Matthew 2:1–12

¹Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, ²saying, "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." ³When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; ⁴and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. ⁵They told him, "In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet: ⁶"'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.'" ⁷Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared. ⁸And 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." ⁹After 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. ¹⁰When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. ¹¹And 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. ¹²And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way.

There is something about the coming of the Wise Men to Bethlehem that suggests the atmosphere of the silent movies. We can imagine it being played out to the accompaniment of the theater's piano. The setting is exotic, and the characters royal, magical, and mysterious. There is that essential ingredient—the evil villain, the irredeemably wicked King Herod, cunningly trying to deceive the Wise Men—just the sort of character we love to hate and would surely hiss and boo if he were portrayed in a melodrama. And there is the irresistible triumph of good over evil, as the Magi complete their quest. There must be a moral too, of course, such as "Evil schemers never get the last laugh." And if that were the case, this sermon could be short and sweet. We just need to remind ourselves to be good and honest and true, and we could leave it at that.

But, in fact, that won't do. Because this isn't a melodrama. Nor are these larger-than-life characters merely playing parts. There is, in fact, an ordinariness and a real-life quality about it. And it really isn't a story of good men battling against evil men. More than anything else,

The Epiphany Story Is a Narrative of God's Working,...In the Midst of Which Sages and Kings Alike Have Only Minor Roles.

1a.

Take King Herod, for example. "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" (vv 1–3).

Was Herod really all bad? To be sure, most people despised him as a wicked tyrant, and the slaughter of innocent children was not altogether out of character. In fact, there was a saying going around Rome, attributed to Caesar himself, that it was safer to be Herod's pig than Herod's son—for in his old age he murdered three sons, together with his wife and mother-in-law. But, if you feel that the murder of the innocent children of Bethlehem is almost too hard to believe, stop and consider several dictators of our own day who have more than matched Herod's cruel ruthlessness. There are far too many mutilated human beings and mass graves to demonstrate it.

Sure, Herod was a nasty piece of work and hard to describe in decent language; it is undeniable. But he spoils the villain image by having a surprisingly compassionate side too. He built the last temple. When times were hard, he eased people's burdens by excusing their taxes. In the famine of 25 BC, he expended his own wealth to feed the starving people. Don't begrudge Herod some credit for that—indeed the world could do with a few who would follow his example today.

But there is a solemn warning in the cruel and jealous reaction of Herod. The plain truth is that Herod simply did not have the highest respect for human life because it is human life. The Bible establishes the permanent value of human life for its own sake, because it is made in the image of God. And for that reason, when Noah was told to re-populate the land after the flood, God said human life is to be protected to the hilt. Herod's reaction was, in fact, a logical consequence of putting a relative value on life, of weighing up the usefulness of a person and assuming for himself the right of sovereignty over life, which truly belongs to God. This is a most important lesson for our day, where this clear insight faces the challenge of opinions and attitudes. Today we face a whole new range of ethical problems centering on new medical technology, for example. Or ethical challenges over the rights of the unborn child over against those of his or her mother, and so on. But, the true value of a human being does not lie in its size or in its usefulness or the quality of life we might expect for it. It resides in the fact that it is created in the image of God.

The point is Herod was by no means unique. He is not the main figure of this narrative, rather he was an ordinary sort of tyrant and no exception to the rule that every mother's son has a heart somewhere.

1b.

And the Wise Men, too, were perhaps remarkable people of their day, but by no means unique. The Bible calls them Magi, and we know a little of the ancient Magi. They were philosophers, astrologers, and soothsayers—a kind of priesthood of the Persian god. The Bible probably makes reference to two other representatives of the Magi at least—namely, Elymas the sorcerer and Simon the magician, or Simon Magus. Their craft, it seems, was verging on disreputable alchemy. The Wise Men in this incident were sincere seekers of truth and worshipped the true God, but it wasn't through the virtue of their own great wisdom and insight that they found their way to Bethlehem. The narrative is not really about the wise men either.

1c.

And this, really, is what we must appreciate as we revisit this familiar Bible story—we must see the working of God at the heart of it. It was he, after all, who put that star in the sky. In an everyday saga of fairly ordinary folk, it's the hand of God that makes it quite extraordinary and full of significance for ordinary folk like us in whose lives God's hand is working today. And we can pose a number of questions about it that will point out the working of God. Who are brought to Bethlehem? How are they brought? What are they brought to see? What obstacles would try to prevail against the grace of God? What is the appropriate reaction of the soul that has been so directed to Christ? These are all rhetorical questions; at least, we all know the answers to them. But as we consider these questions, they will lead us to find God at the center of the text and God at the center of our own lives.

2a.

Who are brought to Bethlehem? However much is unclear about the Magi, this much is plain enough. They are Gentiles. That is to say, they were not of the people and the faith of God's people Israel. And yet there is a strong indication that they are to be counted among God's people. Both our Old Testament and Epistle Lessons speak of God enlightening the Gentiles, those who were formerly regarded as having no claim on God's grace or favor. And it is part of the same fulfillment of God's encompassing love of the world and every person in it that we, too, are brought under the shelter of God's salvation in Christ.

2b.

How then were they brought to Bethlehem? Once again the only satisfactory answer to this question is "by God, and by God alone." These men were astrologers. But their craft made more sense than the astrology practiced today. For they did not look for the influence of the heavenly bodies on earthly life so much as signs from God, a message popped into the regular backdrop. Of course, all this was still no more than speculative nonsense. Except, that is, if God were prepared to meet men where they were on one occasion and to speak to them by a star, by the very thing for which they were looking. And indeed, God had prepared the world so that there was, seemingly everywhere, an expectation at this time that a prince of peace was about to come. This was the God who was prepared to meet people where they are to bring his grace to them. You recall how he spoke through the dreams of Joseph and Pharaoh and the servants of Pharaoh—just at a time when people looked to dreams for messages from God. He is, too, a God who meets us where we are. When we are not seeking him, he finds us. While we are yet sinners, Christ dies for us. And this is what the Magi were brought to see—their salvation and ours, as the Son of God had been born in the likeness of men.

And could any opposition prevail against this dispensation of God's so practical love? None at all—not even the desperate ruthlessness of the tyrant Herod. Rather, he unwittingly enlightened these Gentiles with the truth of which he and his people were custodians—the truth of God's Word, profitable for correction, reproof, and teaching, the New Testament says, because it is inspired by God. And the prophet Micah of centuries past spoke at this time to direct Gentiles to God through Christ to the little town of Bethlehem Ephrathah among the clans of Judah. And still the prophet points the way for us. And God's grace is not thwarted.

2c.

And finally, as for the response of these Wise Men, is there not real wisdom here? Their response was threefold. First, we are told that they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. Second, it says that, having fallen down, they worshiped him. And third, having opened their treasures, they brought him gifts. They were not paying a price here to get something in exchange. Nor are we paying for something when we make our offerings to God. St. Paul asked, "Who has given a gift to [God], that he might be repaid?" (Rom 11:35). All we call our own is truly God's gift to us. St. Paul also describes the offerings of the saints in a different way. He says they are "enriched in every way" for all your generosity, which "will produce thanksgiving to God" (2 Cor 9:11–12). The idea is that God has given us the gift of our redemption (and not with silver and gold, but with the precious blood of his Son as a Lamb without blemish). Thereby, he has won the offering he desires, our hearts. The Wise Men's first reaction was one of exceeding great joy. Such was the tone of their worship before their Lord and Savior.

May God give us such joyful hearts, renewed in the knowledge of his gracious and saving love. Through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.