A lot of the great stories in the western world have at their heart the quest, a journey towards a specific goal. From the first examples of “The Iliad” and “the Odyssey” to modern day classics like “The Lord of the Rings”, a hero will be called to set out on a quest. They will face, and overcome, many obstacles and hardships, but they will persevere and, ultimately, be rewarded by attaining something at the end of it all. Whether it is financial gain, knowledge, personal growth or peace in the land, the journey has been for a reason and there is always a positive outcome from it.
Our reading today takes this form as we follow the journey of the magi as they travel from Persia to Bethlehem to find Jesus. It’s no small journey for these men. As Persian scholars it’s possible that they wouldn’t even worship God, but their intellectual curiosity is piqued by a strange occurrence in the sky. Presumably they would be aware of Jewish prophesies and so, to satisfy their curiosity, they set out to discover for themselves what is going on. They are guided to Bethlehem where they find Jesus and they pay homage and give Him gifts. It’s a very unusual thing for Persian scientists to do unless we accept that they’ve been brought to understand that Jesus is indeed the Jewish Messiah.
We traditionally read this passage at Epiphany as it symbolises God revealing who Jesus is to the gentiles. But it also reveals something about us. We need to understand that God will call all people, not simply those in the church. God will use whatever means possible to ensure people hear this call. For some it may be a vision, others may hear a small voice, a twinge of “conscience” or maybe feel something in their “gut”. We need to be sensitive to this call and be resolved to answer it when it comes and help others hearing it for the first time make sense of it. The call may lead us somewhere that is not comfortable or convenient, but we must commit to it and follow it wherever it leads us. And like all quests, it is worth our while persevering with it for it leads us to Jesus and invites us to make the same response that the magi made. As we renew our covenant promise today, may we have the example of the magi to guide us.