Wise Men and Another Road……..

Wise Men and Another Road……..

“…they (wise men) left for their country by another road” (Matthew 2: 13b)

Matthew presents the wise men in a very crucial role in the birth narratives of Jesus. According to Matthew they were the people who realised about the birth of Messiah before anybody knows by observing the rising star and came to Herod’s Palace in search of New King. But they came to know that Jesus was not born in the Palace but somewhere else and they were in search of Jesus by observing the star appeared in the sky. Journey of Wise Men teaches many lessons as we prepare ourselves to start our journey to Bethlehem.

1.      Wise men discerned the signs of the Time – Wise men could discern the very prophetic sign appeared in the sky and they were restless which made them to go and worship the new born King. Signs of the time will be revealed to those who are in search of truth and they will be able to see things which others could not see. They could feel the pain of others and this divine sense will be given to those who are in dynamic relationship with God and with the rest of the creation.  Discerning the signs of the time and its proclamation are the big tasks of today’s prophets. Do we play the roles of wise men today?

2.     They Worshipped the Baby in the Manger – According to Matthew the first worshippers were wise men. It is quite interesting that the saviour is lying in the margins and the people from the margins (gentiles) adoring and worshipping him. Their offerings reveal the very identity of the baby in the manger. They accepted Jesus as their, King, Prophet and Messiah and worshipped him in true understanding. Even the heaven joined with them.

3.     Divine Revelation and their Response. During their return journey they encountered a divine revelation and thereby they took a big challenge not to obey the order of the Herod but to obey God. Herod ordered them to come back to inform the details of the child but they were ready to risk their lives for the Saviour of this world. Whose orders do we obey today? Orders of this world or the divine words?

4.     They went back by ANOTHER ROAD (A de-touring experience) – Every divine encounters demands an alternative journey and the same was experienced by the wise men and they were ready to choose a different road. If they would have went to Herod’s palace they might be honoured with gifts. But by disobeying Herod’s words they were not only losing the precious gifts waiting for them but also risking their life to protect life. Thereby they were also joined in the divine intervention of God and they engaged in a great mission of protecting life. They became the agents of the New Empire revealed through Jesus Christ. Negating the words of this world’s words and choosing another road is not easy but for that we are called for.

Do we have the courage to choose another road by rejecting the orders of this world? Do we ever de- toured our journey due to divine intervention?

Rev. Sajeev Thomas (sajeevachen@gmail.com)