The Epiphany of Our Lord (transferred) | 5 January 2025 | A Sermon on Matthew 2:1-12 | by Paul Bieber |

Matthew 2:1-12 Revised Standard Version

2 When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, ² “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we have seen his star in the East, and have come to worship him.” ³ When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; ⁴ and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. ⁵ They 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 govern my people Israel.’”

 ⁷ Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star appeared; ⁸ and 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.” ⁹ When they had heard the king they went their way; and lo, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came to rest over the place where the child was. ¹⁰ When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy; ¹¹ 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. ¹² And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way.

also

Isaiah 60.1-6

Psalm 72:1-7, 10-14

Ephesians 3:1-12

GUIDED BY THE LIGHT TO THE LIGHT

Grace, peace, and much joy to you, people of God.

Who were these wise men from the East, really? What was the star they saw and followed, really? Conjectures abound, and these are not unimportant questions. But they are questions for a monograph, a treatise, a lecture. For the purposes of a sermon, the question is: What is the word of God for us in this story, as St. Matthew has passed it on to us through two millennia of traditional retelling?

Matthew’s story so far has only set the scene, giving Jesus’ genealogy from Abraham to Joseph, the husband of Mary, his mother, and the story of Joseph’s first dream, in which he is told not to be afraid: Mary’s child will be the fulfillment of ancient prophecy. So these exotic visitors from the East are a beginning, a first indication of what St. Paul writes in Ephesians, that the mystery of Christ, made known in a revelation, an epiphany, means that the nations, “the Gentiles,” have become fellow heirs with Israel, sharers in the promise of Christ Jesus through the gospel.

Indeed they—we—have been made members of the same body of Christ, which comprises both Jesus’ own people, tracing back their lineage with him through the fourteen generations back to the exile to Babylon, and the fourteen generations before that, back to David, and the fourteen generations before that, back to Abraham—and also disciples from all the other nations, as Jesus says at the end of St. Matthew’s Gospel, in what we know as the Great Commission. All are fellow heirs, members of the same body, sharers in the promise.

The promise, that is, in Christ Jesus through the gospel. The earliest Church found that gospel promise—before the four Gospels were written—in Israel’s scriptures, like Psalm 72. This is a Psalm of Solomon, David’s son, king of Israel—but also a song of the king for whom the wise men were searching, the king of a very different kingdom: the embodiment of God’s mystery, like a seed sprouting, bread rising, a treasure found, a precious pearl acquired. The intent of this kingdom is the reconciliation of lost, broken humanity with our God.

There is another, very different king in this story: Herod, an Idumean; that is, an Edomite, named king of Judea in 40 B.C. by the Roman Senate—as foreign a king as Caspar, Melchior, and Balthasar. His concern, like that of every sinful self, is securing his own life. For him, that means preserving his own throne. He will go to any lengths: he drowned his sixteen-year-old brother-in-law, the high priest. He killed his uncle, aunt, and mother-in-law, as well as two of his sons and three hundred officials he accused of siding with them against him. His professed desire to come and worship is rank hypocrisy. His preoccupation is power.

Quite a contrast of kings: The wise men represent earthly rulers at their best—seeking wisdom, ancient stargazers using the scientific tools available to them, making their journey to offer their best at Bethlehem to the One worthy of worship. Herod represents grasping, selfish humanity at our worst, hypocritically trying to secure his life and preserve his power.

But even the thick darkness of our own self-serving hypocrisy cannot cover us forever—for the glory of the Lord has risen upon us. On The Epiphany we announce the date of Easter and all the moveable feasts in this new year. Though darkness still covers the earth, the Lord will arise. Epiphany light shows us Easter, the risen Lord; Pentecost, the gift of the Spirit. The nations begin to come to the light as the Magi make their journey to Bethlehem to worship the infant king. They are the forerunners of all are called by the gospel to come to him, our very different king.

Not only is Jesus a better king than Herod or the Magi, he is a better star than the star that guides them. He is the bright morning star of Revelation 22, rising in our hearts according to II Peter 1. Wise men and women come to that light and to the brightness of that dawn. We see that light and our own light shines radiantly that others may see it and glorify the One that our true king has given us power to call Father with delight. Jesus the Son is a better king, a better star, a better gift than the Magi gave—the gift of himself. The Magi are the forerunners of all who believe in him, of us, too.

Our journey to Bethlehem is not very far. We need no camels. Seeking the Christ Child is a journey of the heart—a journey of looking at yourself, your family, your friends, your work, not as givens that you must somehow secure, but as gifts in Christ Jesus through the gospel—of rediscovering, as this new year begins, that Christ goes with us through all our changes, challenges, and disappointments; through all that has been lost, misplaced, forgotten. And we find ourselves returning home by a different way: Guide us to the perfect light, Jesus Christ, the morning star.

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

—

The Rev. Dr. Paul Bieber, STS

E-Mail: paul.bieber@sbcglobal.net

All Saints Lutheran Church

San Diego, California, USA