The Magi and the Warning... Epiphany Sunday




It is said in the Gospels that the magi were "warned in a dream...and took another way" (Mt 2:1-12). They found the Christ child, did him homage, but then, when it was time to depart, they were told that Herod was not to be trusted, and that their very lives were in danger. 

Sometimes witnessing the truth --or in this case, the Truth-- is dangerous. We, too, live in dangerous and desperate times, when the telling of the truth can get a person in a lot of trouble with co-workers, family members, and even some government agents. This is nothing new, really: world history is filled with stories of despots and the courage of those who speak up for truth. But being a truth-teller, or even insisting on the truth, can come with consequences. So, it was pretty brave (and prudent) for the magi to take another route back to their own countries. Unfortunately, that left Herod unchallenged by those who were essentially his social equals. 

There's the problem: those who abuse their power go unchecked because others are afraid for their own safety, and there are yet others who fear worse problems will be the result of confronting the ones who are running roughshod over everyone else. Fear. It's pretty powerful, and can be useful--for the despot. 

And yes, an appropriate level of self-preservation is good; it keeps us out of trouble, for the most part. But yet, there comes a time when silence and compliance become part of the problem. I wonder what would have happened if the magi, or even the thousands of people under Herod's rule, had decided that he was out of control and needed to be stopped. Regardless of what he seemed to think, he was not chosen to be a mighty and cruel ruler by God. The usurpation of the literal power over people's lives (and deaths) is a deep level of sinfulness. 

Yet, human history is, as I said, full of power-abusers. But history is also filled with people who eventually rise up and demand a new order to their lives. 

"Our faith is kept alive by the knowledge, founded on long experience, that the arc of history is long and bends toward justice” --Rabbi Jacob Kohn

A few things to think about on this Epiphany Sunday. Love your friends, hold your family close, and keep yourself safe.

C

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