Sermon for Feast of the Epiphany of Our Lord

                                                                                                                        Epiphany

                                                                                                                        Mt 2:1-12

                                                                                                                        1/5/14

            “Wise men still seek Him.”  It is a phrase that I saw on a number of occasions during the time leading up to Christmas.  It is, of course, a very fine sentiment.  It is a reminder in the midst the sentimentality and commercialism that Christmas is about Jesus Christ. It also happens to be true that the people who are wise in the way that Scripture defines wisdom are the ones who seek Christ and center their lives around him.  As we live in a culture that is rapidly becoming more and more secular and antagonist to the Christian faith, it is always refreshing to see someone sharing this message. Indeed, I knew I was in Marion and not some more “progressive” city like a university town or a Chicago suburb when I saw it on the electronic sign outside of one of the banks in town.

            However, I must confess that I am always internally conflicted when I see this phrase in the days leading up to Christmas.  For the reasons I have just mentioned, it is a great message to share as Christmas approaches.  Yet on the other hand part of me wants to cry out, “But it’s not time for the wise men yet!”  In the church calendar the wise men are not part of Christmas.  They are instead part of the season of Epiphany which begins tonight.  In fact, the visit by the wise men is the event celebrated as the Epiphany of Our Lord.  And so people soon found out that Pastor Surburg is hardcore when it comes to the wise men figures that are part of our display here at Good Shepherd.    The wise men do not leave the plastic container for a spot behind the altar until Jan. 6, the Epiphany of Our Lord.

            Of course, the phrase, “Wise men still seek Him,” plays off of the name for the visitors that I have just been using – “the wise men.”  However, what would you think if I told you that it is unlikely that Matthew wants us to view these visitors as men who are wise?  In fact, we get closer to understanding the meaning of our text and the meaning that Epiphany has for us when we recognize that Matthew would have expected his readers to think of the “wise men” as being ignorant Gentiles.

            Our Gospel lesson begins by saying, “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 to pay attention to here is “behold!” Matthew is calling our attention to something surprising and unexpected. 

            Now we get that it probably wasn’t every day of the week that foreign travelers showed up at Jerusalem saying that they had been prompted by the appearance of a star to come and see the one who had just been born king of the Jews. But there is a very high probability that by calling these men “magoi” in Greek – Magi – that he is also supplying part of the shocking character of their arrival.

            Matthew doesn’t call the visitors “wise men” – there is other Greek vocabulary that he could have used to mean this.  Instead, he called them “Magi.”  The magi certainly would have been considered learned.  However they were learned in things that were associated with paganism.  Their knowledge of what we would call astronomy was inextricably linked with what we call astrology.  In the Greek translation of the book of Daniel, the men who are called “magi” are grouped with the wizards and sorcerers!

            A first century Jew would have agreed that the Magi were learned.  However, they would have thought the Magi were not learned in anything that actually mattered. Instead, they would have considered them to be ignorant and confused – dealers in arts that had no truth.

            The available evidence indicates that the early church did not consider the Magi to be “wise men” either.  When the church fathers talked about the learning of the Magi, they considered it to be a false knowledge or false religion.  Instead, it is only since the Enlightenment – since the 1700’s – that today’s common understanding of the wise men as scholars who were seeking truth arose.

            Matthew says in our text, “Behold! Magi 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 surprise is not just that these guys unexpectedly showed up.  It is also the fact that these guys – these ignorant Gentiles – showed up looking for the Christ.

            Now it’s not as if their learning had nothing to do with it.  They had seen an unusual astronomical event that they described as “a star when it rose.”  Most likely they associated it with a Jewish king because of Numbers 24:17 which says, “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.”

            But for a Jew their learning doesn’t get any real credit.  Instead, the fact that these guys show up in Jerusalem looking to worship the Christ prophesied in the Scriptures is because God has revealed Christ to them.  It is not something that they have figured out by their own reason or strength.  Instead it is God, who in his surprising grace and mercy, has made him known to them.

