HEROD MEETS PRIVATELY WITH THE WISE MEN Part III

My beloved brothers and sisters in Our Incarnate Lord, God, and Savior,

CHRIST IS BORN! GLORIFY HIM!

HEROD MEETS PRIVATELY WITH THE WISE MEN [Part III]

King Herod had a private audience with the Magi and sent them to go to Bethlehem and said, ‘Go and search diligently for the young Child, and when ye have found Him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship Him also." When they heard the king, they departed, and, lo, the Star, which they saw in the east, went before them till it came and stood over where the young Child was. When they saw the Star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy [Matthew 2:8-10]. In reality, he planned to slay Christ.

The Wise Men Enter the House

The Magi, being led by the Star, followed it "till it came and stood over where the young Child was [Matthew 2:9] with His Mother. Now, by this time, Joseph had secured a room for the Theotokos and her Son. Thus, in Orthodox iconography of "The Veneration of the Magi," they are depicted in a house, which is in agreement with the words of the Evangelist Matthew that "they (the Magi) came into the house (εις τήν οικίαν) [Matthew 2:11]. The Theotokos is usually seen sitting on a throne with a high polygonal back. The Child Jesus is sitting on His Mother’s lap. The Magi then said to her: "Who art thou who hast produced and brought forth such a One? Who is thy father? Who is thy mother? For thou has become the mother and nurse of a fatherless Son. It was His Star that we saw when we came to behold a young Child, the Pre-eternal God.

The Magi did not see before them either scepter or throne, only utter poverty. And after they opened their treasures, they offered gifts to Him: GOLD, AND FRANKINCENSE AND MYRRH " [Matthew 2:11]. What was the significance of these gifts? Hymns from the Canon of the Forefeast disclose their meaning. "The kings, first-fruits of the nations, bring Thee gifts; …by MYRRH THEY POINT TO THY DEATH, By GOLD TO THY ROYAL POWER, By FRANKINCENSE TO CHRIST THE KING OF ALL AT HIS BIRTH."

At the present time, portions of the gifts of the Magi are to be found in the Holy Monastery of Saint Paul on the Holy Mountain. They were donated to the monastery by the Empress Kyra-Maro or Mara, the daughter of Serbian Prince George Brankovic. History records that she was the wife of Sultan Murat II and the mother of Mohammed II. It was her desire to present the gifts of the Magi to the monastery, albeit NO WOMAN WAS ALLOWED TO SET FOOT ON THE HOLY MOUNTAIN. Nevertheless, the monks received her on the shore and, out of respect and deference to her rank, did not protest when she proceeded up the path to deposit the gifts within the monastery. When she was halfway up the path, however, the Mother of God INTERVENED. STRAIGHTWAY, THERE WAS AN EARTHQUAKE, AND A FAMINE VOICE FROM HEAVEN WAS HEARD, SAYING, "DO NOT PROCEED ANY FURTHER, FOR ANOTHER QUEEN RULES THIS PLACE." In other words, the "other Queen" was Mary the Theotokos. Mara immediately halted and gave the Magi’s gifts to the monks and withdrew to the ship. To this day, a chapel may be seen that was built on this site, commemorating the event. By this little narrative, we learn that the virgin Mother wisely did not wish to have a precedent set by allowing females to tread on that parcel. As a solicitous Mother OVER HER STRUGGLING SONS, THE MONKS, SHE WISHED TO PREVENT ANY TEMPTATIONS THAT MAY ENSUE WITH FEMALE VISITORS.

The Magi Return Home

"And having been divinely warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed into their own country by another way" [Matthew 2:12]. As they were warned in a dream–a type of communication most familiar and acceptable to them–in that same hour there appeared to them an Angel in the form of that Star which before had guided them on their journey; and they went away, following the guidance of its light, until they arrived in their own country. Saint John Chrysostom describes the conclusion of their journey, saying that when "they had returned home, they continued to worship Him, more than before. And they preached Him, and instructed many. Finally, when the Holy Apostle Thomas came to that region, they joined themselves to him, and were baptized. They then became his helpers in the work of preaching the Gospel." [Resources: The Great Synaxaristes of the Orthodox Church]

Through the intercessions of Thy Saints,
O Christ God, have mercy on us. Amen.

___________
"Glory Be To GOD
For
All Things!"
– Saint John Chrysostomos
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With sincere agape in His Divine Incarnation and Birth,
The sinner and unworthy servant of God
+ Father George