In the Name of Jesus
Matthew 2.1-12
The Epiphany of our Lord (Fest der Erscheinung des Herrn), transferred
Julian the hospitable and Basilissa, his wife, Martyrs 313
9. January 2011
1. O Lord God, Heavenly Father, who, by a star, did reveal Your only begotten Son, Jesus Christ unto the Gentiles this day, graciously grant that we who have by faith acknowledged Him, may also be led to behold Your Divine majesty and glory (Löhe 455). Many, however (dennoch), remain like King Herod the Great and the scribes and chief priests, who heard from the magi the gospel proclamation that the Messiah had been born and remained hard of heart and stubborn of will, thereby refusing to believe and rejoice in Your beloved Son’s birth. Use us, like You used the magi, to proclaim the gospel to our neighbors and pour upon them the Holy Spirit so that they may hear, and in hearing believe, and in believing rejoice, and in rejoicing arrive at Your Church where they may each week adore Him who is born the King of kings, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
2. Our sermon text for this morning, dear brothers and sisters, is from St. Matthew’s Gospel where the holy evangelist writes: Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying: ,,Where is the king of the Jews who has been born? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to adore him.“ When Herod the king heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; and gathering together all the high priests and scribes of the people, he was asking them where the Christ is to be born. Then they told him: ,,In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet: »And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the princes of Judah; for from you will come a ruler who will shepherd My people Israel«“ (Micah 5,2; 2 Samuel 5,2). Then Herod secretly called the magi and ascertained precisely from them the time the star had appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying: ,,Go and search diligently for the child, and as soon as you shall find him, report to me, so that I too may come and adore him.“ After listening to the king, they left and behold, the star which they saw when it rose was going before them until it stood still above the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. And they went into the house and saw the child with Mary His mother, and they fell down and adored him and opened their treasures, and presented him gifts, gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And being directed in a dream not to return to Herod, they returned to their own country by another way. This is our text.
3. It’s Epiphany, and the magi from the east have arrived in Jerusalem to worship the newborn king. These Eastern sages were more than mere ,,wise men“ from the Babylonian-Assyrian region, now known as Iraq and Iran; the magi interpreted dreams for kings and princes; they counseled the rulers when to go to war and when to settle for peace; they studied religion and prophecies. While they were advisors to Eastern kings, the average Jewish person probably regarded the magi as pagans who obtained their knowledge and wisdom from ungodly sources such as magic and mysticism. Nevertheless (Dennoch), searching the heavens for signs of future events occurred in Judaism (the apocalyptic literature) and Christianity (Jesus’ eschatological apocalyptic teachings in the Gospels), for Yahweh Himself proclaims: »And Elohim said, ,,Let there by lights in the firmament of the heavens in order to separate the day from the night; and they will be for signs and for festivals and for days and years“« (Genesis 1,14).
4. Yahweh got the magiäs attention. Since their focus was always in the heavens, God gave them the sign of a star. The Greek word translated as ,,star“ can also refer to a planet or other astronomical bodies in the heavens, such as a comet, a meteorite, or a nova. Shortly before Jesus was born, Jupiter and Saturn conjoined in the constellation of Pisces. A year later Mars joined Jupiter and Saturn in a conjunction that (after the Moon) was the brightest object in the night sky.
5. We have demythologized the heavens in our pursuit of scientific knowledge, but to the ancients, and especially the Persian magi, events in the heavens meant something. Jupiter was the king’s planet, and Saturn represented the defender of Palestine. Mars was the bringer of change. Pisces represented Syria and Palestine. The magi saw this conjunction and interpret it as: a king of kings has been born in Judah on the scale of Nebuchadnezzar, Alexander the Great, Charlemagne, or George Washington.
6. How did these magi know about the promised messiah? When Daniel was part of the Jewish Exile to Babylon in 587 B.C., he and other Jewish men (most notably Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego) eventually joined the caste of the magi; Daniel soon became Nebuchadnezzar’s most trusted advisor. Daniel may have taught the other magi the messianic prophecies from Moses and the Prophets, including the star as the symbol of the Messiah: And Balaam prophesied by the Spirit of Yahweh, »A star will rise from Jacob, and a scepter will arise from Israel« (Numbers 24,17). When Caspar, Melchior, and Balthasar arrived in Jerusalem, they learned from King Herod and the scribes that the messiah was prophesied to be born in Bethlehem.
7. The political and religious elite in Judah failed to honor and adore the fulfillment of God’s Holy Word, while the magi (known for their paganism and idolatry) faithfully journeyed to where Jesus is, adore Him, and give Him presents. Luke also reminds us that the first to pay homage to the newborn Christ were the shepherds who were not the most respected members of Judean society.
