1.6.19 Matthew 2:1-12 - Epiphany
After Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, when Herod was king, Wise Men from the east came to Jerusalem. They asked, 2 “Where is he who has been born King of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” 3 When King Herod heard this, he was alarmed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 He gathered together all the people’s chief priests and experts in the law. He asked them where the Christ was to be born. 5 They said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, because this was written through the prophet: 6 You, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are certainly not least among the rulers of Judah: because out of you will come a ruler, who will shepherd my people, Israel.” 7 Then Herod secretly summoned the Wise Men and found out from them exactly when the star had appeared. 8 He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. When you find him, report to me, so that I may also go and worship him.” 9 After listening to the king, they went on their way. Then the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them, until it stood still over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with overwhelming joy. 11 After they went into the house and saw the child with Mary, his mother, they bowed down and worshipped him. Then they opened their treasures and offered him gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 12 Since they had been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they went back to their own country by another route.
God Wants All of Us to See the Light
1 Timothy 2:4 says that God “wants all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” But sometimes it is hard to believe, especially when you think about the thousands of people who are born into a false religion in some of the remotest parts of the earth. What chance do they have of coming to faith in Jesus? Today shows us that nothing is impossible with God. It shows us that God can indeed save anyone from anywhere and at any time. The Wise Men come from hundreds of miles away: perhaps Iran or Iraq: to find Jesus.
The Wise Men were among the most highly placed people of their society, especially known for their studies of the planets and how they moved - astronomy and astrology. Nowadays we associate such people with superstition and horoscopes. They have no interest in Jesus or the Bible. Yet God was able to draw these men from the middle of their class, probably among many unbelievers, to come and find Jesus!
Consider how little information they have. All they have is a star, a special kind of star, that rose in their west. Somehow they knew that this star signified that the Messiah had been born. They called it “his star.” Maybe they received this revelation from Daniel’s time, when he lived among the Jewish captives as a wise man in Babylon. We don’t know. What we do know is that they took this star and this prophecy seriously. They didn’t just look at the Messiah as the King of the Jews, for they said straight out that they came “to worship Him.”
This shows us that there are no obstacles that are too great for our God to overcome. In Acts 17 Paul said to the men of Athens that God “determined the appointed times and the boundaries where they would live. He did this so they would seek God and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘Indeed, we are also his offspring.’ He also said in Romans 1 that God’s “invisible characteristics—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen since the creation of the world, because they are understood from the things he made. As a result, people are without excuse.” But nature only gets you so far. It builds curiosity and strikes fear. It makes people search, but it can’t make people find. When the star disappeared, the Wise Men were lost.
Imagine this caravan of camels coming into Jerusalem, looking for the King of the Jews who had just been born. They probably would have dressed much differently than the typical Jew in Israel. Maybe they themselves looked very regal. That’s the way I would envision them. “Where is the King of the Jews who has been born?”, they asked. Imagine the surprise to the Wise Men when the people of Jerusalem had no clue. They had a long time to think about and ponder what they would find when they got to Israel. Perhaps they envisioned a special palace having been built for the King, with all of Israel coming to adore Him. But nobody knew what the Wise Men were talking about. Wouldn’t you have been disappointed? Wouldn’t you have wondered or thought to yourself, “Maybe this whole prophecy was a farce!”
That wasn’t the only problem. Listen also to how the people responded to their question. When King Herod heard this, he was alarmed, and all Jerusalem with him. The people knew Herod all too well. He had already killed several of his wives and children out of fear that they were trying to take his throne. He was a nasty and evil politician. Once he heard news of a new “king” being born, he would not rest easy. He would want Jesus dead. The Jews reacted with fear over Jesus being born instead of joy. Jesus was just going to bring problems.
And isn’t this the sad response that so many people have to Jesus yet today - we look at Jesus more of a problem than a gift? Jesus is looked at as a problem to a relationship. “I’m not going to talk about my faith right now. It’s too soon.” So on they go, getting closer and closer to love and marriage, without ever discussing Jesus! Christmas Day worship? “That’s OUR time. I gave Him my time on Christmas Eve.” Sunday morning? “It’s my only day to sleep in.” The pastor is calling? “What does HE want?” Jesus is getting in the way of my new car. I can’t afford to give my first fruits. He’s in the way of my grudge. I don’t want to forgive. I’d rather be angry. When Jesus becomes a disturbance to you, well then you’ve got problems.
Imagine how the Wise Men felt at this response! “What are these foreigners doing here, looking for a King? Don’t they know any better!” What a stumbling block to them, who would have thought that the Jews would be excited about their King. Instead, they are just disturbed. And what a stumbling block it must be to some who are new in the faith, who hear and appreciate for the first time about God’s grace and forgiveness in Christ! They can’t wait to take the Lord’s Supper! They eagerly want to learn more of the Bible. But what do they witness from those around them? Mumbling through the liturgy? Checking their phones? Fidgeting through the sermon? Lack of interest in Bible study? Lack of attendance from so many? How disappointing to them who expect more from us who have been in the faith so much longer! What a disappointment we are to so many!
Herod didn’t know where to find Jesus. Imagine that! The King of the Jews doesn’t know where the true King is supposed to be born! So he summons the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They at least know the Word! They look back to Micah 5:2, a prophecy made over 700 years before. You, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are certainly not least among the rulers of Judah: because out of you will come a ruler, who will shepherd my people, Israel.” And there we have it! Where nature fails, God’s Word doesn’t. It is precise! It tells us exactly where to find Jesus! Right in Bethlehem, the house of bread, where we would receive the Bread of Life. The King was only 6 miles away! Jesus is not even that far for us! He is right here, in the Lord’s Supper. He is right here, in the Word! He is spoken from the pulpit. He speaks from the Bible. The church year and the liturgy points you to Him! We don’t have far to travel at all for Jesus! We can even take heated and air conditioned cars on the way here! He is so close! He is at our fingertips!
