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Three Gifts, Three Kings
January
4&5, 2003
Fr.
George Smiga
Matthew
2:1-12
On this feast of the Epiphany we recall the visit of the three
wise men, sometimes called the three Kings, to the Christ
child. But if you listened very carefully to the gospel that
was just proclaimed, you might have discovered something rather
surprising. The gospel passage (which is the only one that
recounts this incident from Jesus' life) never tells us how
many wise men there were. It simply says "wise men from
the East arrived one day in Jerusalem."
So if
the scriptures do not tell us how many wise men there were,
why is it that we all are convinced that there were three?
The answer to that question is not to be found in the scriptures,
but rather in the Christian imagination. Because as subsequent
believers reflected upon this passage from scripture, they
tried to fill in the details not given in the text. They noticed
that at the end of the gospel, the Christ child is presented
with three gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Consequently
Christians drew the conclusion: if there were three gifts,
there were three wise men.
Now this
is not the only possible conclusion. One of the wise men could
have
brought all three of the gifts. Or there could have been six
or ten wise men with some bringing no gift at all. But the
Christian imagination was consistent and clear: three gifts
meant three wise men. I think that conclusion was guided by
the Holy Spirit, and, if we take it seriously, we can derive
three lessons from today's gospel.
The first
lesson is this: Every one of us has a gift to offer. Christians
could have
imagined that there were ten wise men and many of them came
without bringing any gift. But they refused to accept the
possibility of an empty-handed wise man. This flowed from
the faith conviction that God does not create giftless people.
Every person that God has made is a gifted person; every person
has something to offer. So if you're sitting here today and
saying, "I can do this and that but I really have nothing
that is worthy of offering to God", you are wrong. This
story invites you to think again. If you don't know what your
gift is, find it. It is there. If you exist, you are gifted.
That is simply the way that God makes people. Find your gift
and claim it.
The second lesson moves in the opposite direction: No one
of us has all the gifts. Christians could have imagined that
one wise man gave all three gifts to the Christ child. But
they rejected that possibility, because Christians know that
gifts are spread throughout the community. No one of us has
them all. Therefore, we should not waste our time longing
over other people's gifts. How often we do that! How often
do we say, "I wish that I could be as intelligent as
that person, or have that person's sense of humor, or that
person's success, or that person's popularity"? This
story tells us, "Don't be jealous of other people's gifts.
Claim your own gift and be satisfied." Accept the gift
that was given to you. No one has all the gifts.
The third
lesson is this: Every gift is necessary; every gift is important.
The three gifts of the Wise Men were meant to describe the
person of Christ. Gold indicated his kingship and authority
as our Lord. Frankincense, his divinity as our God. Myrrh,
his suffering as our Savior. If any one of those gifts were
missing, an incomplete picture of Christ would result. Therefore,
each of those gifts had a purpose, and each of those gifts
was necessary. In the same way, any gift which God has given
to us is necessary. Each person's gift is something that is
important. It is only when every gift is used that the fullness
of God's kingdom will emerge.
Three
lessons from the three gifts of the three wise men: Each person
has a gift to offer. No person has all the gifts. Each gift
is necessary.
To these
three let me add a fourth: Once you know that you are gifted,
once you have located your gift and seen its importance, don't
sit on it. Do not hide it or keep it for yourself. Be like
the three kings and offer your gift in God's service. Be like
the three wise men and give the gift that you have received
to the One who is both Messiah and Lord.
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