            The word “epiphany” comes from the Greek word that means “to appear.”  On the Epiphany of Our Lord we celebrate the fact that Jesus Christ began to appear – to be made known – to all people.  God even reveals him to Gentile Magi who are trapped in their foolish learning.

            The Epiphany of Our Lord highlights a theme that we often overlook and take for granted.  We live as Christians.  We know Jesus Christ as the crucified and risen Lord.  This is all old news. And so we take it for granted.  This shows up in different ways in life.  Perhaps you don’t pray all that often.  Perhaps you don’t read God’s Word in your devotional life very much – or perhaps there really isn’t very much devotional life at all. I’ll leave out what I would normally say next, because if you are here tonight, attending the Divine Service is probably not a big issue for you. However, perhaps you find it easy to remain silent about the faith when you are around others. In different ways we all show that we take faith in Jesus Christ for granted.

            On Epiphany, the Magi underscore God’s gracious revelation that is necessary in order to believe in Jesus Christ.  The most impressive worldly learning and knowledge is of no use when it comes to this.  Later, in chapter eleven of this Gospel Jesus will say, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will.”  It is not the wisdom and understanding of the world that allows anyone to grasp and accept Jesus Christ and his saving death and resurrection.  Instead, it is God the Father who must reveal it.  As our Lord said after Peter’s correct confession about Jesus: “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.”

            It is God the Father who has done this for you through his Spirit.  As we confess in the Small Catechism, “I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ my Lord or come to him.”  He has done it for you through water and the Word.  He has revealed Jesus to you, who could never figure it out on you own.  He has revealed Jesus to you – a Gentile – the one who was not included in his covenant with Israel.  And yet, you ignorant and foolish Gentile by his grace God has revealed the Christ to you.  He has revealed that Jesus is the Christ, the fulfillment of all of God’s promises.  He has revealed that Jesus is true God begotten of his Father from all eternity, and also true man born of the virgin Mary.  He has revealed that through faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ you receive forgiveness, peace with God and eternal salvation.

            The recognition of this gracious gift prompts us to do two things.  First, it moves us to cling to the means by which God sustains this faith – the Means of Grace. Faith in Christ is the gift of God revealing him to us. The only way this gift of faith can be sustained is by the means that come from God.  The recognition of this gracious gift leads us to listen intently to God’s Word as it is read and preached, and as we read it at home. It leads us to live lives that daily return to our baptism as in repentance we drown the old man so that daily the new man may arise to live before God in righteousness and purity.  It leads us to come to this altar to eat and drink his true body and blood for the forgiveness of sins and to nourish the new man within us.

            And it also prompts us to speak the word about Jesus to others.  That’s all we can do, and that’s all we are expected to do.  Paul wrote, “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” The word of the Gospel is the means by which the Holy Spirit continues to reveal Jesus in our place and time.  He doesn’t use a star at is rising to prompt a journey. He doesn’t use a star that appears and guides them to where Christ is located.  Instead through the Gospel the Spirit reveals Jesus. This may lead to a long journey – a journey in which people find their life being redefined and redirected – but it does not require a person to go anywhere.  Instead Jesus is revealed as we tell them of how Jesus Christ died on the cross and rose from the dead to give them forgiveness and reconciliation with God.

            In our text tonight, Matthew writes, “Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold!, magi 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.’”   In a great surprise, God reveals Jesus Christ to ignorant Gentiles. Through water and the Word he has revealed him to you as well so that, like the Magi, you have become wise unto salvation. 

           

           

           

           

           

             

           

           

           

Feast of the Epiphany of Our Lord

Today is the Feast of the Epiphany of our Lord.  On this day we remember and celebrate the visit by the magi.  In this event, God began to reveal the saving glory of Christ which is for all people.

Scripture:

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.”  When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.  They told him, 

“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.’”

Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him.” After listening to the king, they went on their way. 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. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. And going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way. (Matthew 2:1-12)

Collect of the Day:

O  God, by the leading of a star You made known Your only-begotten Son to the Gentiles.  Lead us, who know You by faith, to enjoy in heaven the fullness of Your divine presence; through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

Sermon for Second Sunday after Christmas

                                                                                                            Christmas 2

                                                                                                            Mt 2:13-23

                                                                                                            1/7/14

            We live today in a culture of sound bites and short quotes.  When we watch the news – whether on TV or in brief videos on the internet – we hear very short statements by those in the news.  We encounter an even more extreme form of this in social media.  On Facebook and Twitter one sees pictures of individuals from different areas of life with brief quotes next to them.  These items invite us to “share” or “retweet” them so that others will see them too.  By this means a quote that puts a public figure in a very positive or negative light can “go viral” and spread all over the internet.

            Of course, a short little quote like this doesn’t give us any context.  We learn nothing about the setting in which the statement appeared or was spoken.  We don’t hear what preceded or followed the statement.  We just hear a brief statement in complete isolation.

            The problem is that communication does not take place by isolated, individual words or statements.  Instead, communication takes place when these individual words or statements are set in relation to other words or statements. It is the interplay of these individual items that allows the whole to communicate the message we are trying to share.

            When you take a statement out of context, it is now possible to twist the meaning.  It is possible to make the speakers or writers appear to be saying something they are not.  It is possible to make them seem far more harsh or condemning than they really are.

            At first glance, it seems that Matthew is guilty of taking a statement out of context in our Gospel lesson this morning.  He quotes a verse from the prophet Jeremiah and says that it was fulfilled in the slaughter of the children of Bethlehem.  Yet when we look at the setting of that one verse – its context – we find that it is the only negative statement in a chapter filled with hope about God’s coming saving action.

            Our text picks up this morning after the visit of the magi – the event we will remember tomorrow as we celebrate the Feast of the Epiphany our Lord (incidentally, just a reminder, the time for that service is 7:00 p.m. tomorrow night).  The magi had gone to King Herod the Great with a question: “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.”

            Viewed from a purely worldly perspective, Herod the Great was a remarkable figure.  Herod wasn’t a Jew, he was an Idumean – a descendant from the nation of Edom.  Because Palestine was in the eastern half of the empire, Herod kept finding himself having to support the leader who turned out to be on the loser in the civil wars that racked the Roman Empire during the second half of the first century B.C.

            Herod found himself on the losing side – and yet, he always managed to ingratiate himself to the winner so that he kept his position.  The man was a survivor.  And he not only survived, but he thrived.  He was able to add to the area he controlled and by the end his life his kingdom was roughly equivalent in size to the one ruled by king David.

Herod was a survivor because he was ruthless.  He thought nothing of killing several of his own children whom he considered to be potential threats.

            Herod was no man of faith.  He wasn’t someone who lived according to God’s Word or was looking for the arrival of his Messiah.  However, Herod was also not a man who left things to chance.  And so when these foreigners showed up claiming to have a seen a star announcing the birth of a Jewish king, he acted.  First, he told the magi to bring him word when they found the child.  And when it became clear that they weren’t going to return to him, he took action to make sure no Bethlehem baby was going to take away his throne.  He ordered that all the male children two years and younger in Bethlehem and its vicinity be killed – just to be sure.

            However, something far bigger than Herod the Great and his petty kingship under Roman rule was going on.  When the magi had departed an angel appeared to Joseph in a dream and commanded, “Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.” Joseph obeyed and at night he took the child and his mother and left for Egypt.  Matthew tells us, “This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, ‘Out of Egypt I called my son.’”

