Matt. 2:1-12 Theme: The Universalism of the Lord
Text: Is. 60:1-6; Eph. 3:1-12; Matt. 2:1-12
Today is the first Sunday of the year 2008. What we do at the beginning of the year often determines what happens during the year. There is a custom most of us observe. This custom is that the first salary we earn does not belong to us but is to be distributed among members of the family. We do this to show our appreciation for their help in getting us to the stage where we can earn a salary. They do not need the money but when they receive it the result is a blessing from them. If we find nothing wrong with giving the family the first of our salary then it must be normal to give the first fruits of the year to the Lord who gave it to us in the first place. This offering always ensures a blessing from the Lord as it is an indication that He comes first in our lives. Today also marks the beginning of the season known as Epiphany. An “epiphany” is when something reveals itself or shows itself. In the church, Epiphany refers to the time the Son of God revealed His glory for everyone to see. During this season we celebrate our Lord bringing His people out of darkness into light. But just as many people failed to recognise the Lord at His birth so many fail to recognise Him today. Many people are even ashamed to be identified with Him and end up treating Him with disrespect. The way we treat Christ does not change the truth about who He is since truth is not subject to the opinions of men. The truth remains the truth no matter how we view it. We cannot change the truth that Christ came into the world to be the Saviour of the whole world and as such deserves our worship. The wise men came from afar to worship Him recognising the universalism of the Lord and they challenge us today to do the same.
Jesus Christ is the light of the world. He is the only light that can deal with the darkness of sin upon the earth and its people. We can still see the evidence of spiritual darkness just by looking around us. Here in our nation spiritual darkness is the reason behind the shedding of innocent blood through such practices as mob justice and ritual killings. Spiritual darkness is behind all manner of evil such as armed robbery, rape, murder and torture. Spiritual darkness is the reason why terrorists are killing innocent people through suicide bombings and only a few days ago 30 people in Kenya who had sought refuge in a Church were burnt alive. Spiritual darkness is the reason behind drug abuse and the break up of many family relationships. The world had been living in darkness waiting for the light of the world to rise and shine. When the Light came the world did not recognise Him but because of that light we today can arise and shine, for our light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon us. Jesus Christ, the light of the world has dispelled the darkness of evil and made it possible for all people to come from the darkness into His light. All these things were revealed in the Scriptures and fulfilled in Christ.
The birth of the Lord Jesus Christ is described in the Bible as the rising of the sun in a very dark place. With the rising of the sun the darkness immediately disappears. In the same way with the rising of Jesus Christ in our lives the darkness of sin and guilt also disappears. The feeling of guilt and the committing of sin after sin and trying to make things right with God points us to the darkness that is still around us. Jesus Christ came to do what we could not do. He came to bring us out of darkness into the light and to make everything right between us and God. Are we convinced that our sins have been forgiven and that we are guiltless because Christ has died for our sins? It would be interesting to know what we would do if Jesus Christ were to come in person to spend some time with us. Would we continue doing the same things we always do? Would we continue saying the things we always say? Would we take Him with us everywhere we had planned to go? Or, would we, perhaps, change our plans for just a day or so? Would we be glad to have Him meet our closest friends? Or would we hope they would stay away until His visit ends? Would we be glad to have Him stay on forever? Or would we rejoice when He leaves? Many of us take a lot of things about Jesus for granted. We say He is our Saviour and Lord but we do not treat Him as such. We often want our Saviour and Lord to do what we want rather than us doing what He wants.
Christ came to earth for the salvation of the whole world and has been revealed to everyone. He was revealed to the Jews in Israel and to the Gentiles in a faraway land. God has placed within each one of us a place that only Christ can fill. Without Him we are empty inside. It is an emptiness that is caused by God in order to bring us to Christ. Just as the wise men needed to fill the emptiness in their lives by seeking Christ so wise men and women today also need to fill the emptiness in their lives by seeking Him. Christ must be sought with the same sort of seriousness that characterised the search by the wise men from the east. They were prepared to undertake a long difficult journey across the desert on camels to find Jesus in order to worship Him. We should also be prepared to seek Christ at all costs and not allow any perceived difficulties to prevent or hinder our search for Him.
