Most of the time, being an Anglican is a very ‘mixed bag’. We are, after all, the church of Empire, complicit in the colonial enterprise – derived from a state church with an hereditary monarch as Supreme Governor. We’re not quite Catholic and not quite protestant, and our favourite activity is shooting our wounded.
But we are also the church of Desmond Tutu. Tutu was one of those Anglican leaders who meant we could hold our heads high. His exuberant energy, his terrific sense of humour, his confrontation of systemic evil, and his unswerving commitment to reconciliation and peacemaking. He was the best of us. He wasn’t just a social justice warrior or a preacher – he was also a spiritual being. His life was shaped by prayer and by sharing, usually daily, in the Eucharist. In a sea of bland episcopal functionaries - Tutu was a bishop with passion and vision and a fire in his guts. His vision lives on in myriad ways, but his loss to the Anglican movement cuts me pretty deeply, I have to admit.
On Thursday it is the Feast of the Epiphany, and we are marking the feast today. The Magi, the wise men, the Kings – they show up in nativity plays at Christmas but this is their special day.
In the book of Numbers, the prophet Balaam speaks against the evil King Balak. He declares that a star will arise from Jacob and a sceptre from Israel. The infant Jesus is depicted as the fulfilment of this declaration by Balaam - he is the new star and the new King. If so, who is the evil King, the Balak of the story? Clearly, it is Herod. The battle is pitched - Jesus vs Herod. The battle becomes clearer when Herod mimics Pharaoh by slaughtering all the baby boys - Jesus survives, just as Moses survives. Of course, Jesus and family go into Egypt and return, just to doubly emphasise the point. Jesus is Balaam’s rising star, and he is the New Moses.
Isaiah 60 and Psalm 72 are the inspiration for the magi who come bearing gifts. In Isaiah, camels and riders come bearing Gold and Frankincense, and in Psalm 72 kings come from far away bearing gold. So again, Jesus is being portrayed as the fulfilment of the messianic hope, the true King of Israel. Myrrh, which is not referenced in the same way, is the oil used to anoint kings and rulers, so its addition make sense.
So, for Matthew, Herod is not a good Israelite King, he is not the true Israelite King. Jesus is the true King of the Hebrews, and, by extension, a righteous King who deserves tribute from all the people of the world.
In the year 66CE, Halleys Comet appeared. Nero was the Emperor in Rome, and there was a major Jewish uprising in Jerusalem, which preceded the destruction of the temple four years later - the province of Judea was in turmoil. In 66CE, King Tiridates of Armenia led a delegation of Magi (that is, learned astrologers) from Armenia to Rome. After they had paid homage to Nero, and Tiridates was confirmed as the puppet ruler of Armenia, they returned home by another route. The very bright Halleys comet appeared in the dawn sky in the east, and was visible throughout the day, and moved in a westerly direction.
The gospel of Matthew, written in the two decades afterwards, masterfully integrates this information, but instead of the Magi coming to pay homage to Nero, instead of the client King drawing authority from the Emperor, these foreign wise ones come to pay their homage and bring tribute to a Palestinian toddler.
Matthew’s depiction of the visit of the magi is certainly an endearing image. But embedded within this endearing image is a piece of subversive propaganda, designed to discredit Herod and sabotage the Roman Empire.
The story of Epiphany is, therefore, a very dangerous story, because it dares to propose an alternative source of power. I think we all know, whether from careful observation or bitter experience, the price that is demanded when sources of power are threatened and undermined. This lovely story of ethnic gents on camels bearing lovely presents for the adorable baby, is merely the overture for the main act, in which this infant pays with his life for daring to challenge the power and authority of Rome and the corrupt leadership of Herod and The Temple in Jerusalem.
We remember Desmond Tutu today, too. He too proposed an alternative source of power in Apartheid South Africa. In the face of oppression, violence and exploitation – he discerned that no one could be free unless all were free.
He served the Christ who was visited by the Magi, and so perhaps can we.
The Lord Be With You