Matthew 2:1-12

Feast of the Epiphany | 01/06/23 | Mt 2:1-12 | David H. Brooks |

Recognizing that few modern Westerners have real knowledge of the night sky, several companies have created phone apps that will let the user scan the horizon and identify the objects that they see. Each app works somewhat differently, but the idea is to provide a map of the night sky depending upon which direction you face and label what you see. That’s Orion…I think. That bright dot high in the sky? That’s Betelgeuse. That other bright dot, just above the trees? Apparently it’s Venus. That…other bright dot? That’s Mercury….no, that’s an airplane. How can you tell? It’s moving fast. Are you sure?

No.

While we’d like to think (believe) that a phone app can make up for never looking up toward the sky, the truth is clear: there is no substitute available that can make up for disinterest. The contents of the sky will always be a bewildering mystery to people who will not or cannot look up or out. But it is not just the contents of the sky. The contents of life, where God is at work, must always be obscured to those who prefer to look down and in.

The story Matthew tells of the Magi and King Herod is a case study in the difference between looking up and out versus down and in. The Magi, travelers from a distant land and strangers to the land of Israel, nonetheless see a portent in the sky and are moved to travel at great cost and risk to find the king that has been born. Herod, local to the area, a part of the people for whom this king is promised, is caught off guard, unaware of what is happening right in his back yard. He must consult experts to explain to him what he is seeing and yet does not understand. In the end, Herod can see only himself and moves to destroy the rival that threatens his power.

Do we see a parable for our own age in this story? All of life is guided and shaped by what we see, by the vision we carry in our heads and hearts for what might be. The Magi pursue something that is beyond them—it lifts their heads, shines on their path, and, when they go wrong (going to Jerusalem to find the king is logical, but mistaken), they are willing to be corrected, and guided in the right path. Herod is guided only by his own desires, his own instincts, and so when he does finally look up, he is bewildered, frightened and angered by what he sees. For so many in our world, we measure what we see by what is inside us, and is it any wonder that we are bewildered, frightened and angry?

But as this Epiphany season begins, look for that one light that shines in the darkness. Jesus, the bright and morning star, shines brightly for any who look up and out. Let him guide you! Follow the path upon which he shines. When you go wrong, let him correct you. Keep looking up and out and he will lead you to those places and persons where he is found, to your exceeding and great joy. Amen.

Pastor David H. Brooks

Raleigh, NC

Pr.Dave.Brooks@zoho.com