8. The liturgical season of Epiphany reveals the ways in which God’s glory manifested itself through Jesus. ,,The Jews have the proclamation and the angels singing praise, they have the shepherds, they have Joseph and Mary, they have Simeon and Hannah, they have the very sun in their midst, the newborn Christ. The Gentiles have mysterious revelation and a wonderful morning star. The same grace is extended upon the Jews and the Gentiles“[1] (Löhe 60). Luke shows us that the Jews are blessed by the glorious arrival of the Messiah, and Matthew shows us that even the Gentiles are blessed by the enlightened appearance of the Christ. The Prophet Isaiah says that the Christ is for the salvation of both Jews and Gentiles: »nations will walk in Your light, and kings in the brightness of Your rising« (Isaiah 60,3). The Psalmist David also proclaims: »For with You, O Yahweh, is the fountain of Life; in Your light we see Light« (Psalm 36,9).
9. But how will this Divine blessing be received? Will we receive it like Herod and the chief priests who rejected God’s savior, or will we receive it like the magi who received and believed in God’s savior? Knowing the Holy Scriptures is not enough. The priests and the scribes knew the Scriptures; they knew the prophecies about the Christ. They knew, but they did not believe. The Holy Scriptures, the star, the magi, and countless other signs that heralded the birth of God’s Christ should have given King Herod, the chief priests, and the scribes’ great joy and an earnest desire to go to Bethlehem and see the King of kings.
10. The magi heard the proclamation and received God’s word with gladness; they went and saw the newborn king. The magi even brought gifts for the King of kings. As such, they showed that they were not only advisors but also stewards. We likewise are stewards of Christ Jesus, and such stewardship is manifested in the offerings that we place in the offering plate each week, the prayers we pray for our church, and the others gifts of service, all of which are necessary for Christ's Church to carry out her daily tasks.
11. The magi followed the star to the Christ Child, but Jesus is much brighter and more spectacular than the ,,star“ that heralded His birth. He is the Light to the nations and the Glory of Israel. The shepherds came first and paid homage to Jesus. God shows us that His salvation is for the poor as well as the powerful. Economic or social status will not bar us from God’s salvation. Then the magi arrive and worship Jesus. God shows us that His salvation is for the Gentiles as well as the Jews. Ethnicity or nationality will not bar us from God’s salvation. The magi were among the first of many people and nations who would come from the east and the west, from the north and the south, and worship Christ the King of kings.
12. The star in the nighttime sky drew the magi to the Star of David, Christ Jesus our Lord. Jesus is the Divine Light, the Light of the world, in whose Light we see the light of salvation at the cross of Mt. Zion and the empty tomb in the garden. Jesus has drawn us to Himself, and once we have been captured by the gravity of His Divine love and salvation we continue to orbit Him and soak up the warmth of His forgiveness and grace. Jesus is the Christ, the firstborn son of Mary, and the glorious Light of salvation for the magi, for the entire world, for you and me, and thus we praise, laud, and adore Him as the Star of salvation. Amen.
13. Let us pray. O Holy Spirit, Your Word is our light and guide, which is more glorious than the star that guided the magi to Christ the King of kings. Send us the guiding light of Holy Scripture so that we are not oppressed by the darkness of sin, death, and hellish fire, but liberated by the gospel which promises us that Christ Jesus is our King of righteousness, life, heaven, and salvation. Amen.
One Message: Christ crucified and risen for you!
All Scriptural quotations are translations done by The Rev. Peter A. Bauernfeind using the Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia, 4th Edition © 1990 by the Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, Stuttgart, the Novum Testamentum Graece, Nestle-Aland 27th Edition © 1993 by Deutsch Bibelgesellschaft, Stuttgart, and the New Testament Greek Manuscripts, Matthew © 1995 by Reuben Joseph Swanson.
Löhe, Wilhelm. Seed-Grains of Prayer: A Manual for Evangelical Christians. Wartburg Publishing House, Chicago circa 1912. Concordia Publishing House; Concordia on Demand.
Löhe, Wilhelm. Evangelien-Postille für die Sonn- und Festage des Kirchenjahres. Copyright © 1859 Samuel Gottlieb Liesching. A sermon preached on Matthew 2,1-12 for The Feast of the Epiphany of our Lord. The Rev. Peter A. Bauernfeind, Tr. © 2010.
[1] Die Juden haben predigende und lobsingende Engel, sie haben die Hirten, sie haben Joseph und Maria, sie haben Simeon und Hanna, sie haben die Sonne selber in ihrer Mitte, den neugeborenen Christus. Die Heiden haben geheimnisvolle Offenbarung und einen wunderbaren Morgenstern. Einerlei berufende Gnade erstreckt sich auf Juden und Heiden.
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