Rewriting the Magi Story:

This fan fiction reimagines a different version of the familiar story of the Magi. Instead of following God’s guidance to take a different route home, the Magi return to Herod, betraying the location of the infant Jesus. The story delves deep into the uncertainty the Magi may have felt regarding God’s call. Were they genuinely hearing God’s direction to avoid Herod, or were they simply unsure and following their own instincts? In our lives, we, too, face moments where we struggle to discern if we are truly hearing God’s call or just misinterpreting our own thoughts.

The Magi, who are guided by a star and directed to worship the newborn King, experience a tension between their calling to follow God’s voice and their fear of Herod’s power. They are faced with a decision: remain faithful to the divine direction, even when it leads to danger, or return to Herod with what they know. In this moment of uncertainty, the Magi may not be sure if God is directing them to take another route or if their hesitation is just their own fear and doubt. Their uncertainty mirrors our own moments of doubt when we aren’t sure if we are hearing God’s voice or if it’s just a product of our own desires and fears.

The Magi’s choice to return to Herod could be seen as a failure to trust God’s leading. But it also brings up an important theological question: Could God have found another way to protect Jesus from Herod’s wrath? If the Magi had indeed followed the divine guidance, would Herod’s plan still have been thwarted, or was God prepared for every possible contingency? This question opens up a broader discussion about the ways God works in the world: does God only act when we follow God’s specific instructions, or does God have the power to shape history in unexpected ways, regardless of human decisions?

Theologically, it’s possible that even if the Magi had betrayed Jesus’ location, God, in divine sovereignty, would have found another way to ensure the protection of the child. This concept explores God’s ability to use human free will for good, as well as God’s capacity to intervene and change circumstances in ways we may not understand. If the Magi made a mistake by not fully trusting God’s guidance, could God have worked through their actions to fulfil God’s purposes? This idea may encourage us to think about how God works in our own lives, particularly when we act out of doubt or uncertainty.

Key Themes to Explore:

1. The Uncertainty of God’s Call: The central focus of this is the uncertainty the Magi face in discerning God’s call. In the fan fiction version, the Magi are torn between the fear of Herod’s power and the guidance they have received. They are unsure whether they are hearing God’s voice or their own hesitations. This can be related to our own struggles to discern God’s will—how often do we doubt if we’re hearing God or just thinking what we want to believe? The Magi’s situation prompts a discussion on how we, too, face moments where the path is unclear, and we struggle to distinguish God’s voice from our own fears or desires.
2. God’s Sovereignty and Human Free Will: Could God have intervened in a different way if the Magi had returned directly to Herod? This question invites us to wrestle with God’s sovereignty—God’s control over all events—and human free will. Even if the Magi’s decision to betray Christ was a moment of weakness or doubt, could God have still ensured the safety of Jesus, perhaps through other means? This is a question of divine providence: How does God’s will unfold in the world, and to what extent does human choice play a role in the outcome? This theme challenges us to consider the balance between our own agency and God’s overarching plan.
3. Redemption Through Our Mistakes: Despite their failure to follow God’s call perfectly, the Magi are still used in God’s story of salvation. This offers a message of hope: even when we act in doubt or uncertainty, God can redeem our mistakes and still work through us to bring about God’s purposes. Just as God used the Magi’s journey for good, so too can God use our uncertain and imperfect choices for God’s glory.
4. The Cost of Not Trusting God: (this point stems from my frustration around child abuse and death). The Magi’s decision to return to Herod, telling him the location of Jesus, ultimately sets off a chain of events that could have led to the death of the child Jesus. On the other hand, it would have prevented Herod, driven by fear and jealousy, from ordering the massacre of the innocents in an attempt to destroy the potential threat to his throne.
   Suppose Herod had discovered the location of Jesus. In that case, the story raises a profound theological question: Would God have allowed the death of Jesus as a child, bringing the birth and crucifixion together in an unexpected way? Or would God have found another way to intervene and protect the child Jesus, as God did when the Magi were warned in a dream? There are many possibilities to explore in considering how God might have responded to such a drastic turn of events.
   Here are some possibilities to consider in this theological exploration:

• • God’s Plan to Protect Jesus: Even if Herod had discovered the location of Jesus, God might have intervened in another way to protect Jesus, ensuring the child’s safety at the right time. The death of Jesus might have been postponed, and God’s sovereign will would continue to unfold in unexpected ways. This leads to a reflection on the role of divine protection and intervention: does God always work through human choices, or does God sometimes act directly to protect God’s purposes?
  • The Birth and Crucifixion Converging: If Jesus had been killed as a child, the birth and sacrifice could have been brought together in one tragic yet redemptive moment. This scenario would challenge our understanding of God’s timing and the nature of Jesus’ mission. Would God have allowed Jesus to die in this way, fulfilling the ultimate sacrifice of the Lamb of God at an earlier stage in his life? This raises questions about the nature of God’s plan for salvation: Was the timing of Jesus’ death necessary, or would God have allowed for an earlier death to achieve the same purpose?
  • The Resurrected Child Jesus: If Jesus had been killed as an infant, how would God have responded? Would God have miraculously raised the child Jesus from death, similar to how Jesus was raised after his crucifixion? This opens up a dialogue about the nature of resurrection and God’s power to overcome death. Would the resurrection of the infant Jesus have been a precursor to the ultimate resurrection at the end of his ministry? This would invite a deeper theological conversation about the continuity of God’s redemptive plan and how God’s power over life and death operates in different contexts.
  • The Incarnation and Sacrifice: The idea of the birth and crucifixion converging would raise questions about the relationship between the Incarnation and the Passion. Could the Incarnation be understood in a different light if Jesus had died as a child? Would it have altered the theological significance of Jesus’ human life, suffering, and death as an adult? This would explore how God’s redemptive story might have been told differently, with the emphasis on the sacrifice of Christ starting earlier in life.
  • The Role of Human Free Will and Divine Protection: The massacre of the innocents was the tragic result of Herod’s free will acting against God’s will. If the Magi had been more faithful in following God’s instructions, would Herod have been stopped in his tracks? This invites a deeper exploration into how human choices and divine protection intersect in the unfolding of God’s plan. What would have happened if human beings had made different choices or if they had more clearly discerned God’s will? Could God have intervened to prevent the massacre through the choices of the Magi or others?
  • God’s Sovereignty vs. Human Choices: If Jesus had been killed as a child, it raises a question about God’s sovereignty in the face of human evil. Could God have allowed such an early death for Jesus, or was God’s plan always to protect the child until the appointed time? If the death of the infant Jesus had been part of the divine plan, it would highlight God’s sovereignty and power to bring good even out of the most tragic circumstances. However, if God had protected Jesus in some other way, it would reinforce the idea that human actions, even when misguided or sinful, do not thwart God’s ultimate purposes.
  • The Purpose of Suffering and Protection: The idea that Jesus could have been killed as an infant invites us to think about the purpose of suffering and God’s protection. Could God have allowed this suffering to begin earlier as a foreshadowing of the ultimate sacrifice that would take place years later? Alternatively, would God have found a way to ensure that Jesus was spared from suffering at this stage so that the redemptive work would unfold according to God’s perfect timing? This question challenges us to reflect on the nature of suffering in God’s redemptive plan and how we understand the protection of the innocent in a world marked by violence and evil.
  • The Prophetic Fulfillment: If Jesus had died as a child, the implications for prophecy would be profound. Would the prophetic words of Isaiah and others have been fulfilled differently? Would the narrative of Jesus’ life have been altered in such a way that other prophecies (such as the resurrection) would have been reinterpreted? This invites consideration of how God’s purposes are fulfilled in ways we cannot predict and how the unfolding story of Jesus could have looked different while still serving to bring salvation.
  • Theological Implications for the Holy Family: How would the early death of Jesus have affected Mary and Joseph’s role in God’s plan? Would they have been able to live out their faith in the same way, knowing that God’s purposes for their son had been fulfilled so early? This question explores the human emotions and theological reflections of those who were closest to Jesus and their understanding of his mission, particularly in light of an early death.

In exploring these possibilities, we come to recognise how much mystery surrounds God’s unfolding plan and how, even in the face of uncertainty and doubt, God remains in control. The death of the innocents, while tragic, serves as a reminder that God’s ultimate plan for salvation cannot be thwarted, even if the path to that salvation looks different than we might expect. The conversation between human choices and divine sovereignty offers a rich theological reflection for us today.

Personal Application: Reflecting on our own lives, we can ask: When have you experienced doubt in hearing God’s voice? Have there been times when you were uncertain about God’s call, and did you act in fear or trust? What are the consequences of following your own desires or fears instead of God’s guidance? How can we learn to trust God’s leading more clearly, even when the path seems uncertain?