Troubled or rejoicing?
The visit of the Magi at Epiphany presents us with two very emotional responses to the announcement of Christ’s birth. The difference between them is striking: “When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.” (Matt. 2:3) But the Magi, “when they saw the star, rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.” (Matt. 2:10)
Herod feared what might come to pass, and his unrest disturbed his subjects in Jerusalem. Herod was afraid of uncertainty, of no longer being king, and no longer having control over his own future. As it happens, Herod couldn’t control his future, and just a few years later, he ended up dying one of the most gruesome deaths ever recorded, suffering from all kinds of diseases and parasites.
The wise men set out in faith, and rather than being afraid of what might happen, they rejoiced in what had happened. God had become man, in history, for our salvation. If the sight of the star announcing that was enough to make the magi “rejoice exceedingly with great joy,” how much more should we rejoice, we who know not only that God became man for us, but we who also have the great privilege of knowing that God-man, Jesus Christ, who calls us to life with him.