Gospel for Monday, January 06: Matthew 2:1-12
Epiphany of the Lord
1 Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, in the time of King Herod. Some Magi came from the east to Jerusalem and asked, 2 “Where is the king of the Jews who was born? We have seen his star rising, and we have come to worship him.” 3 On hearing these words, King Herod was disturbed, and with him all Jerusalem. 4 Gathering all the high priests and scribes of the people, he inquired from them where the Messiah was to be born. 5 They answered him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written through the prophet:
6 And thou, Bethlehem, the land of Judah, art not indeed the smallest chief town of Judah: for out of thee shall come forth a leader that shall shepherd my people Israel.”
7 Then Herod secretly summoned the Magi and got them to tell him exactly the time when the star had appeared 8 and sent them to Bethlehem, exhorting them, “Go and inquire carefully about the child, and when you have found him, let me know, so that I too may come and worship him.”
9 Hearing the king’s words, they departed. And behold, the star, which they had seen in its rising, went before them, until it came and stood over the place where the child was. 10 On seeing the star, they experienced great joy. 11 As they entered the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and prostrating themselves they worshiped him. Then they opened their chests and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. 12 Warned then in a dream not to return to Herod, by another road they went back to their countryMt 2:1-12
Dear sisters and brothers of Misericordia, I am Carlo Miglietta, a doctor, biblical scholar, layman, husband, father and grandfather (www.buonabibbiaatutti.it). Also today I share with you a short thought meditation on the Gospel, with special reference to the theme of mercy.
Matthew’s second prophecy
The first of the five biblical quotations that Matthew recalls in the Gospels of Jesus’ infancy is placed at the conclusion of the angelic annunciation to Joseph, who is urged to “do not be afraid to take Mary with you, for that which is begotten in her is from the Holy Spirit” (1:20): “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son” (1:23; cf. Is 7:14).
The second prophecy quoted by Matthew in his “Gospel of the Infancy of Jesus” (chap. 1-2) is put into the mouths this time of the “chief priests and scribes of the people” themselves: “And you, Bethlehem, the land of Judah, are not indeed the smallest chief town of Judah: for out of you shall come forth a leader who shall shepherd my people, Israel” (Mt 2:6; Mi 5:1-2). This prophecy resounds in Herod’s palaces before the Magi who came from the East to Jerusalem with the question, “Where is the King of the Jews that is born?” The answer is drawn from the prophetic book of a contemporary and perhaps disciple of Isaiah, the farmer Micah from the village of Moreset, 35 kilometers southwest of Jerusalem. An impassioned and very harsh preacher against the corruption of the politicians and high clergy of his time (“They devour the flesh of my people and tear the skin off them, they break their bones and tear them to pieces like meat in a pot, like boiled meat in a cauldron”:Mi 3:3), Micah opens the horizon in the finale to a light of messianic hue. From Bethlehem, a small village but David’s homeland, a parturient will give birth to a new David, a king of peace and joy, the source of cosmic harmony. Here is the passage that offers numerous variations, microscopic in comparison to Matthew’s quotation, while coinciding in substance: “And you, Bethlehem of Ephratah, so small to stand among the clans of Judah, out of you shall come forth to me a leader of Israel… God will put them in the power of others until she who is to give birth gives birth” (5:1-2).
Matthew portrays Christ as the perfect “son of David,” who, being born in the same village as the great king of Israel, is revealed to God’s people as the expected Messiah. In John’s Gospel, too, the crowd observes that “Scripture says that the Christ (Messiah) will come from the seed of David and from Bethlehem, the village of David” (John 7:42).
By placing Micah’s proclamation in the mouths of Christ’s direct opponents, Matthew points out that they are able to understand the Scriptures but do not make up their minds to believe in them, they know them but do not “recognize” them as a message open to the fullness that is now being fulfilled. On the other hand, the whole account of the Magi is an embroidery of allusions to the Old Testament: from the light rising over Jerusalem, and making “the peoples and kings walk in the splendor of its rising,” to the “gold and frankincense” offered by those coming from Sheba (Isaiah, 60, 3.6), to the passage in Psalm 72 about the “kings of Tarsis and of the isles, of the Arabs and of Sheba who bring offerings and tribute” to the messianic king…
The ‘adoration of the Magi
“It is interesting to find out what presence Matthew (Mt 2:1-12) places around the baby Jesus. First of all, it is necessary to point out that the setting is completely different from Luke’s, and this too attests to the different traditions underlying the two accounts and their often more theological than historical quality. Now the holy family is depicted in a kind of throne room that is almost accessed by a foreign delegation on a courtesy visit. For Matthew is being stirred up by the chanceries, the clergy of Jerusalem, the entire city. An “international” event is about to take place and has as its protagonists some mysterious Magi “coming from the East”” (Ravasi). These “màgoi” are astrologers, who scrutinize the signs of the heavens. Herodotus, an ancient writer, states that the “Magi” constituted one of the six tribes of the Medes in Iran, a priestly caste.
The arrival of the Magi, guided by the star, which leads them to Bethlehem, is a sign that Jesus fulfills the ancient promises (Mi 5:1): “the birth in the township of Judea more than a historical fact, in itself secondary, is a theological fact” (O. da Spinetoli). The ancients believed that at a man’s birth a star was lit. Israel awaited the Messiah like a star: “A star rises from Jacob, and a scepter rises from Israel” (Nm 24:17).
The fulfillment is of the Scriptures is accompanied by judgment on Israel: those far away welcome the Messiah and those near reject him. The account of the discussion between the magi and Herod “and with him all Jerusalem…, all the high priests and scribes of the people” (Mt 2:3-4) is prefiguring the trial of Jesus. The account of the Magi illustrates the theme of the Christ sought and rejected: the Messiah is the sign of contradiction.
Matthew’s entire Gospel is marked by this surprise: just think of the parable of the murderous vinedressers (Mt 21:33ff.) or the parable of the great supper (Mt 22:1-14): both show that the Kingdom passes from Israel to the Gentiles, and that this passage is part of God’s plan. We spoke of surprise, but this does not mean novelty in God’s behavior, much less rupture in his way of conducting history. On the contrary: God merely applies here, as always, the principle of the acceptance of the Word, which is a decisive criterion: it is the acceptance of the Word (with readiness for conversion), which distinguishes who belongs to the Kingdom and who does not.
But in this episode there is not only the significance of Christ, but also that of the Church. The page of the Magi is a solemn declaration of missionary outreach and universalism. This episode recalls the conclusion of the entire Gospel, “Go and make my disciples of all nations…” (Mt 28:18). Two missionary pages that open and close the story of Christ, with a difference: in the episode of the Magi it is the nations arriving in Jerusalem, at the end of the gospel it is the Church sent to the world. This second annotation expresses more deeply the conception of mission as service, as going out of oneself to seek others.
Matthew does not say that the Magi were kings, nor that there are three of them. They bring gold, frankincense and myrrh: Juvenus, the first Latin Christian poet. will say, “to the king, to the God, to the man.” These are the gifts for the Messiah: “May he live, and be given him gold from Sheba” (Sl 72:15); “All will come from Sheba, bringing gold and frankincense” (Isa 60:6).
“Two coordinates enable us to identify the Messiah: the star and Scripture. The star representing the signs of the times, the occasions of history and even, more trivially, the instances of life… But the verification of Scripture is also needed” (A. Mello).
Happy Mercy to all!
Anyone who would like to read a more complete exegesis of the text, or some insights, please ask me at migliettacarlo@gmail.com.