, and as a result they were the ones who recognized the birth of the savior rather than those who were supposedly the true diviners. As a result they put the Christ in his proper place, a place where he received honor, a place where they put him above themselves as they offered royal gifts, a place of great importance in society and their lives.

 The religious insiders on the other hand, who had the "true" knowledge of God totally missed the boat on this one. They wished to hold onto their status here given to them by the king(It should be noted that many of the religious leaders of the day had been removed by Herod and replaced by those of Herod's choosing, thus making them servants of the government as well). As a result they likely sided with Herod out of fear that if Herod was removed by this new King, they in turn may lose their status. Another possibility is that they may have been motivated by fact that if they angered Herod that he would remove them from their offices. Either way this resulted in putting their good above God's good, as they chose to put their honor above God's honor, and they chose to put their importance above God's importance.

So what can we learn from this, we learn that serving Christ is not about us, it is not about our gain. As John the baptist stated, "He must become greater, I must become less." However in our culture (just as it was in this story) something like going to church has often become about us rather than God, and some churches even reinforce this idea through marketing techniques meant to make the church fit the needs of people, rather the desire of God's will. The result of this is that we have some people who attend churches in order to benefit themselves rather than to benefit God. In other words, often times church becomes about us, it's about what we can attain or achieve and hold onto, rather than what God can achieve. The same held true with the chief priests, the scribes, and Herod. 

So this season, As we wait and celebrate the return of the Christ, let us be reminded that we are not to be the religious establishment found in Matthew 2 but rather we are to be Magi. People who spend their lives in worship, a worship where we desire to seek, honor, and recognize Christ's importance.