Did you hear the one about had the wisemen been wisewomen? They would have stopped for directions sooner allowing them to arrive in time to sweep the barn, make a casserole, and help deliver the baby. They would have also brought practical gifts!
Seriously though, the Magi (as Scripture calls them) weren’t bumbling idiots. They really were wise men, men whose footsteps we would do well to follow – confident of the way to heaven, yet humble in our approach to heaven.
Who were the Magi? Meet Balthazar of Baghdad. No, we don’t really know whether that was one of the wisemen’s names, though that’s what tradition suggests. And we’re not really sure whether these men came from present day Iraq, but it’s possible. About 600 years before Christ’s birth, the Jews were exiled to this part of the world. During their 70 years there at least one Israelite rose to a position of power and influence. That individual was Daniel, the same Daniel who once spent a night in the lions’ den. For 60 years Daniel held important Babylonian and Persian government posts, including Chairman of the Magi (Daniel 2:48). I can’t imagine Daniel studying the stars with his magi underlings without telling them about the true God who made the heavens and the earth. Daniel must have done more than that. He must have also told the magi about the promise God made to send a savior through the Israelites. Why else would magi, 600 years later, care about the birth of a baby 800 km away in Israel? Daniel’s bold witness is a reminder not to underestimate the impact of sharing our faith with our co-workers and friends. You never know how many generations of people will be affected!
But now how was it that the Magi found out about the Messiah’s birth? Well, everyone knows the story. A strange star appeared which the Magi, through some sort of insight from God, understood to mean that the Savior had been born. Then they just followed that star all the way to Jesus’ house in Bethlehem, the original OnStar navigational system, right? If so, why did the Magi stop in Jerusalem to get directions? It seems that, after announcing Jesus’ birth, the star disappeared for a time. But figuring that the King of the Jews would be born in the capital city of Jerusalem the Magi headed there. You can understand their confusion then when no one in Jerusalem seemed to know anything about the birth of a king.
Ironically it was the eventual enemies of Jesus: the chief priests and teachers of the law who pointed the Magi in the right direction – to Bethlehem just 10 km away. But how did they know where to look for the Messiah when they didn’t even know he had been born? Simple. They checked the Bible. The teachers of the law knew that 700 years earlier the prophet Micah had written: “But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will be the shepherd of my people Israel’” (Matthew 2:6).
Are you looking for direction in your life? If so, don’t wait for some miraculous sign from God – a message written in the stars. Oh it’s true; the stars do proclaim that there is a God and that he is powerful and wise (Psalm 19:1-4), but beyond that they can’t tell us much about him. The stars can’t tell us that we are sinners and need a savior. They don’t explain how Jesus died and rose again to pay for our sins and through faith in him the way to heaven is open – only the Bible can do that. Looking for direction in life without reading the Bible is like trying to locate a friend’s house without knowing the address. You’ll end up going round and round in circles as the Magi did in Jerusalem until Scripture pointed the way.
The lesson is obvious isn’t it? Follow in the wisemen’s footsteps by eagerly listening to what God says to you in his Word. No, God doesn’t tell us everything we would like to know but he does tell us everything that we need to know, that through faith in Jesus the door to heaven is open. It’s that message on the plain white pages of Scripture and not some sort of spectacular sign in the sky that makes us sure of God’s love and confident of the way to heaven.
Since Scripture said that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem, to Bethlehem the Magi went! This time there was no aimless wandering about because God caused that special star to reappear and lead the Magi to the very house Jesus was. While the Magi were overjoyed to see the star again I wonder if they weren’t a little hesitant to go into the house the star indicated. I mean these stargazers had traveled 800 km to see the starmaker. Could it be that the King of kings would really take up residence in such a lowly house and not a palace or at least a mansion? But none of this seemed to matter to the Magi. They treated that house like it was the grandest of palaces and didn’t snicker at the cheap sofa or the outdated wallpaper. For all they cared, Jesus could have been born in a barn! The Magi were just overwhelmed at being given the privilege of seeing their long-awaited Savior. The Magi were so awed that they, men who were accustomed to receiving honor, got down on their hands and knees and approached the Christ-child in humility.
I’m glad that the Magi didn’t find Jesus in some spectacular mansion. It reminds me that wherever I meet Jesus in his Word and Sacrament, such a place is glorious. Yes, even this place where the roof leaks and the pastor stutters. And so when I enter these premises I will do so with humility. I will not plop myself in my chair, arms folded, daring the organist to wake me up from my hangover. I will not stare up at the skylight sure that the pastor can’t tell me anything I don’t know already. No! Get down on your knees, Man, Woman, Child! We’re on holy ground. We’re here to worship the one who came from heaven to save us from hell.
Worshipping doesn’t just mean bowing before the Lord, does it? The Magi didn’t think so. They had gifts for the Christ-child – gifts fit for a king because that’s what Jesus was even though he didn’t look it. As we bring our gifts to the Lord, let us remember who he is – the King, not the Canadian Diabetes Association that’s happy to take our cast-offs. But even when we do give our best, we will do so with humility. Because even if I could give God all that I have and all that I am, it’s still far short of what he deserves.
When the Magi were ready to leave, they were told in a dream to head home a different route, a route that wouldn’t take them back to King Herod as had been originally planned. In their continuing humility, the Magi obeyed. When we return home this morning, we will want to take a different route too. If you came here angry with a neighbor, go home with forgiveness. If you arrived with bitterness due to sibling rivalry, go home in peace and with peace. If you showed up jealous because a friend received more presents than you this Christmas, go home content that Jesus loves you and promises to provide the things you need. We can, no, we will go home a different route because we have seen the King. We have heard his love. We have basked in his forgiveness. We have received his power.
The mode of transportation has changed and navigational systems may be different but God still wants men and women everywhere to seek the Christ-child. Wise men and women do this confident of the way yet humble in their approach because Scripture is their guide, and heaven their prize. Amen.
