Epiphany - Wise men seek Him

Wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, “Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, ,"  Matthew 2:1-2

Magi - wise men - astronomers - who were these men who came from the East?  And why did they care about this baby born in Judea?  Mystery surrounds this little tidbit of Jesus' life that appears only in the gospel of Matthew.  We don't even know how many there were, scripture doesn't say., only that there were three gifts given.

There is a reason for the saying, "wise men seek him, fools fear him."  And that might be the point of this passage of the gospel.  We are wise when we go out of our way to seek Jesus - for He is the one who can bring peace to our soul, and true meaning to our life.

Because God chose for Jesus to live life as a common man, He understands the trials and tribulations of the common person, the struggles we face every day.  Because Jesus lived as one of us, we can take our problems to Him and He will understand.

The Magi recognized that this child was special and they went out of their way to find him.  We are also called to go out of our way to find Jesus.  In one of my favorite cartoons, Family Circus, Billy is praying in church, he has his eyes closed and is picturing God on his majestic throne in heaven.  The next panel shows Billy kneeling at his bedside picturing Jesus as a baby in the manger, and Billy says, "It's a lot easier to pray to Baby Jesus that to God."  It is okay to see Jesus in whatever form is easiest for us to relate to; for me it's the teacher with dusty feet walking the road, touching the people and listening.

Lord Jesus come, fill our hearts and listen to our ramblings, for you are the one who cares.  Amen.