The Magi have often been the cause for speculation. Were they three in number, or does that number only reflect the three gifts they bore? Were they astronomers or were they more likely astrologers? Did they travel in caravan? How many days were they en route, and what landscapes did they traverse? And at what season did they arrive in Jerusalem?
Many are the questions surrounding the Magi, but surely they were those who persevered, or at least such is how they appear to me. Whatever the astral phenomenon they beheld and whatever the source of their knowledge, they ventured forth, the obstacles before them, if not insurmountable nonetheless difficult. If they came from the “east,” surely they trekked barren landscapes; and when they entered Jerusalem, they had to inquire: “Where is the one born king of the Jews; for we saw his star in the east and we came to worship him” (Matthew 2:2). That is, whatever star they saw “in the east,” no longer was its guidance available to them, and therefore they traveled to Jerusalem needing to ask, exhibiting their ignorance.
Similarly, near the close of His earthly ministry, Jesus sought to encourage His disciples via a parable. In His parable, Luke 18:1-8, He told of an unjust judge, who refused a widow the favorable judgment she desired. However, because of her apparent perseverance (i.e. the judge did not want to be “browbeaten” or “struck in the face”: ὑπωπιάζω [1]), he relented, in order to be rid her. Thus, if an unjust judge might render a just verdict, Jesus argued, how much more so God, who will give justice to those “who cry to Him day and night”? Indeed – but then Jesus asked: “[When] He comes, will the Son of Man find faith upon the earth?”
As I have thought of the Magi and their barren travels; as I have thought of the widow and Jesus’ haunting question, I have had pause for thought: today I received word from Malawi asking for prayer. It is the rainy season and yet the central region of Malawi has only just received rain. In the next 15-18 months, if presently they receive too little or too much rain, famine will once again stalk – and yet, in their worship, Malawians regularly (and with perseverance) affirm: “God is good and God is good all of the time.”
Praying,
Stan
[1] Cf. A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and other Early Christian Literature, (Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 2000), p. 1043.