The Wisest of the Wise

Homily for The Epiphany of the Lord, Year B
Isaiah 60.1-6 Psalm 72 Ephesians 3.2-3a, 5-6 Matthew 2.1-12

They are called kings, sometimes, these strangers from the East who wander into the home of Mary and Joseph. But the gospel does not call them kings – it calls them magi – a word used most often for astronomers and philosophers, those who were renowned throughout the world as the wisest of the wise. These wise men, these magi, travel far from their homes to visit a child – a child whose birth had been foretold. But what made these men so wise? They certainly had a lot of knowledge – they knew the Jewish scriptures, even though they weren’t Jewish; and they knew how to observe the movements of the stars and the planets. But this knowledge did not make them wise – simply knowing facts is not the same as wisdom. The magi also seemed to have some kind of wealth – they were able to bring with them expensive gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. But, certainly, wealth does not make you wise. So if the wisdom of the magi does not come from knowledge or from wealth, what makes them so wise?

The picture that most of us have in our minds of the magi, the picture contained in most Nativity scenes, is deceiving. We usually picture the magi standing or kneeling in front of Jesus, offering their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. But that’s not what the gospel tells us. The gospel tells us that the magi prostrated themselves in front of the child – they laid down flat on the floor in front of him – they didn’t stand, they didn’t bow, they didn’t even kneel. When you lie prostrate, you are completely vulnerable – you have no way of protecting yourself. When you lie prostrate, you are completely humble – you become the lowest of the low. The true wisdom of the magi is right there in their gesture before the King of Kings. The true wisdom of the magi is that, with all their great wealth and knowledge, they had the humility to admit that they are nothing in the presence of a little child, who they know to be God himself. The true wisdom of the magi is that they know that there is always someone else who is wiser than they are. The magi are the wisest of the wise because they can lay down their lives in front of a helpless child, who is the source of their wisdom. I wonder what we would do in the presence of that child?