Sunday
01/03/16 Freeville/Homer Avenue UMC’s
Sermon Title: “Gifts fit for a king”
Old Testament
Lesson: Isaiah 60:1-6
New Testament
Scripture: Ephesians 3:1-12
Gospel Lesson:
Matthew 2:1-12
Happy New Year and welcome again, friends, sisters and
brothers, on this our Epiphany Sunday. This is the Sunday that we formally
celebrate the Wise Men or the magi coming to worship the Christ Child, and to give
him gifts. This Sunday is also the final Sunday of this Christmas Season. This
Tuesday night, January 5th, sometimes called “Twelfth Night,” will be the
twelfth and final night of the “Twelve days of Christmas”. We will then
formally be in the Season of Epiphany on Wednesday January 6th. The
Season of Epiphany, or “Epiphanytide” will last until Transfiguration Sunday on
Sunday February 7th. Then we will begin the Season of Lent on February 10th,
which is Ash Wednesday this year.
While the start of the Season of Epiphany formally starts
this Wednesday January 6th, most Christian Churches, like the United
Methodist Church, celebrate the Epiphany of the Wise Men or magi coming to
Christ on this Sunday, as we don’t normally have church on Wednesday.
Admittedly then, there is an overlap this Sunday between the end of the Season
of Christmas, and the start of the Season of Epiphany.
With all of this said, on this Epiphany Sunday, I thought
that it would be good to begin this message by defining the word Epiphany.
Before I became a pastor, I thought of an Epiphany as that “light bulb” above
the head moment, when you get a good idea.
According
to the Merriam-Webster online dictionary though, the word Epiphany means:
1.
January 6, observed as a church festival in
commemoration of the coming of the Magi as the
first manifestation of Christ to the Gentiles or in the Eastern Church in
commemoration of the baptism of Christ.
2. An appearance or manifestation especially of a divine
being.
3. An usually sudden manifestation or perception of the essential nature or meaning of something: an intuitive grasp of reality through
something (as an event) usually simple and striking:
an illuminating discovery, realization, or disclosure:
a revealing scene or moment.
Now before I became a pastor, when I thought of the word
Epiphany, I only thought of the definition of “an illuminating discovery,
realization, or disclosure,” as the Merriam-Webster definition says.
When I began my seminary education, I remember thinking, “why
does the church call this Epiphany? Why don’t they just call it Wise Men
Sunday?” The answer to this, is that the Wise Men or magi figured out that the
Messiah, the Christ, was coming. They had an Epiphany, they saw the star, and
they followed it. They brought Jesus “gifts fit for a king”. Some claim that the
Wise Men or magi used astrology or other methods to determine the birth of
Christ, but we don’t know this for sure. If they had, they used these things
for good.
All we know though, is that one of the four gospels has the
story of the Wise Men or magi. The reason our gospel reading for this morning is
Matthew 2:1-12, is because this is the only account of all four of the gospels,
that has the Wise Men or magi coming to worship and bring gifts to the
Christ-Child. Our entire conception of these “Kings of Orient” as the hymn “We
Three Kings” says, is from 12-versus of scripture, from only one gospel. Only
Matthew recorded this story, as Mark, Luke, and John did not.
It would seem from Hollywood movies, the media, and our own
imaginations, we have a pretty certain image in our minds of who and what the
Wise Men or magi were. Most of us have three of them in our Nativity Scenes at
home. Each of the three Wise Men are holding gold, or frankincense, or myrrh.
So most people claim then, that there were three Wise Men or magi, yet
scripture doesn’t say this directly.
Let’s look at what the gospel of Matthew says about this
Epiphany, this visit of the Wise Men or magi. Matthew 2:1 begins by saying,
“After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in the territory of Judea during the rule of
King Herod, magi came from the east to Jerusalem” (Matt. 2:1, CEB). Now some
scholars have said the Wise Men or magi came from Persia, which is largely the modern
day country of Iran. Our “We Three Kings” hymn from the morning says, “We Three
Kings from Orient”. When I think of the Orient, I think of China and Asia. The
reality is, we know from scripture that the Wise Men or magi came “from the
east to Jerusalem,” but we do not know where in the east (Matt. 2:1b, CEB).
It also seem clear that the Wise Men or magi didn’t fully understand
who Christ was yet. In Matthew 2:2 it says of the Wise Men, “They asked, “Where
is the newborn king of the Jews? We’ve seen his star in the east, and we’ve
come to honor him” (Matt. 2:2, CEB). So once again, from somewhere in the east,
and having the Epiphany of knowing that Christ was coming. The Epiphany of
seeing the Star of Bethlehem shine in the sky.
So the Wise Men or magi didn’t know where Jesus was yet,
nor did they have all the details about him. In Matthew 2:3-5 it says:
“When
King Herod heard this, he was troubled, and everyone in Jerusalem was troubled
with him. He gathered all the chief priests and the legal experts and asked
them where the Christ was to be born. They said, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for
this is what the prophet wrote: You, Bethlehem,
land of Judah, by no means are you least among rulers of Judah, because from
you will come one who governs, who will shepherd my people Israel” (Matt
2:3-5, CEB).
To King Herod then, if
Jesus Christ was truly to be the King of the Jews, well this was a problem for
him, as he is currently the King of the Jews. The birth of Christ was not only
a threat to King Herod, not only to the religious leaders in Jerusalem, but too
many.
So the Wise Men or magi having followed the Star of
Bethlehem first go to Jerusalem. I mean Jerusalem is the biggest city in Judea.
