The story of the magi coming to Jesus is one of my favorite images in all of scripture. It's an image full of creative mystery. These magi or kings come from the East, from somewhere else, and they bring with them unknown languages, cultures, clothing, and habits. They are different but beautiful and they come to see a baby in a manger. 

The story of the magi is seen as a fulfillment of this passage from Isaiah 60:1-6. These magi represent the kings who come to Zion (to Jerusalem) and bring their gold and wealth to the only place in the world where God's divine light shines. The hope underpinning this passage rests in Israel's experience with the Exile. After the depopulation of Jerusalem and the destruction of the Temple by Babylon, the hope in the community taken to Babylon rested in reversal. They saw the Temple and the city destroyed. They prayed that their experience of being dragged out of Jerusalem and watching their wealth consumed by other empires would be reversed. Israel would depopulate and consume Babylon like Babylon consumed Israel. 

The imagery, while beautiful, is also shortsighted. Isaiah wants what happened to the Jerusalem community to happen to other communities. Isaiah's experience is so raw, harsh, and current, that Isaiah struggles to see hope in a different way. Israel longs to be rescued from their experience of oppression but there's a feeling of tit-for-tat within this passage (and the verses that follow) that is troubling. Are our prayers to God merely a call for revenge? Is God really just going to do the same to our enemies as our enemies did to us? Or is God's hope something more? 

The story of the magi visiting the Christ child shows that God has something more in store. Hope is not just a reversal of our experiences. Hope is a resurrection of them.