            God was not going to allow Herod to destroy his saving plan.  Quite the opposite, in fact the flight to Egypt becomes the means by which Jesus begins to take up the role of being “Israel reduced to one.”  He, the Son of God, takes the place of the nation whom God had called his son in order to be what Israel was supposed to be.  He will pass through the water in his baptism.  He will wander in the wilderness during his temptation.  Yet where Israel failed, he will succeed and so he will be a light to the nations.

            This is all true and is great stuff.  However, there is a part of the story here that is impossible to overlook.  Jesus wasn’t in Bethlehem when Herod’s soldiers arrived.  There were however, other children who were present – and they were slaughtered.  Matthew tells us: Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah: ‘A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be comforted, because they are no more.’”

            The presence of the Son of God in this world causes other children to be killed. What do we think about that?  Naturally, we don’t like it.  Our inclination is probably to turn an accusing finger towards God. And it’s not as if this is the only time we feel this way.  We feel it when tragedy or hardship strikes our life and God doesn’t do anything to prevent it. We feel it when the Gospel itself becomes a source of tension in our relationships. We feel it when what God’s word says about sexuality brings us into conflict with our children and family members. These are all circumstances that lead us to question God and even to feel resentment towards him.

            As we listen to our text this morning, it is very important that we pay attention to the way Matthew introduces the verse.  He says, “Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah.”  This differs from the previous quotation which says, “This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, ‘Out of Egypt I called my son.’” 

Like almost all of the fulfillment quotations in Matthew, this statement about coming out of Egypt says that God guided things for the purpose of fulfilling the Scripture.  However, in the quotation about the children we are told, “then was fulfilled.”  It is not that God caused this tragedy. Instead, it is the tragic outworking of the presence of sin in the world. Evil is here, because sin is here.  We must grapple with the reality that sin, death and evil are the normal condition of a fallen, sinful world.  They should not come as some sort of surprise.

The important thing for us to note as we ponder this text, is the location of Jesus the Son of God.  He is here in this world filled with sin, death and evil.  And because Jesus is here, Matthew’s quotation of the verse from Jeremiah is not taking the statement out of context.

In Jeremiah 31, the prophet addresses the Babylonian conquest and the forced exile of the people in 587 B.C.  He speaks about the future and how God will bring the people back. As I mentioned in the introduction to this sermon, the verse quoted by Matthew is the only negative statement in the whole chapter.  Instead, it abounds with hope about what God is going to do!  And at the end of the chapter God says, “Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah.”

As the events in our text play out, the incarnate Son of God is present in this world.  He will leave Egypt and enter into the waters of the Jordan.  There in his baptism he will be anointed with the Holy Spirit and be designated as the Servant of the Lord.  He will go as the suffering Servant to the cross.  And in his trial and crucifixion he will submit himself to the worst of the injustice and cruelty that our world has to offer.  He will take our sins upon himself on the cross and receive the judgment of God against that sin in our place.  By that death he will begin the new covenant.  And then on the third day he will rise from the dead as he begins the resurrection of the Last Day.

This is what God is in the process of doing in our text.  The events at Bethlehem fulfill Jeremiah’s words because they are the evil that occur even as God is in the process of bringing the salvation and the new covenant that Jeremiah describes.

The children killed at Bethlehem are usually called the Holy Innocents and are often called the first flowers of the martyrs.  Their death reminds us that sin and evil are still here in this fallen world.  That is the same thing we experience in the hardships and difficulties that we encounter. 

However, they died because Jesus the Christ was present in the world in order to fulfill God’s plan of salvation for them and for all of us.  And because Jesus accomplished this – because he died on the cross and then rose from the dead, we have the living hope of the new covenant.  We live now knowing that the words of Jeremiah 31 are true: “For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.” We live now knowing that death has been defeated in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. 

And because we know this, we have hope.  We have a hope that is stronger than sin; it is stronger than evil; it is stronger than death.  It is stronger because it is founded upon the crucified and risen Lord who has promised that he will come again in glory on the Last Day in order to banish evil forever, and to give us resurrection life in the new creation.