PostScript: Wise men
‘Wise men from the East came to Jerusalem’ (Matthew 2.1).
Context
The mystery of who these people from the east might have been, and their significance, has provided endless opportunities for wondering.
Reflection
Perhaps those unknown strangers from Iraq or Afghanistan, crossing the dangerous crowded shipping lanes of the channel to reach Britain in small inflatable boats exhibit the resourcefulness and tenacity of the wise men of old in their ardent desire to make a difficult journey. Many migrants have come ‘from the east’: the entire European colonisation of the Americas, the Ugandan Asians who were expelled by Idi Amin, and the re-admission of Jews to Britain from the 1650s onwards have brought new knowledge and wisdom. In every historical case the migrants have enriched the land to which they came; though colonists, to east and west, may have been a mixed blessing.
As we stumble forward towards an imprecise Brexit, we discover our need for migrants on whose skills and labour we rely, whether for harvesting our food, bringing the new-born safely into the world, or tending the aged with dignity. Our universities cry out that if they are to remain in the forefront of knowledge, we need to attract the best talent from the whole world. We need, as the Christ child did, to welcome the rich gifts that strangers bring rather than following the example of Herod who discerned only a threat.
Along the road we have begun to appreciate the wisdom of women as well as men. Jane Austen led the way, but we now need a scientist. Ada Lovelace and Rosalind Franklin were outstanding wise women in their scientific fields who received little recognition in their lifetimes. And, for someone following the adventuring tradition of the wise men, what about Gertrude Bell, the explorer, diplomat and writer who might be commemorated by a blue plaque in London?
The astrophysicist Jocelyne Bell might also appear to follow in the tradition of those who followed the star. The early astrophysicists of Babylon and Egypt had calculated the motion of the sun and planets to the extent that they knew the universe was not random and capricious, like the pagan deities of the Greeks and Romans who named their gods after celestial objects. These wise men were able to appreciate that they were merely part the subtle order of creation. The result was that once their discoveries were known throughout the Greek-speaking world, they brought about the demise of religions based on ancient mythologies. By the time of Christ worship of the Roman Emperor, not a sun god or one named after a planet, was becoming the unifying factor. But God was elsewhere as Paul found in Athens, where citizens had erected an altar ‘to an unknown god’ in Acts 11.23.
The achievements of modern-day astrophysicists have continued to amaze with a stream of new discoveries made by new technologies, such as the journeys of the Voyager spacecraft. There continues to be more that can be discovered from the stars about the vastness of time and space. And within organisations such as the Faraday Institute, scientists continue to engage with questions of faith. Greater scientific knowledge does not of necessity drive out the search for God. Wonder is at the heart of both science and faith.
Matthew’s wise men might then be said to fulfil the same kind of role in relation to his Gospel as John’s prologue bears to his. John starts by re-writing the whole creation story of what happened ‘in the beginning’ and asserts that the creator is still at work. He demolishes the mythology of a six day wonder and asserts that the creator has made himself visible in the person of Jesus Christ. In a similar way in the opening of Matthew’s Gospel the outstanding scientists of his age, who may have been thought of as guardians of divine knowledge, a starring role in his first portrait of Jesus. This will come full circle in the risen Christ’s final words proclaiming a universal mission, in Matthew 28.19.
Though not included in today’s Gospel, Matthew’s story remains incomplete without knowing the fate of the child whom the wise men had found. The holy family become homeless refugees escaping from persecution. And for today’s refugees, even the perils of a winter crossing of the channel are preferable to a return home.
Finally, when we find travel to holiday destinations so easy, to the extent that even delays caused by imagined drones, inclement weather or industrial action seem unacceptable, have we forgotten how enterprising the wise men were, and how courageous those who travel out of desperation today?
Prayer
Eternal Father, strong to save,
whose arm doth bind the restless wave:
hear our prayer for all who undertake perilous journeys,
all who are refugees and flee persecution and hardship,
all who have no place to call home.
Oh, hear us when we cry to thee,
for those travellers by land and sea!
O Christ! Whose voice the waters heard
and hushed their raging at thy Word:
Jesus, Lord and creator,
hear our prayer for victims of tsunami,
of earthquake, storm and other natural disasters.
Calm the rage of societies in conflict, and nations at loggerheads.
Oh, hear us when we cry to thee,
for peoples who are all at sea.
Most Holy Spirit! Who didst brood
upon the chaos dark and rude:
grant to all who, like the wise men, seek to understand
the mystery, the beauty and the order of your creation,
an appreciation of the wonder of all you have made.
Oh, hear us when we cry to thee,
to know who made what came to be.
O Trinity of love and power!
Our family shield in danger’s hour:
guide the nations in your ways of love and peace.
Thus evermore shall rise to thee
glad hymns of praise from earth to thee.
Questions
- What kind of people do you imagine the wise men to have been?
- Do such people exist today? Who might be their equivalents?
- Who would be your candidates, and how many women will you include?
All-Age Activity
For an insight into the scientific knowledge of the ancient world see the story (video) about the discovery of the Antikythera Mechanism. It was made around 205 BC and reveals a great deal about the knowledge of ancient astronomers that later became lost. The story of this device reveals that ‘wise men’ in Jesus’ day were probably serious scientists, not people who tried to read horoscopes. It might reveal a lot about what ‘wise men’ of Jesus’ day could have known, and the respect in which they were held.
Young People
What is a wise man or woman? What is different about a wise person that doesn’t just mean smart or brainy? Do you have a teacher, or a friend, or a relative whom you think is wise? If so, tell a story about something that reveals their wisdom.
The Revd Dr Tom Ambrose, former geologist, vicar, teacher, school chaplain, is now on the ministry team at The Ascension, Cambridge.
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