Introduction
On the first Sunday of 2026, Stéphane Guillet opens the Gospel of Matthew to chapter 2, verses 1 through 18, and reflects on a text that "resonates quite strongly with our current times": the coming of the wise men from the East to the child Jesus, against a backdrop of Herod's tyranny and forced exile. In this account where "beauty rubs shoulders with absolute horror," the preacher discerns three pieces of good news for you to receive as you start this new year.
Message Outline
1. No one is too far from God to draw near to him
- The wise men come from the East, a region loaded with negative symbolism in the Bible: it is to the East that Adam and Eve are driven out after the first sin (Genesis 3:22-24), further east still that Cain goes to settle, to the East that the tower of Babel is built (Genesis 11:2) and where magic is practiced (Isaiah 2:6), and to the East, finally, that Babylon lies, where Israel would be exiled because of its sin.
- It may be because of this symbolism that, in the Jerusalem temple, the most holy place was set on the west side: those who entered walked from east to west, moving from the East toward the presence of God.
- Yet God has never hidden his desire to reach this distant world: Abraham himself came from the East (Ur of the Chaldeans, in the region of Babylon), and Isaiah 60:3-6 foretold nations walking toward the light of Jerusalem, bearing gold and incense.
- The coming of the wise men tells you that there is no man or woman too far from God, no dark corner in you that God could not reach, you can come just as you are.
2. God speaks your language and teaches you his
- The wise men arrive by following a star (their own language, that of sky-watchers), and they leave having been divinely warned in a dream, in God's language.
- Their practice, astrology, was nevertheless formally forbidden by Old Testament law (Isaiah 47:13), and the term "magi" is used again in Acts 13:6 to describe a magician whom Paul would sharply rebuke. The text does not dwell on this shady dimension: God uses their science to lead them to Jesus.
- In the same way, God comes to meet you in the language that speaks to you: reason for the rationalist, dreams for other cultures (Stéphane Guillet mentions Iranians baptized in Argenteuil who often testify to a dream), and most often, a person close to you, a family member, a friend, a coworker.
- After the encounter with Jesus, God speaks to them in his own language (a dream, as with Joseph in verse 13). This word protects them from Herod's murderous claws and opens up another path, a path of life. Today it is above all the Bible that God has placed at your disposal to speak to you, return to reading it as this year begins.
3. You are invited to choose whom you will give your allegiance to
- Through the expression "King of the Jews," the text raises the question of who reigns over you. Herod was recognized as king of the Jews by the Roman Senate, a cruel king who brought misery on his people (verses 16-18).
- The contrast is deliberate: facing the wily old king, the child with his mother (verse 11). It is this child God, "God with us" according to Matthew 1, who is the destination of the wise men's journey, not an idea, not an impersonal force.
- Today other forms of tyranny reign: an algorithm that governs your thoughts, an artificial intelligence to which you have entrusted your important decisions, a philosophy, a guru. There is always someone or something ruling over you.
- The wise men chose the child God. They had to give up their greatness, their science, their wisdom, and make themselves very small in order to kneel and worship. Jesus would later say: "I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you hid these things from the wise and understanding" (Matthew 11:25).
Key Takeaways
- No dark corner in you is too far gone for God to reach, you can draw near to him just as you are.
- God uses the language that speaks to you to draw you to himself, then teaches you his own, opening up a path of life before you.
- Regularly reading the Bible remains today the ordinary means by which God speaks to you and sets you on a new path.
- There is always someone or something ruling over you: the story invites you to consciously choose to give your allegiance to Jesus rather than to modern tyrannies.
- Worship begins with humility: making yourself very small before the child God, as the wise men did when they gave up their greatness.
Personal Application
- What "dark corner" of your life do you consider too far gone for God to be interested in it, and what would happen if you brought it to him just as it is?
- Through what language has God met you in your own journey of faith (reason, a dream, a person, a circumstance), have you already recognized it and thanked him for it?
- What place does reading the Bible hold in your days, and what concrete habit can you build at the start of 2026 to listen to it more?
- What invisible "tyrants" govern your life today (an algorithm, an artificial intelligence, a philosophy, other people's opinions), what are they calling you to that Jesus is not?
- Where in your life do you need, like the wise men, to give up your greatness in order to kneel down and worship the child God?
Verses Cited
- Matthew 2:1-18 (WEB)
- Genesis 3:22-24 (WEB)
- Genesis 11:2 (WEB)
- Isaiah 2:6 (WEB)
- Isaiah 47:13 (WEB)
- Isaiah 60:3-6 (WEB)
- Acts 13:6 (WEB)
- Matthew 11:25 (WEB)
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is the story of the wise men read on the first Sunday of the year?
Matthew 2:1-18 is a classic reading for Epiphany Sunday: it tells how non-Jews, guided by a star, are led to the child Jesus. It is a text of beginnings that invites you to receive the light of Christ for the new year and to set out toward him yourself, in turn.
Were the wise men really astrologers?
Yes. The term "magi" refers in the New Testament to sky-watchers who practiced astrology, Acts 13:6 uses the same word for a magician whom Paul would sharply rebuke. This practice was formally forbidden by Old Testament law (Isaiah 47:13), but God chose to use their imperfect science to lead them to Jesus, before then speaking to them in a dream, that is, in his own language.
How can I build the habit of reading the Bible in 2026?
A Bible reading plan that offers one or two passages for each day of the year is a good place to start. What matters is not chasing a performance but placing yourself each day before the word in prayer, so that God can teach you his language and show you new paths of life, as he did for the wise men and for Joseph.
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