Epiphany
Observed – January 4th and 5th, 2020 –
Matthew 2:1-12
In the Name of Christ Jesus, the Light of the World +
In the Name of Christ Jesus, the Light of the World +
The
season of Epiphany technically begins on January 6th,
but we will we observe it today. The Epiphany Season is the season
where we focus on the revelation of Christ to the world. Yet,
Epiphany itself is a neglected, undervalued day among us. We mark
the start of Advent, the start of Lent on Ash Wednesday, yet January
6th often passes
unnoted. Historically speaking, this is sort of odd. For Centuries,
especially among gentiles, among those not of Jewish line or descent,
Epiphany was the chief, the highest celebration of the Nativity of
our Lord, higher even than Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. Why?
Because on the day of Epiphany we observe and celebrate not just the
birth of our Lord, not just that the angels told some Jewish
shepherds about this – but that even the Wise men, men from the
East, Gentiles, non-Jews – that they too are shown Christ Jesus,
this infant in Bethlehem was to be the Savior not just of the Jewish
race, but of the whole world, that He would be a Light to lighten the
Gentiles. We are those who have seen His light, and so we are right
to rejoice in this revelation today.
Our
text provides us an interesting contrast to ponder. In it we hear
this: “Now, after Jesus was born in
Bethlehem in 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.” Here we see the
Magi, scholars, teachers, wise men from the East, from the Gentile
nations, and they arrive in Jerusalem. At the time, the world viewed
Jerusalem as of being of little importance. It is not like today,
where so much violence hangs over who controls Jerusalem, where so
much of Muslim tensions with the West revolve around Jerusalem. No,
in Herod’s day the coming of these wise men would have been quite a
spectacle, quite unexpected. Yet they arrive – and what do these
wise men arrive to do? Do they come so that they can spout off
wisdom? Do they come so that they can impress the people of
Jerusalem? No. They have seen a star, and somehow through sign this
they understood that a new King of the Jews was born. And more than
that, they come to worship Him.
This
is what is astonishing. These magi from the East, these wise men who
don’t even know where the Christ Child is born, something any of
our little Children could tell us, they at least know that they ought
to come and worship Christ Jesus – that this One who is born is
worthy of worship and praise. How they knew this – that is beyond
me, but I would simply note that in Genesis, at the creation, God
said, “Let there be lights in the expanse
of the heavens to separate the day from the night. And let them be
for signs and for seasons.” Somehow,
by the Grace of God, these wise men read this sign – and I give
thanks to God that we do not need to look to a star to learn of
Christ, but rather that He is revealed to us in His Word and in His
Supper. That is much easier and better. But, at any rate, the wise
men know that Jesus is born, and right away they know and desire to
worship Him. That, ultimately is why they have come – they come to
worship, to get down on their knees before Christ, to praise and give
Him thanks for His goodness.
And
yet, what do we hear of the people there in Jerusalem, the very
people who should have most carefully been looking for the coming of
the Messiah? “When Herod the King
heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.”
Whereas the coming of the Messiah, the King of the Jews, the
promised Son of David is a cause of wonder and rejoicing to these
Gentile Magi – this news is met in Jerusalem with fear and
trepidation. Whereas the Wise Men hear and wish to worship, there is
no thought of worship on the part of the people of Jerusalem.
Consider: Herod assembles the chief priests and scribes and he asks
them where the child is to be born. They say in Bethlehem, that is
what the prophet Micah proclaims. So what do they do? Do the people
of Jerusalem form a long, large train and march out to Bethlehem,
determined to find this one who is prophesied? Do they too say, “Ah,
the promise Messiah. Oh come, let us adore Him, oh come let us adore
Him”? No. There is no worshipful procession from Jerusalem. Not
one of the chief priests or scribes goes to seek out this wonder.
They are too caught up in whatever it is that they are doing, perhaps
too fearful of offending Herod, who is a violent man. Their excuses
are made, and they forsake going to the house where Christ Jesus is
present in the world.