The Scriptures reveal God’s plan of redemption to save the human race by sending a Saviour into the world. Jesus Christ came to save everyone. He came to save you and me. Christ’s birth was revealed to people both near and far and those who were wise recognised who He was. When the wise men saw the star, they rejoiced and came to worship Him because He was also their Lord. These men from faraway lands recognised Jesus, as the Messiah when most of the Jews who should have been better informed, did not. The chief priests and the teachers of the Law were not the least bit interested in the star. They were not even prepared to travel the short distance from Jerusalem to Bethlehem to find out what had happened although they knew the predictions about the Messiah. God has ordained Christ to be the Lord and King of the whole world whether we believe it or not. Our response to Him should be that of wise men and women who seek Him and not the response of Herod and the Jewish rulers. We are to point those who are still in darkness to the light as we ourselves ‘arise and shine, for our light has come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon us’.
Epiphany also describes the process when someone trapped in the darkness of sin sees and believes in the glory of Jesus Christ. It is when a person finally stops trusting in himself for salvation, and begins trusting in Christ. This is what happened to the wise men from the East. These Gentiles came from a far away land and probably did not know much about God sending a Saviour into the world as the Jews did. Yet when they saw the star they recognised the work of God and knew that the Messiah had come. When the wise men saw the sign that the King had come they set out to worship Him. They left their land of spiritual darkness and made the long trip to Jerusalem only to realise that it was just as spiritually dark as the land they had come from. But finally, the wise men saw the light of the world. The glory of God filled them and all they could do was to worship. They had left the darkness and come to the light.
We can only enjoy peace, prosperity, and God’s blessings when Christ is our Lord. He sacrificed Himself for us on the cross and this should be reason enough for us to trust and accept Him as our King. When we accept Him as our Saviour and Lord He forgives our sins, forgets them, breaks the power of sin over us and gives us the gift of the Holy Spirit to become members of His Kingdom. Salvation is not something we do, but something Jesus does for us. We cannot save ourselves any more that a drowning man can save himself. We are saved so that we can have a relationship with God, submitting our will to His and allow Him to rule our lives. This relationship enables us to enjoy His enormous blessings. Without it we miss out on God’s blessings. Jesus Christ is the King who can bless us with every imaginable blessing but our view of a king today is completely different from a king in the time of Christ. The prevalent idea of a king today, even in some Churches, is someone with power and authority to do what we want. This idea is completely opposite to that of those who lived during the time of Christ, during the time of the Roman Empire. Then the idea of a king was someone with power and authority to do what he wanted. A worldly king had power and authority and is able to enforce obedience using human strength and human weapons. The King of kings, however, has power and authority, which is not derived from the world but from God. This power and authority is not to be exercised in the way that the world exercises power. It is exercised by loving and caring for people the way Jesus did. Jesus healed many who were sick, cast out demons and performed many miracles to show that He is the long awaited Messiah. He exercised His power by serving others, by forgiving others, by healing others, by giving to others and by sacrificing Himself for others. His power is the power of truth, the power of faith, the power of hope, the power of love and the power of life itself. All these point to His sovereignty and should convince us to accept and acknowledge Christ as our King? God has made available all that we need to live in His Kingdom. This Kingdom is a reality and not just wishful thinking and it makes demands on us. It calls us to obedience, to faith, and to love. It calls us to reflect the character of Christ.
Epiphany is the light of Christ revealed to all people and all nations. It is when anyone living in the darkness of sin sees the glory of God revealed in Jesus Christ. Just as the sun rises on every nation and people, so also does the light of the world. The grace, forgiveness and salvation of Christ rises and shines on all people on earth. No matter who you are, you too, can leave the darkness and com into the light. Once the grace, mercy and forgiveness of Jesus Christ are experienced in your life the light of His glory will never stop shining in your life. And no matter how dark the world becomes you are to shine and by manifesting the love of Christ in your life point others to the light of Jesus Christ. May this Epiphany season be for you a time when you clearly see the glory of our Saviour, Jesus Christ? “Arise; shine, for your light has come. And the glory of the Lord rises upon you.” Amen.
