{"id":6639,"date":"2021-12-30T14:55:16","date_gmt":"2021-12-30T13:55:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/theologie.whp.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/?p=6639"},"modified":"2021-12-30T14:55:16","modified_gmt":"2021-12-30T13:55:16","slug":"matthew-21-12-epiphany","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/matthew-21-12-epiphany\/","title":{"rendered":"Matthew 2:1-12 | Epiphany"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sermon for the Epiphany of our Lord \u2013 January 6, 2022 | by The Rev. Beth A. Schlegel |<\/h3>\n

Matthew 2:1-12<\/p>\n

Now\u00a0after Jesus was born in\u00a0Bethlehem of Judea\u00a0in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men<\/em>[<\/sup><\/em>a<\/sup><\/a><\/em>]<\/sup><\/em>\u00a0from\u00a0the east came to Jerusalem,<\/em>\u00a02\u00a0<\/sup><\/strong>saying, \u201cWhere is he who has been born\u00a0king of the Jews? For we saw\u00a0his star when it rose<\/em>[<\/sup><\/em>b<\/sup><\/a><\/em>]<\/sup><\/em>\u00a0and have come to\u00a0worship him.\u201d<\/em>\u00a03\u00a0<\/sup><\/strong>When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him;\u00a04\u00a0<\/sup><\/strong>and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where\u00a0the Christ was to be born.\u00a05\u00a0<\/sup><\/strong>They told him, \u201cIn Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet:<\/em><\/p>\n

6\u00a0<\/sup><\/em><\/strong>\u201c\u2018And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,<\/em>
\n<\/em>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/em>are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;<\/em>
\nfor from you shall come a ruler
\n<\/em>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/em>who will\u00a0shepherd my people Israel.\u2019\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

7\u00a0<\/sup><\/em><\/strong>Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared.<\/em>\u00a08\u00a0<\/sup><\/strong>And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, \u201cGo and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him.\u201d\u00a09\u00a0<\/sup><\/strong>After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was.\u00a010\u00a0<\/sup><\/strong>When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.\u00a011\u00a0<\/sup><\/strong>And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures,\u00a0they offered him gifts,\u00a0gold and\u00a0frankincense and\u00a0myrrh.\u00a012\u00a0<\/sup><\/strong>And\u00a0being warned\u00a0in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way.<\/em><\/p>\n

____<\/p>\n

If we can set aside the Christmas card images of the manger with the wise men and shepherds all gathered together, we can get a better sense of this Epiphany story.<\/p>\n

In faraway lands, known to us today as Iran and Afghanistan,<\/p>\n

there were learned scholars and priests called magi <\/strong>or wise ones, who studied the stars like detectives.<\/p>\n

They were familiar with the movements of the earth and planets and the rhythms of sun and moon.<\/p>\n

They also knew when something was happening out of the ordinary.<\/p>\n

Their religion, Zoroastrianism, was eagerly awaiting the time when a messiah would come to end all destruction.<\/p>\n

These magi were familiar with the Jewish people and their beliefs.<\/p>\n

So, when an extraordinary star became visible, the magi interpreted it as signaling the birth of the messiah \u2013 the king of the Jews. <\/strong><\/p>\n

They went to the center of Jewish government to seek this king \u2013 Jerusalem rather than Rome because Persia was known to be allied with Judea against Rome.<\/p>\n

King Herod was taken by surprise by this state visit from Persia and had no knowledge that a rival had come onto the scene.<\/p>\n

So, he had his priests consult the scriptures regarding the birth of the promised messiah and sent the magi to Bethlehem.<\/p>\n

Now here\u2019s the interesting thing.<\/p>\n

The Bible doesn\u2019t say the magi went to Bethlehem.<\/p>\n

\u00a0It says they followed the star to the house where Jesus was \u2013 very likely, in Nazareth of Galilee. <\/strong><\/p>\n

We are told that these events happened after<\/em> Jesus was born and that it was necessary for Herod to order the killing of babies 2 years old or younger.<\/p>\n

So the census was long completed and everyone who had traveled to Bethlehem to be registered would have returned home.<\/p>\n

Herod sent them to Bethlehem, but they followed the star God had provided. <\/strong><\/p>\n

Maybe they went to Bethlehem and inquired, only to be told \u2013 yes, a child was born here, but they have since gone.<\/p>\n

Only God knew where \u2013 and like the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night led God\u2019s people to the promised land, \u00a0so this star led the Gentile magi to Jesus.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Dear people of God, take notice \u2013 there are two sources of guidance God provides:<\/p>\n