Isaiah 60:1-6

Psalm 72:1-7, 10-14

Ephesians 3:1-12

Matthew 2:1-12

Mt. Zion UMC, Stokesdale, NC

31 December 2006

“Ah-ha!”

I had a ministry supervisor who really had a problem with nativity sets. Actually, it wasn't so much that he had a problem with the sets themselves as much as he had a problem with some of the characters that the sets included. Oh, I'm not talking about some strange sets like the nativity scene sets from Catalina, Spain, which include a pheasant. He had a problem with the ordinary old sets made here in the United States. You know, they contained a baby Jesus, an angel, Mary and Joseph, shepherds, a few farm animals, and... three wise men. That was his problem, the wise men. It's not that he had a problem with intelligent figures from the Bible, but that there were three of them and they were depicted as being at the manger scene. When he saw the wise men in a nativity scene, he would hide them, or move them, or add a fourth wise man... You know, what ever he could do to not perpetuate the misconception that the wise men were at the manger scene or that there were definitely three of them.

He was right though; the manger scene was from Luke, the wise men, or magi, were from Matthew. Now, Herod does send the magi to Bethlehem to find Jesus [Matthew 2:8], but there is no evidence that Matthew's and Luke's accounts were intended to be the same. Over the years, particularly here in the United States, the account from Luke and the account from Matthew have kind of been forced together. This is not necessarily a bad thing, or a wrong thing to do, but it should be remembered that although they both describe the same event, they're trying to show us different perspectives of the birth of Christ and who Jesus is. In Luke, we really get a chance to see a lowly, very human origin for Jesus. He's born to "working class" parents who didn't have enough sway to get a room in an over-crowded Bethlehem, but could only find a stable. The people who came to see Jesus were simple shepherds, hardly the most respected career in 1st century Palestine. But in Matthew, we get a different perspective of Jesus' birth. Instead of emphasizing Jesus' humanness, Matthew focuses on his majesty. Magi... wise men... essentially, diplomats from another country have come to pay homage to the baby Jesus. These men of power - representing sovereign states - have come to bow down before Jesus [Matthew 2:11]. The accounts by Luke and Matthew are really not intended to be combined because they are trying to show different aspects of Jesus. Luke focuses on his humanness. Matthew describes his kingliness.

But that is why we use this passage from Matthew on Epiphany, or the Sunday we celebrate Epiphany. An epiphany is a realization, an "ah-ha" moment. It's when truth and understanding is revealed or announced. Here we see the truth of Jesus' Lordship revealed and announced in a rather spectacular way.

Yet the epiphany of this story doesn't simply end with the realization that Jesus is Lord of lords and King of kings. There's more to this story. Look at the gifts that the magi brought: gold, frankincense, and myrrh [Matthew 2:11]. These gifts are all gifts worthy of a king. They're all rather rare in Israel and are all very expensive. They are also very symbolic. Although Biblical scholars are uncertain if Matthew intended for these gifts to be as symbolic as they have come to be, nonetheless, they are cause to stop and think.

Gold is certainly a symbol of royalty. Only the truly wealthy and powerful could afford and acquire gold. What better way to proclaim the birth of a king than to present him with a gift of gold.

Frankincense was a rare incense in first century Palestine. It was used in religious ceremonies in the temple. Traditionally the magi presenting Jesus with frankincense was understood to be symbolic of Jesus being fully divine.

Myrrh is a rare perfume used mainly in embalming. Bodies of the dead were prepared for burial by applying myrrh. It was a rather strong perfume intended to cover up the smells of decay. Traditionally, this gift was seen as being symbolic of Christ's death on the cross. Even the gifts that the magi brought were an epiphany.

