Sermon on Matthew 2:1-12

Feast of the Epiphany | January 6, 2022 | by David Brooks |

Sermon Text: Matthew 2:1-12

There is a moment in the novel Lord of the Rings that gives a glimpse into J.R.R. Tolkien’s Christian faith. Two wizards with opposite aims and goals are talking and the one says

“I am Saruman the Wise, Saruman Ring-maker, Saruman of Many Colours!”

I [Gandalf] looked then and saw that his robes, which had seemed white, were not so, but were woven of all colours, and if he moved, they shimmered and changed hue so that the eye was bewildered.

“I liked white better,” I said.

“White!” he sneered. “It serves as a beginning. White cloth may be dyed. The white page can be overwritten; and the white light can be broken.”

“In which case it is no longer white,” said I. “And he that breaks a thing to find out what it is has left the path of wisdom.”

Tolkien has given us a key to understanding what Matthew shows us in his story of the Magi from the East attending on the infant Jesus. To explain this fully, we are going to go a bit beyond our lection, as we need to have in front of us what Herod does and not simply what the Magi do.

But what do the Magi—those we know colloquially as the Wise Men—do? Are they actually or truly wise? Are they on the path of wisdom?

Wisdom is not a word we really use in our world; we are more interested in technique, expertise, and certifications. Wisdom may be implied in these other ideas, but we don’t really look for academic degrees to show us a path for living, or the expertise we use in our work to make us better persons. Even to talk of wisdom in our world is hard, because we each expect that there is a wisdom that is uniquely for me, a way of living that works for me and no one else. We do not look for a “path of wisdom” that is available to all or that all must trod—we make our own way. This quirk about us makes wisdom in the Bible hard to understand, because Biblical wisdom rests on two pillars: one, that wisdom begins in “fearing” God (Proverbs 1:7) and it can only be obtained by humbly asking (James 1:5). Far from being something we go and get or acquire, we must ask for it, we must receive it as a gift, and we must set aside ourselves aside and give God first place! It will take time, a willingness to step away from our personal projects and goals for self-improvement, and walk in a path that God sets before us

Perhaps now we can understand what is happening as these travelers arrive at the house where the Christ child was. They are called “magoi” meaning they are priestly astrologers—watchers of the movement of stars, planets and constellations, with the ability to interpret and make use of the celestial dance.