Epiphany
Mt
2:1-12
1/6/23
Rising to
attention was a dangerous thing in Joseph Stalin’s Soviet Union. Stalin had acquired his position by
eliminating opponents and rivals. Once
in power, he was not going to give it up.
He was paranoid and regularly used the Russian secret police - the NKVD
- to execute and imprison anyone he perceived to be a potential threat.
Large
portions of the Russian military were not exempt from this. During 1937-1939 Stalin ordered purges in the
Russian military. In the Army, 50 of 57
corps commanders, and 154 or 186 division commanders were removed. These actions proved to be disastrous in June
1941 when Germany invaded the Soviet Union. With so much of the skilled and
veteran commanders removed, Russian military leadership was severely lacking.
This played a significant role in the disastrous losses that the Soviet Union
experienced in the first six months of the war as the nation lost a million
killed or wounded and three million captured.
Herod the
Great was very similar to Joseph Stalin. Against all odds he had risen to power
and ruled a kingdom that was as large as the one created by King David. He too did this by eliminating opponents and
rivals as he ingratiated himself to whatever Roman leader had control over
Palestine. Once in power, he was not
going to give it up either. He was
paranoid and had three of his own sons executed because he perceived them to be
threats to his position.
This
background helps us to understand the reaction by Herod when the magi showed up
in Jerusalem looking for “the king of the Jews.” Herod responds in unbelief. On the other hand,
the magi faithfully sought and found Jesus.
Yet what our text makes clear is that the magi did not figure
this out on their own. Instead, it was God who brought them to Christ. In the
magi we see that God’s grace has included us as Gentiles in his people. And we also see that it is by grace that we
as individuals believe in Jesus.
Our Gospel
lesson for the Feast of the Epiphany of Our Lord is marked by two statements
that indicate surprise. The first of
these occurs at the very beginning of our text as we hear, “Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of
Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the
east came to Jerusalem, saying, ‘Where is he who has been born king of the
Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship
him.’”
The
word “behold” calls our attention to the fact that the arrival by the magi was
unexpected and surprising. The magi
showed up in Jerusalem looking for “the king of the Jews.” There are two surprises
here. First, what are Gentiles doing, looking for the king of the Jews? And
second, why are magi doing this?
You
will note that thus far, I have not referred to the magi as “wise men.” This is very intentional. The term “wise men” has positive connotations
among us. It indicates great learning
that had been applied in figuring out the meaning of the star and coming to
find the Christ. However, the Greek word “magoi” had very negative
connotations in first century Judaism. Magi were associated with paganism and
all that was the opposite of the true knowledge of God.
That
is why it was a surprise to find magi looking for the king of the Jews. Magi were pagan Gentiles whose learning did
not involve the true God. Their learning
and arts could not bring them to God.
But we learn that God had acted through his word and through his
creation to bring the magi to the Christ.
The
magi came from the east and announced that they were looking for the king of
the Jews because they had seen “his star when it rose.” We do not know exactly where the magi
originated. The best guesses are what had been Babylonia or Persia. They had
seen a star when it rose – they had seen
some kind of astronomical event that indicated to them that the king of the
Jews had been born.
The
lands I have mentioned are places where the people of Judah had lived in
exile. They had brought the Scriptures
with them, and so the magi had come into contact with it. It is in Scripture – in Numbers chapter
twenty four – that they had read: “I see him, but not now; I
behold him, but not near: a star shall come out of Jacob, and a
scepter shall rise out of Israel; it shall crush the forehead of Moab
and break down all the sons of Sheth.”
God had
provided the Scripture. God had provided the astronomical event. This is what prompted the magi to seek the
king of the Jews. They had gone to where you expect the king to be – in
Jerusalem. God in his providence had
seen to it that Herod was also there, because normally he would have been at
his palace at Caesarea on the Mediterranean Sea.
What Herod
heard was disturbing. When Herod got disturbed, bad things happened, and so the
people in Jerusalem were troubled. Herod
was not really a Jew. He was from Idumea.
And he certainly wasn’t a true believer – he built temples for pagan
gods in Gentile areas. He had no idea
what Scripture said, so he summoned the chief
priests and scribes of the people and inquired of them where the Christ
was to be born.
They
quoted Micah chapter five as they said, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is
written by the prophet: ‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no
means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who
will shepherd my people Israel.’” Bethlehem – the city of David – was the
place were the child would be born.
It
was Scripture that provided the destination for the magi’s travel. And then we encounter the second surprise as
our text says, “And behold,
the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest
over the place where the child was.” An astronomical event had prompted the
trip. But now, the same astronomical event again appeared and actually guided
the magi to the place where Jesus was. This was something new, as God himself
led the magi. Indeed, Matthew tells us,
“When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. These
Gentile magi were led by God to Christ as he used Scripture and a star. And
when they were brought to Christ we learn that “they fell down and worshiped
him” and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
Matthew’s
Gospel is striking in that he alone indicates the Jewish centered mission of
Israel’s Messiah. When our Lord sent out
the apostles he said, “Go nowhere among the
Gentiles and enter no town of the Samaritans, but go rather to the
lost sheep of the house of Israel.” We may be offended by this, but Jesus’
words remind us that we are by nature “outside” of God’s saving work. We did not descend from Abraham and Jacob. We
were not included in the covenant God made with Israel at Mt. Sinai.
However,
in Matthew’s Gospel we also find that the first people to come and worship
Jesus are Gentiles. In fact, they are magi. This is not what we
would expect. But we find in this the anticipation of the fact that Jesus the
Christ has come to be the Savior of all people – Jews and Gentile alike. For
this reason, the Gospel will end with Jesus’ words, “Go therefore and make disciples of all
nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son
and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have
commanded you.”
More
than that, the grace of God that we see in our text calls our attention to the
manner in which his salvation for each one of us is purely a matter of
grace. The magi worship and offer gifts
to a child. But the child will grow up
to be a man who carries out the mission of dying on the cross for us. Jesus said during his ministry, “the
Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life
as a ransom for many.” God sent forth his Son to die on the cross and give
us the forgiveness we could never win on our own. Then through the Word and
baptism he called us to faith – a faith we could never create on our own.
God gave us
salvation as he sent Jesus to die, but then raised him up on the third day. He
gave us salvation as he called us to faith in Christ – we who are sinners; we
are Gentiles. This salvation is purely a
gift. It is purely God’s blessing to us.
Because God
has done this for us, our response is now the same as the magi. When they had seen the Christ, God commanded
them in a dream not to return to Herod. God’s word prompted them to disobey
Herod’s command. This put them at risk
as they left by a different way. Yet they were obedient to God.
In the same
way, our encounter with Christ has changed everything in our life. God’s word –
the way of faith – guides our actions.
Having received forgiveness and salvation through Jesus Christ, we now
follow him in ways that reject the world. We receive disdain and antagonism
because Jesus has already borne it for us.
Jesus said, “If anyone would come
after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever
would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake
will find it.” Saved by grace and living in the certainty of faith we know that
forgiveness and eternal life is ours because the One the magi visited has risen
from the dead.
No comments:
Post a Comment