Our crèche is on display with the typical family eccentricities that (at times) means our three magi end up replaced by Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle busts. This passes for humor in the life of a philosopher’s family. If you look in the stable very carefully, you might see a small baby seal. Don’t ask.
In fact, Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle could not have come to Bethlehem because they were dead hundreds of years before the birth of the Baby! Socrates would have rejoiced in man who spoke with genuine authority, Plato would have been glad that much that he saw dimly now was made plain, while Aristotle would have been forced to consider a personal God. There was no baby seal in Bethlehem.
The great Greek thinkers would have rejoiced in the Word made flesh and seeing grace and truth. Plato longed to see the Good, the Truth, and Beauty and Jesus was the living answer to so many of his yearnings. As it is, he came closer to seeing Jesus than people just a few miles from Bethlehem.
They knew enough to go see history made, but fear and flattery kept them home. What Plato longed to see they could have seen easily, but they ignored the star, the signs, and stayed at home. We do not know their names because the historians were kind enough to bury their cowardice in anonymity.
The wise traveled hundreds of miles to see Jesus, those who knew even more could not go ten miles. Here is the historic account:
In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, 2 asking, ‘Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising,[and have come to pay him homage.’ 3 When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; 4 and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. 5 They told him, ‘In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet:
6 “And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for from you shall come a ruler
who is to shepherd my people Israel.”’
Good news came to people who could have been expected to understand, but their reaction was fear. Why be afraid? They were so locked into the paranoid rule of Herod that the birth of perfect justice was terrifying. They knew Messiah, the King of the Jews, would come and even where He would come, but when He came, the timing was unfortunate for their court careers.
They were locked into Herod and so they missed Bethlehem.
The sycophant, the man who plays it safe by telling the boss what he wants to hear, always finds Jesus disruptive. King Jesus rules with grace and truth: it is the truth that rocks the Herodian court. Jesus refuses to ignore the crooked and call it straight. He knows that prudence is not moral cowardice and ethical corner cutting. King Jesus could not even speak as a baby and already he was the good shepherd exposing the false rulers of His people.
You cannot make a deal with God when He comes, the only proper response is worship. So as Christmas comes this Advent, I ask myself: when Jesus comes will I be afraid or will I rejoice? Will I have become so beholden to the rulers of this age that I dread His Truth? I cannot love misrule and Jesus, money and Jesus, or power and Jesus. I know He is coming, where He is coming, and so when He comes can I be glad or will my first reaction be fear?
Few have the chance to become as bad as Herod, thank God. We can, however, become like little Herod in our local lives. We are little Herod when our family fears our anger, when any challenge to our authority fills us with rage. We can become “the rulers” of the Christmas story when we placate the Herod in our life. This is the man who will not confront another man for spousal abuse. We are “the rulers” when our personal peace or affluence is more important than making sure that ethical decisions are made in the workplace or ministry.
We miss Jesus.
Know this: Jesus that came at Christmas will return. If He does not return in my lifetime, ending history, then He will come to take me in a different way at the hour of my death. When He comes, will I be ready? It is more likely that a baby seal will make it to Bethlehem than Herod or a “ruler” of God’s people who fears the truth. Let’s go with the wise men to worship the Jesus prophets predicted and philosophers needed.
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