Sermons from 2020 (Page 19)

Today’s gospel reading is complex. At the surface, we heard that multiple magi brought three gifts from afar to honor Jesus. If we look at the context, we find that these magi were probably educated, foreign, astrologists who were religious leaders in Zoroastrianism and came from present-day countries like Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, and India. The magi had political ties to Jerusalem’s enemy, influence another country’s leadership by providing information and finances (you know, gold, frankincense, and myrrh) so that the Holy Family could seek asylum in Egypt. This led to Herod’s decision to commit infanticide when he was fooled by the magi. And no, this wasn’t a movie I watched last night or a news article I read this morning; instead, it was today’s gospel reading. And, if we look just a wee-bit deeper at Herod and the scribes, we will find a few more details that make today’s gospel even more complex.