I’m always intrigued by what the Bible does not tell us as well as by what it does! Matt 2:1-12 gives us the story of the Magi travelling to greet a new-born King. We do not know who these ‘wise men’ were; they are often depicted as kings in our Nativity stories (probably because of the expensive gifts they brought with them), but we actually don’t know who they were, how many they were or if they rode on camels, despite the prevalence of these views in our cards and plays! Nor do we know why they decided to travel so far to pay homage to a new-born king in a foreign country or why they did this based on astronomical facts alone (a star to guide them.) We don’t know when they arrived, but it’s unlikely Mary had to deal with shepherds and wise men all on the same night (for which she was, as a new mother, probably profoundly grateful.)
What is clear, however, from the narrative is that their arrival in Jerusalem caused a kerfuffle. We can understand why they went there (a palace is a logical place for a king to be born.) But for both the Magi and Herod and his advisors, their arrival brought chaos, not peace: ‘When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him.’ (Matt 2:3)
Jesus upsets the status quo. He ruffles our feathers. He reminds us that peace is not possible unless He is factored into the equation, and many of us want to leave God out of our lives and run things ourselves. We like being in control. We like being in charge.
Peace, however, can only come if the Prince of Peace is in our lives. Without Him, we are without hope and without God; we need to invite Him into our lives if we are to know true and lasting peace.
