The Wise Men, or Magi, are not found in Luke at all, but in Matthew, chapter 2. Matthew places them in Bethlehem some time later. Jesus' family had moved into a house. The angels had done their thing. The shepherds had gone. The Magi, the aliens, came to do something different.

Centuries before Jesus' birth the Greek historian Herodotus wrote of magi among the Medes and Persians. They were said to have power to interpret dreams and read the stars. The Jewish historian Philo, during Jesus' time, also reported about magi—some astronomers, some hucksters.

Where did the Magi come from? Scholars still wonder. The term magoi came from the ancient Medes and Persians and suggests the Magi came from Parthia or Persia—today's Iran. The fact that the Magi were followers of the stars suggests they may have come from Babylon—a land found today in Iraq. (Daniel 4:7 and 5:15 describe magicians and wise men in Babylon.) The gifts of gold and frankincense suggest the Arabian desert, as suggested by Isaiah 60:6 (from Midian and Sheba)—"they shall bring gold and frankincense, and ... proclaim the praise of the Lord."

One thing we do know is that they weren't local boys. They weren't even Jewish. They were strangers—foreigners—aliens.

Imagine that these Magi were traveling to find the baby Jesus here in the United States. Imagine that Jesus was born last year in a stable in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, but now his family has moved into your home. Now imagine suspicious federal agents in dark suits arriving at your doorstep. They ask: "We intercepted at the border several men dressed in strange robes. Their trip originated in the Iraqi desert and they claim they have come to this land transporting 'gifts' to deliver to your house. These alleged 'gifts' are gold and expensive embalming materials that they insist are for your baby."

Somebody's got some explaining to do! This was not like the sheriff knocking on your door to tell you some shepherd boys with a crazy story wanted to see your new baby. Federal immigration authorities are watching because the Magi are aliens. This is an international, interreligious, intercultural encounter.

Matthew emphasizes a point Jesus made repeatedly: sometimes the religious establishment misses the whole point and it takes outsiders to show the insiders what faithfulness looks like. Sometimes our own familiarity with things prevents us from seeing God's miracle of salvation unfolding before our eyes. Sometimes we desperately need the eyes of the alien to help us see things the way they really are. The alien can arouse our prejudices. But the alien can also help us overcome our prejudices.

Thank God for the alien God sends to you. Thank God when God sends you to be the alien. Help us, O God, to be faithful like these Magi.

Next month:
Lydia: voluntary alien