Today, the Magi travel to Bethlehem to kneel before the newborn king in adoration.
In homage to him, they offer him gifts.
Today, we celebrate the Eucharist in this church. We also bring gifts and adoration. Linked with beauty and majesty, these two events are one and the same.
The town that Jesus is born in is named “Bethlehem”; translated from its Hebrew root it is literally translated, “The House of Bread”. If we take the name in its Arabic form (Bet Lahm) – it becomes the house of meat. Both languages point to the truth of John 6 – Jesus’s flesh becomes our living bread.
Jesus Christ is laid in a manger – or the box which cattle and other animals would eat from. We see our Lord’s humility here. Besides lying in a place too low for humans, he lays in a place where food would normally be.
Jesus tells us in John 6:41: “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” and continues in verse 51 “Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh which I will give for the life of the world.” At Bethlehem, wheat still lies in the manger and the helpless creatures of the earth are still fed in the House of Bread.
Now let’s return to the Magi. They kneel before the king with gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Gold for his kingship, Frankincense for the incense offered before God, and myrrh for the fragrance which would cover his body at death, reminding us of his humanity. When we approach this altar for the Eucharist, we kneel before Jesus, the same living bread that once lay in a manger at Bethlehem, and adore him. As the Magi look on at us, they do so with jealousy, they couldn’t imagine the gift he would give, kneeling before that manger, we are invited to eat his flesh, the living bread, and have life for eternity.
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