The Magi Didn’t See Shepherds at a Manger

EVEN THOUGH CHRISTMAS PAGEANTS BRING THEM TOGETHER, the wise men and the shepherds appear in separate nativity stories, one in the Gospel of Matthew, the other in the Gospel of Luke. The two stories are significantly different, but they deliver the same truth, the same subversive message: The kingdom of God has arrived to overthrow the ruling powers of the world.

Let’s look first at the wise men (the magi or astrologers) in Matthew’s nativity story (1:18-2:18). After relating Mary’s predicament and Joseph’s dream-angel-inspired decision to go ahead and marry her (1:18-24), Matthew mentions the birth of Jesus, but provides no details (1:25).

“After Jesus was born in Bethlehem” (2:1), the action picks up. The magi arrive in Jerusalem and ask where to find the new-born king of Judea (2:1-2). Frightened by the news of a new “royal” birth, King Herod secretly asks the magi to find the baby and report back to him (2:3-8). They find the child in his house with his mother, but do not return to Herod (2:9-12). Warned by an angel in a dream, Joseph takes his family into exile in Egypt (2:13-15), and they escape the slaughter of infants “in and around Bethlehem” that Herod orders (2:16).

Luke tells a different story (2:1-20). Now, we’re in the time of a census ordered by Emperor Augustus, “while Quirinius was governor of Syria” (2:1). Joseph and his fiancé, a pregnant Mary, travel from Nazareth to Bethlehem to be registered. She gives birth there, wraps her son in “bands of cloth” and lays him in a manger “because there was no place for them in the inn” (2:4-7).

The shepherds in the fields come into the picture that night, after the birth, when an angel brings them “good news of great joy” (2:8-12). After they see “a multitude of the heavenly host” praising God (2:13-14), the shepherds go into Bethlehem, find the child in a manger, give a report of their angelic visitation, and return to the fields, praising God (2:15-20). Eight days later, Jesus is circumcised (2:21), then later still, he was purified “according to the law of Moses” (2:22-24).

In spite of the obvious differences between the two stories, both are built on the same narrative structure. Each tells of visitors coming from afar, who deliver the “good news” to someone, and see the newborn boy. Each also reports actions carried out in response to the birth. A chart will help us see how each author fills out the same narrative outline with different details:

In addition to using the same narrative structure in their very different stories, Matthew and Luke also use their stories to deliver the same message, the same truth — and for both it’s a subversive political message. Matthew makes this message rather more explicit than does Luke, but the good news for each of them is this: God’s kingdom is arriving now to overthrow and replace the ruling powers, the kingdoms, of this world.

In Matthew, the wise men, the magi, deliver this message loud and clear. They are members of a foreign elite, astrologers skilled in reading the signs, sages from the East. When they read the heavenly sign, they travel to the Judean capital and seat of power, where they deliver the “good news” to King Herod (who is a client king of the Roman empire) that his replacement was born recently, a boy who is not one of his own sons. The magi’s royal gifts show Jesus to be the “true king”; and the king’s murderous reaction shows how corrupt and evil the powers of this world are. The overthrow of worldly political power by God’s kingdom, now come, is good news indeed.

The subversive, anti-imperial message in Luke is subtle for us, but it would have been as plain as day to ancient audiences. Two elements in the story make the point. First, Luke has angels visiting common shepherds. It’s almost as if Luke knew a tradition about “wise men from the East” visiting and decided to up the ante with angels from heaven visiting not the king in his palace, but shepherds in the fields. The symbolism exalts the common folk while denying honor to the king. Then, the words of the angels drive the message home. The angels bring “good news” of “peace on earth” — the precise language used when Romans announced the arrival of their emperor. Again, the message is clear: If Christ is king (and he is), Caesar is not.

So, next time you enjoy a Christmas pageant, notice how the tradition has harmonized elements from two separate stories into one composite tale. If you have eyes to see, however, the subversive challenge of the original stories is still visible.

What would life be like, if we were to live as if God were the “king” (or the president, the congress, etc.) and the kingdom over which God ruled were this world? Peace on earth. Good will, justice and caritas toward all. Merry Christmas.