Scripture Scribbles: January 4, 2025

the Gospel

Matthew 2:1-12

When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea,
in the days of King Herod, 
behold, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, 
“Where is the newborn king of the Jews?
We saw his star at its rising
and have come to do him homage.”
When King Herod heard this,
he was greatly troubled, 
and all Jerusalem with him.
Assembling all the chief priests and the scribes of the people, 
He inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.
They said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, 
for thus it has been written through the prophet:
And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
since from you shall come a ruler,
who is to shepherd my people Israel.”
Then Herod called the magi secretly 
and ascertained from them the time of the star’s appearance.
He sent them to Bethlehem and said, 
“Go and search diligently for the child.
When you have found him, bring me word, 
that I too may go and do him homage.”
After their audience with the king they set out.
And behold, the star that they had seen at its rising preceded them, 
until it came and stopped over the place where the child was.
They were overjoyed at seeing the star, 
and on entering the house
they saw the child with Mary his mother.
They prostrated themselves and did him homage.
Then they opened their treasures 
and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, 
they departed for their country by another way.

the scribble

The star, the three kings, and the scheming king.

This Biblical account is about the star, the three wise men named Melchior, Balthazar, and Gaspar, and the scheming King Herod.

Because of the star’s proper guidance, the magi found where the newborn Jesus was. The star was the best ever navigation because it was really God behind the scenes, protecting Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. Hence, no one, not even King Herod, was able to find and harm baby Jesus.

Herod. This king lusted over power so much and abused his dominion over his subjects by having all infants killed around the time that Jesus was born. It never occurred to Herod that he was just a mortal with no divine power whatsoever and would never be a match to God.

As for the magi, they incredibly exemplified three things in this first chapter of Jesus’ young life.

First, they manifested care towards Jesus Christ. “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star at its rising and have come to do him homage.”

These men from the east cared enough to travel all the way to Jerusalem to pay their respects to Jesus. They did not act indifferently nor passively when they knew that a new king was born.

Second, the three wise men showed reverence to our savior by prostrating themselves, doing homage, and offering gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

According to scholars and Bible experts, the gifts symbolized Jesus’ kingship, divinity, and mortality and future suffering/healing.

Third, the magi were a model of allegiance to God, because they completely eluded the enemy, Herod, by choosing another path that would lead them back home.

These kind men were total strangers and had only a special participation in the holy book. Yet they knew on whose side they should be.

I would like to focus on the gestures of the three wise men in this story. Sometimes, we just can’t ignore the care we receive from strangers. I have witnessed some random acts of caring and still continue to do so, in this lifetime.

One sunny afternoon, just outside a huge department store in South Korea, I saw how a foreigner, a woman seemingly in her 40s, walking with her child, helped a young lady who suddenly tripped and fell badly on her stomach while approaching the entrance of the mall. Everything happened in a flash and among the things that flew into the air were the lady’s bag and phone.

The foreigner and her son acted equally fast by reaching for the lady, helping her stand rather slowly, asking if she was okay while noticing a small scratch on the lady’s leg, and handing her bag to her. Then the son gave the lady her phone, which fortunately did not crack or break during the accident.

The suddenness of the whole incident didn’t surprise me because this could happen to anyone, anywhere. However, what struck me was the look of gratitude and relief on the young woman’s face as she said okay and thank you to the mother and child, in English. The young woman looked a bit hurt, very shocked perhaps, and a little overwhelmed, but she was grateful and relieved. And so was I. In that very moment, I realized that some people still care. People we don’t even know can still stop and assist us instead of looking the other way and going about conducting their own affairs as usual.

The gestures of Melchior, Balthazar, and Gaspar reminded me again of this story. May the three kings continue to inspire us to be caring and kind. May we show concern not just to kings or very important people. May we be even more caring towards the least of our brothers and sisters.

Today’s devotion was written by Edwina Yu