Who Actually Found the Lord?
Rev. Marcel Divine Emeka Okwara, CSsR
Homily for the
Epiphany of the Lord
Sunday, January 6,
2013
One cold
morning in a remote village, three farmers were warming themselves by the
fireside. Shortly, two of them started debating and comparing their religions
to decide which one was the true religion. Johnny, the oldest among them, sat
quietly listening to them. Then the arguing two friends turned to him and
asked, “Johnny, decide for us, which religions is the right one?” Johnny, looking
at his friends said thoughtfully, “You know, there are three ways to get from
here to the apple plantation. You can go right over the hill. That is shorter
but it is a steep climb. You can go around the hill on the right side. That is
not too far, but the road is rough. Or you can go around the hill on the left
side. That is the longest way, but it is also the easiest.” Then he paused and
concluded, “But you know, when you get there, the owner of the apple plantation
doesn’t ask you how you came. All he asks is, ‘Hey, how much of my apples do
you want to buy?’”
After the
birth of Jesus, there were two special groups of people that came to visit him:
the shepherds and the magi. In the church, there is no special feast to remember
the visit of the shepherds; but we have the feast of Epiphany, which we celebrate
today, in which the visit of the magi is significantly remembered. But why is
the visit of the magi remarkable? The shepherds’ knowledge of the birth of
Jesus came from a direct revelation of angels that appeared in the sky at
midnight. This is a supernatural revelation. The magi, on the other hand,
became aware of the birth of Jesus by observing a star. The star did not say
anything to them. The star did not tell them that the Savior of the world has
been born. When the mysterious star appeared, they interpreted it to know what
it meant and where it led. The magi were not believers in the Jewish God. In
today’s world, they would be called “idol worshippers.” They were nature worshippers
who searched for God’s will by reading the movements of stars and other
heavenly bodies. As we can see, their visit challenges some of our popular
beliefs.
Each religious
group tends to think that its religion is the only way to God. This is what
most Christians think of the words of Jesus: “I am the way, the truth, and
the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). When
we read that, we hastily conclude that our religion is the only way to God. Yet
Isaiah 55:8: “For my thoughts are not
your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord.” This is why I am
thrilled by the visit of the magi. It is a unique story that opens our eyes to
the fact that God is not limited to any one religious tradition. God is bigger
than one religion and bigger than all religions put together and cannot
possibly be boxed in, in one religion. Note this, when the rich young man came
to Jesus and asked, “Good Teacher, what must
I do to inherit eternal life?” (Mk 10:17-21) The first thing Jesus said to
him wasn’t “Be my follower or disciple!”
Consider how
people of different religious beliefs came to know that the Son of God was
born. The shepherds who were regarded as unclean and were not allowed to take
part in Temple
worship without undergoing purification came to know through a direct vision of
angels. The magi knew through a reading of the stars. And King Herod and the
scribes came to know through the searching the scriptures. Visions, stars,
scriptures – all led to the same truth. Of course this does not mean that any
religious tradition is just as good as the other. To show that reading the star
and following the star were not enough, the Gospel of Matthew tells us that
when the guiding star got to Jerusalem its light
failed and the magi had to consult the scriptures to direct them to Bethlehem . After following
the light of the star, it was the light of scripture that finally got them to
Jesus.
Beloved in
Christ, let us ask this crucial question: Who actually found Jesus? Herod and
the scribes had the scriptures, yet they failed to find Jesus but the magi who
followed the natural light of the stars were able to find him. Why? Even though
the Jewish authorities had the shining truth of scriptures, yet they did not
follow it. They did not walk in the light of the scriptures. The magi, on the
other hand, followed the guidance of a star light. What matters is not the possession
of the truth, but walking in the light of the truth that we possess. It is
better to have the dim light of the stars and follow it than to have the bright
light of the Holy Scriptures and neglect it.
As Christian
we believe that our religion has the fullness of truth. But what does that benefit
us if we do not walk in the truth? Nature worshippers or non-believers who
sincerely follow the dim light of natural reason may arrive by the side of
Jesus before us who have the exalted truths revealed by God but who do not walk
the walk of faith. Herod had the Bible, but the Bible did not save him because
he did not walk by the truths of the Bible. The pagan wise men had only their
natural reason, but faithfully they followed it and found Jesus. God reached
out to them through their study of stars and they opened up to him. No wonder
Jesus said in Matthew 21:31 “I tell you the truth, the tax
collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God
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