This
should serve as a warning to us in the Church. We are the ones who
know what the Scriptures say. We are the ones who know where Christ
Jesus was born, we are the ones who know where He is present. We
know that He comes to be with us here in His house, that He reveals
His salvation to us in His Word and Preaching, that He is placed upon
our tongues in His most Holy Supper. And the temptation can be to
ignore this, to disdain it. How often we can and we will be tempted
to act like the boorish people of Jerusalem! Can we not often think
that there are “better” things to do than to come to Church?
Think about that – God is here with forgiveness, oh, no thanks, I
have better things to do. We can be fearful, worried about what our
friends and peers think, fearful about money and finances and how
things will work out. These excuses can try to keep us away. And we
can’t pretend that these temptations don’t come upon us. How
many people who we know, who have been trained and taught as we have
been trained and taught are just skipping this weekend? While some
fall away in defiance, how many more fall away through simple
indifference? This should serve as a warning to us.
So,
how is this to be avoided? Consider again the Wise Men. What do
they do, what is their focus? Their focus is upon seeing Jesus.
That is what they want, what they desire. If you look at the Wise
Men, you see precisely what the book of Hebrews is getting at when it
instructs us, “Come, let us fix our eyes
upon Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith.”
The wise men disdain the hardship of travel, they worry not what
Jerusalem thinks of them, they are simply focused on following the
star to where Christ is – “And behold,
the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until to
came to rest over the place where the Child was. When they saw the
star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.”
They are looking towards Christ. And I would note here – what
sort of Christ are they looking for – what sort of Jesus do they
desire? Do they wish for an entertaining Jesus, one who will give
them an hour of entertainment? Babies are cute and entertaining, but
they aren’t that cute. Are they looking for a Jesus who will make
them wealthy and give them every earthly bauble that their heart can
imagine? Hardly. If you want to know what sort of Christ the Wise
Men are seeking, look to what they do when they see Him.
“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.”
They worship Christ – but why do they worship Him? Because He is
the Messiah, and their gifts show that He is the Messiah. Gold is
tribute – Gold is what you give to your king, your liege, your
Lord. They acknowledge that Christ is King. But what sort of King?
Not a king like Herod, for Herod received no tribute from them, but
rather a king above just the problems of earthly rule. He is a Holy
King, a King that they bring frankincense. Where is incense used?
In the temple, in the Holy Places. Incense is the tool of the
priests of the Old Testament – whenever the priests would enter the
tabernacle, the temple, they would burn incense – that’s just
what you did. So what does it mean that they give Jesus incense? It
means they know that He is the Holy King, our Great High Priest –
that He is the true temple and you never go to the temple without
incense. And what would this Holy King, this Great High Priest do?
They bring Him myrrh. Myrrh is what you use to anoint a dead body
with. When it says that they take Christ’s Body from off the cross
and wrap it in spices to bury it, the chief spice used in Myrrh.
They know that Christ will do what He is supposed to do. A King is
supposed to protect His people, a Priest to offer sacrifices for
them. And Jesus, our King and High Priest would do both by going to
the Cross, offering in Himself the appropriate sacrifice for our sin,
protecting and defending us from sin and death everlasting with His
own death. This is what the wise men see, this is their focus, this
is what this Child Christ will do, and so they come and worship Him.
Dear
friends in Christ Jesus – our Lord, in His great love and mercy has
won you your salvation, and by His Gospel He has enlightened you to
this saving truth, He has washed you clean in Baptism, He has invited
you to His House, brought you to the meal of Heaven in His Supper,
and prepared you for life everlasting. No other gift you have
received, no gift you could ever give, can top this. You have
salvation in Christ, and He has revealed this salvation unto you.
Therefore, in the midst of a world full of toil and struggles, keep
your eyes focused on this gift, and come, join us through all this
Epiphany Season, as we hear texts that show us, that reveal to us
that Jesus Christ is indeed our God and Savior. In the Name of
Christ Jesus, the Light of the World +
No comments:
Post a Comment