It is where King Herod is, it is where the temple is, and it is where all the
chief priests are. Likely, the Wise Men or magi thought, that the Messiah or
Christ-Child would be born there. I can imagine, without knowing for sure, that
the Wise Men or magi had a grand entrance into the city of Jerusalem. As they had
entered the city or were near the city, the next verse says, “The Herod
secretly called for the magi and found out from them the time when the star had
first appeared” (Matt. 2:7, CEB). So where the Wise Men or magi already in
Jerusalem, or did Herod send a messenger to find them? We don’t know for sure,
but we do know that according the gospel of Matthew that King Herod got to the
Wise Men before they got to Jesus.
In some Hollywood movie accounts, King Herod treats the
Wise Men or magi to a swank and fancy dinner. During this dinner, King Herod
pumps the Wise Men or magi for information about the coming of the
Christ-Child. We don’t know if such a dinner occurred, but we know what the
gospel says next. In the next verse it says, “He sent them to Bethlehem saying,
“Go and search carefully for the child. When you’ve found him, report to me so
that I too may go and honor him” (Matt. 2:8, CEB). King Herod must have been a
good liar, as he seems to have convinced the Wise Men or magi that he also
sought to find Jesus and to worship him. Before this encounter though, the Wise
Men had likely never met King Herod. So apparently Herod lied to them about him
wanting to worship Jesus.
After this, the Wise Men or magi then leave Jerusalem and
make the 5-10 mile trip to Bethlehem. The gospel then says, “When they heard
the king, they went; and look, the star they had seen in the east went ahead of
them until it stood over the place where the child was” (Matt. 2:9, CEB). The
gospel then says, “When they saw the star, they were filled with joy” (Matthew
2:10, CEB).
What we also don’t know, is if the Wise Men or magi came on
the actual night that Christ was born, or if they came later. Part of this
reality, is our church tradition of having this holiday of “Epiphany” after
Christmas. Part of the reason many scholars throughout history have wondered if
the Wise Men or magi came to a young but not infant Jesus, is the next verse in
Matthew. The next verse says, “They entered the house and saw the child with
Mary his mother” (Matt. 2:11a, CEB). In this part of the verse from Matthew 2,
it says they “entered the house” (Matt. 2:11a, CEB). I would encourage you all to
check your own Bibles to see if your translation says the same thing. Remember
that only the gospel of Matthew has the story of the Wise Men or magi.
If they “entered the house,” that would mean that after
Mary had Jesus, that perhaps her and Joseph at some point briefly took up
residence in a house in Bethlehem (Matt. 2:11a, CEB). I mean, Joseph was from
Bethlehem, so he likely had a lot of family there.
All this means that the Wise Men or magi might have arrived
after Christ was born, and maybe at that point, arrived at a house. Likely a
house owned by Joseph’s family. The only reason we think this is the scripture
says of the Wise Men or magi that they “entered the house” (Matt. 2:11a, CEB).
The second part of Matthew 2 says, “Falling to their knees
they honored him. Then they opened their treasure chests and presented him with
gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh” (Matt. 2:11b, CEB). All we are given
here, is “treasure chests” and “gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh” (Matt.
22.11b, CEB). Does it say “three treasure chests,” or “three Wise Men?” It
doesn’t, and the church then assumed from this verse, that there were three
Wise Men or magi, and three treasure chests, one containing gold, one
containing frankincense, and one containing myrrh. We aren’t positive though if
there were more than three Wise Men or magi, or if there were more than three
treasurer chests. Further, did they travel all by themselves? I mean these are
rich kings, Wise Men, magi. Do we think that they had many camels, and a score
of servants. There travel party might have been massive. Also, the Wise Men
coming on camels is not in scripture either, but it seemed to be the most
likely way that they came.
In the last verse for this morning, it says about the Wise
Men or magi, “Because they were warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they
went back to their own country by another route” (Matt. 2:12, CEB). So the Wise
Men or magi are warned in a dream to not go back and tell King Herod where the
Christ-Child is, as they now realize that King Herod’s intentions are bad. They
then leave. In Matthew 2:13, it then says, “Now
after they had left,” and other than Matthew 2:1-12, they are mentioned nowhere
else in the gospels.
So what is point with this analysis of
the gospel of Matthew 2:1-12, and the first part of Matthew 2:13, about the Wise
Men or magi? Am I trying to tear the story apart to somehow invalidate it? Of
course not. I believe that all of the Bible was divinely inspired, and as such,
I believe in the story of the Wise Men or magi coming to Jesus. What I am
trying to point out though, is our human tendency to add details, to fill in the
gaps, and to make up parts of the story that aren’t clearly revealed in the scriptures.
Is our understanding of the Wise Men
or magi wrong then? It might be a little wrong, or it could be a lot wrong.
What is important is this though, they came, they found him, they worshiped
him, and they gave him “gifts fit for a king”. The important thing, is that
these travelers from the east were eclipsed by the hope of Jesus Christ. With
this hope, they came, they found him, they worshiped him, and they gave him “gifts
fit for a king”.
The other way that I connect with the
story of the Wise Men or magi is this, is that God can call anyone. Jesus
called the Apostle Paul to follow him on the road to Damascus, he called Peter,
Andrew, and John. He even called three Wise Men or magi from the east. They
were likely of a different religion, yet the hope of the gospel of Jesus Christ
was so powerful, that they traveled far and wide to find him, to worship him,
and to give him “gifts fit for a king”.
We might never know all of the details
of the story of the Wise Men or magi, but what we do know, is that they found
him, they worshiped him, and they gave him “gifts fit for a king”. Jesus can call
anyone, from anywhere, and at any time. May we in this New Year answer the call
of the Lord of life, our savior and redeemer, Jesus the risen Christ. Happy New
Year and come Lord Jesus, Amen.
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