Then Herod secretly summoned the Wise Men and found out from them exactly when the star had appeared. 8 He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. When you find him, report to me, so that I may also go and worship him.”
Isn’t that an amazing thing! Jesus was only SIX MILES away, and they were too lazy to go along with the Wise Men and follow them there! Here they had traveled hundreds of miles to find Him, and these people were not even willing to go six miles! And Herod, what did he want to do? He wanted to worship Jesus in a different way. He wanted to perform a child sacrifice of Jesus, to permanently get rid of Him. History shows that Herod would die the NEXT YEAR in 4 B.C. (Jesus was probably born closer to 5 or 6 B.C. ) He had one year left of life. He of all people should have been coming to worship Jesus. But instead, Herod was only calculating how old Jesus would be so that he could murder all the boys in Bethlehem that were that old and younger.
9 After listening to the king, they went on their way. Then the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them, until it stood still over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with overwhelming joy. 11 After they went into the house and saw the child with Mary, his mother, they bowed down and worshipped him. Then they opened their treasures and offered him gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 12 Since they had been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they went back to their own country by another route.
God blessed their perseverance and led them directly to the house where Jesus was born. Notice also that it was a HOUSE, not a STABLE. Mary and Joseph had stayed in town after the census and found a place to live and stay. Joseph is not mentioned here. Perhaps he was working at the time. But Mary and Jesus were there, maybe somewhere out in the country, living in a house by themselves.
Think again about how offensive this would be to human reason. Here they had traveled maybe about a year over 700 miles. When they get there, there was no palace or guards. There was no throne. There was just a woman and a child in a normal house. None of that seems to matter to these Wise Men. They simply followed the Word. They believed the promise. They came to Jesus, nothing more than a toddler, and they worshiped this baby who could barely even walk. They were happy to give Him some of their finest gifts. Gold, fit for a king. Frankincense, used by the priests as a symbol of prayer as the smoke rose up to heaven. Myrrh, used to anoint priests and prophets, and also to embalm bodies! Might we see some symbolism, giving Jesus gifts that were used for prophets, priests, and kings? These gifts would become invaluable to them to sell and use for their trip to Egypt they would soon be making! The Wise Men held nothing back and gave Jesus their all, even though all of the surrounding picture seemed to have nothing majestic about Him at all! They worshiped the King of the Jews as their God and their King as well. Then they returned home.
And isn’t that how God wants us to approach Him as well! Don’t expect great flashy things. Don’t worry about how many other people are coming. Forget about the peripherals. Don’t let it bother you if nobody else seems to be excited about this Jesus. Listen to the Word. Remember who He is and what He has come to do! He is God in the flesh! He is Lord of the Universe! He created the world and He will end it too! He is the One who saved you from damnation under God’s wrath by dying on the cross in your place. He hasn’t come to take from you. He hasn’t come to impinge on your life or ruin your plans. He has come to give you forgiveness and salvation. This little boy has come to die for you and give you heaven! He isn’t a threat to you. He is salvation for you! He is your life! Give Him your best! Come and worship!
The older I get, the less I like going out. I saw the crowds of people in New York City on New Year’s Eve and said, “No thanks! Who would want to stand out in the freezing cold and rain in a crowd of people and watch a big ball drop down? No thanks! Not worth my time! Not worth my effort!” We watched a movie and were in bed by 11pm. I guess I’m getting lazy in my old age. I’d rather keep things simple. It takes a lot to get me out.
The Wise Men traveled a long way to find Jesus and worship Him. They could have stayed home and said, “Good for the Jews! I’ll worship Him from afar.” The Wise Men didn’t let the distance stop them. They didn’t care about the race of Jesus. They didn’t let the lack of zeal in Jerusalem stop them from worshiping. God had revealed to them that this was their time and this was the place they could come and worship the King. The star was there for them to follow. They didn’t want to let a good opportunity go to waste. God was guiding them to Jesus. The time was now.
This is where and how God tells us to find Jesus. Jesus speaks to us in the Word. He comes to us with His own body and blood for the forgiveness of sins in the Lord’s Supper. The Holy Spirit bathes us in Jesus in baptism. It may not look like it. But that’s what God’s Word says. Don’t let yourself be fooled by the peripherals. Don’t let the lack of enthusiasm on the part of some, or even many, keep you from listening. Come and worship! Remember who we are here to see and listen to - we are here for Jesus!
Epiphany is sometimes known as the Gentile Christmas. It is our Christmas. It shows us that God truly does want all people to be saved, and He has the power to do it. Think about it. You are living proof! We live thousands of miles from where Jesus lived and died. He was a different race. He lived two thousand years ago. Yet God has drawn you from the darkness of sin. You’ve seen His light. You believe that this Jesus is your Lord and Savior! You have come here to worship Jesus, someone you’ve never seen, who lived with us so many years ago! What a miracle! Don’t let familiarity breed contempt. Don’t let laziness hold you back. What an honor and a privilege to be able to listen to Him and receive His Supper and give Him your gifts! You don’t have to be an astrologer or an astronomer to get it. God wants all of us to see the Light, come, and worship. Amen.