But these "ah-ha" moments don't stop there! The fact that it was these magi that first came and bowed down to Jesus in the book of Matthew is very important. The magi were not Jewish. They probably came from Babylon or even Persia. The term magi is best translated as “wise men,” but “astrologer,” “magician,” or “sorcerer” are also quite appropriate. Ironically, “king” is a very poor translation. These magi probably understood astrology quite well. After all, they noticed the star and knew that it marked the birth of the King of the Jews. Ever wonder why it was only the magi that followed the star [Matthew 2:10]? These men studied the stars for a living. They noticed things others didn’t. In this case, a star that led them to Jesus.

So, what’s the big deal about these magi not being Jewish? Well, why did God get their attention in the first place? The thing about the Gospel of Matthew is that there is a major theme running through the whole book that emphasizes Jesus Christ as the way of salvation for all of humanity. Yes, the first people to pay homage to Jesus Christ as Lord in the book of Matthew were gentiles. According to Matthew, the only humans who knew of Jesus’ divinity when he was born were his parents and these gentile magi!

The inclusion of gentiles in salvation was really not a new concept for the Jews. In our reading from Isaiah, did you notice in the third verse that “nations shall come to [God’s] light” [Isaiah 60:3]? It’s important to see that the word nation is plural. That means that Isaiah was saying that people from outside of Israel will come to God. The sixth verse says, “A multitude of camels shall cover you, the young camels of Midian and Ephah; all those from Sheba shall come. They shall bring gold and frankincense, and shall proclaim the praise of the Lord” [Isaiah 60:6]. Isaiah’s vision is one of the world, gathering together to worship God.

Our reading from Ephesians continues to emphasize this point. Paul states, “In former generations this mystery was not made known to humankind, as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit; that is, the Gentiles have become fellow heirs, members of the same body, and shares in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel” [Ephesians 3:5-6]. The prophets of the Old Testament had mainly proclaimed God’s messages just to the Israelites. But now, Christ’s message of salvation is available to all people through the Church proclaiming Christ as Lord and Savior.

What I think is interesting, is the magi really didn’t have the complete story when they left to pay homage to Jesus. They knew they were going to see the new born king of the Jews, and so they were going to Judea, but they had to ask Herod for further directions. (Actually, it was Herod’s chief priests and scribes who did the research to direct the magi to Bethlehem). All they seemed to know was that a great king was born and they were bringing him “kingly” gifts. Actually, they are quite funny gifts for a baby, king or otherwise. After all, what’s a baby going to do with myrrh? But as the old saying goes, “it’s not the gift that counts, it’s the thought.” In this case, maybe it’s the act and symbol of the gift that counts.

So here we are, about 2,000 years later. We’re gentiles like the magi. We’ve got a lot more information to go on than they did. We know now that we’re “fellow heirs, members of the same body, and sharers in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel” [Ephesians 3:6]. So what do we bring to Jesus? Wait, it’s not about what we bring – after all, those gifts were never mentioned again, and are certainly not Matthew’s point. What do we do to proclaim Jesus is Lord of lords and King of kings? The magi’s gifts were not about bringing Jesus something to celebrate his birth; it was about realizing who Jesus is and proclaiming the same.

So, who is Jesus to us? He really is our savior. He really did die for our sin. He really did rise from the dead and he really calls us to join him in that death and resurrection to eternal life. He really is the King of kings and Lord of Lords. The magi brought gifts to and bowed down before the baby Jesus in a land that was not their own to proclaim Him as Lord and King. What can we do to proclaim the same message? How do we bow down before Jesus? By practicing acts of piety, those means of grace like worship, prayer, hearing scripture proclaimed, studying scripture, fasting, and Holy Communion are good ways to proclaim who Jesus is to us. But those are not the only means of grace. There are also the acts of mercy like, visiting the sick and prisoners, and feeding and clothing people. Maybe we can proclaim who Jesus is by following Wesley’s instructions to “Do all the good you can, By all the means you can, In all the ways you can, In all the places you can, At all the times you can, To all the people you can, As long as ever you can” [John Wesley’s Rule].

SDG