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The Newborn King
Isaiah 60:1-6, Matthew 2:1-12
January 6, 2008
Betty S. Berghaus
There is a cute document that circulates on the internet around this time of year. It goes something like this:
If the 3 Wise Men had been women, they would have:
1) Stopped to ask for directions.
2) Arrived on time.
3) Helped deliver the baby.
4) Cleaned the stable.
5) Brought practical gifts.
6) Made a casserole.
Maybe so! We have no indication that they were women! Nor do we really have an indication in the text that there were 3 of them! A lot of the traditions we have for our Christmas story have, as you may know, combined the 2 birth narratives from Luke and Matthew, and like the movies often do to the versions they do of books, have added some other facts and special effects!
Remember that the Gospel of Matthew starts, in Chapter 1, with the genealogy of Jesus, which ties him to the house of David, and to a number of other interesting characters in the Bible. Then Matthew relates his version of Jesus’ birth, which deals more with the angel telling Joseph that it was alright to take the pregnant Mary as his wife, since she would bear the Son of God. Of the birth, Matthew says simply that she bore a son, and that Joseph named him Jesus (1:25). There is no angel appearing to Mary, no census required to move the family to Bethlehem, no manger, no shepherds, no animals in Matthew’s version of the birth story as there is in Luke. And the magi of Matthew do not appear in Luke.
Chapter 2 of Matthew tells a bit more about Jesus’ birth, giving us a time and place – in the time of King Herod, and in Bethlehem (v.1). There were actually 6 Herods in NT times. The villain of this story is probably Herod the Great, who ruled Palestine from aproximately 37 B.C. to 4 B.C.. Herod the Great was known to be moody, cruel, and even violent at times. He imprisoned and even executed members of his own family. He was a good choice by Matthew for a villainous king who wanted to destroy the Christ-child.
So in this time of Herod, the magi came from the East. From the Greek, magi means “astrologers,” or “magicians.” The term could refer to a priestly class of Persian or Babylonian experts in the occult, who specialized in astrology and the interpretation of dreams. They represented the pagan, or Gentile population that knew little of the religion of the Jews of the time.
The scripture does not say that they were kings. That interpretation came to the church around the 7th century, probably based on scriptures like Psalm 68:29: “Because of your temple at Jerusalem, kings bear gifts to you;” and Isaiah 60:3 (which we read earlier): “Nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn.”
The magi asked where the child was born who was the king of the Jews. This was a startling question for Herod, and the populace of Jerusalem, as Herod was the Roman-appointed ruler. There would be no need for another king, and a native-born king would be a threat to the Roman empire. For Herod, such a threat would need to be eliminated.
The wise men said they saw a star rising to proclaim the birth. Pagan beliefs associated stars with the birth of kings, so this was not so out of the ordinary. Yet the star, the astrological pursuit of the wise men, was not enough to help them find the Christ-child. The chief priests and scribes knew of scriptures that helped. From Bethlehem would come the one to shepherd the people of Israel. Their quote combines texts from Micah 5:2 and 2 Samuel 5:2, which tell of a ruler to come for Israel.
The astrology that the magi practiced was not enough to lead them to Jesus. They needed scripture as well. Yet the chief priests and scribes who quoted the text did not get up to follow the star to find the Christ. They perhaps knew scripture, but they did not follow the faith in practice. Perhaps our message here is that faith is more than just following a star or a prayer, and more than just quoting scripture. Tom Long says:
“One can, like the chief priests and scribes, know the biblical facts but completely miss the deeper biblical truth. One can memorize verses, but forget the gospel. One can recite the kings of Israel but overlook the King of Creation. One can, like Herod, be in favor of studying the scripture but still be on the wrong side of God’s will.” (Long, p. 19)
Discerning the Gospel takes work. The non-faithful magi used their astrological skills to follow the star and were led by Scripture. And when they reached the Christ-child, they were “overwhelmed with joy” (v.10). Their lives were changed. They knelt down and worshiped the child, and gave him gifts of frankincense, gold, and myrrh. These seem like strange baby gifts to us! But these would have been common things for magi to carry, and gifts suitable for a king’s anointing. Perhaps one of the miracles of that visit was that the magi left their precious belongings behind, symbolizing that they were giving up their former lives of magic and astrology and embracing the new faith of the newborn king.
Then the magi returned home a different way. They did not return to Herod to bear news of the where the Christ-child lay. They were warned against returning to Herod in a dream. Matthew used dreams several times to convey God’s will, including Joseph’s dreams about the pregnant Mary and the warning to flee to Egypt. The wise ones had “seen the light” upon meeting the Christ, and the course of their lives was changed. Philip Yancey says:
“After they saw the child and realized who he was, these visitors engaged in an act of civil disobedience: they deceived Herod and went home another way, to protect the child. They had chosen Jesus’ side, against the powerful.” (Yancy, p.40)
This familiar tale had purpose for the Gospel of Matthew. Both King Herod and the wise men asked “where” the baby was born. So the place was important. The birth in Bethlehem fulfilled OT scripture. The ensuing flight to Egypt and return explained how Jesus could also be from Nazareth, where he was raised.
And with this story of outsiders, the magi, the Gentiles, finding Jesus and worshipping him and changing their lives, we hear the message of Matthew that this Christ is for all people and for all nations. He is not just a king of the Jews. He is Lord of all. Matthew ends his gospel in the same light. The disciples worshiped the risen Christ, at the end of chapter 27, and he said to them, in what we call the Great Commissioning:
“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember that I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-20)
In an age of war, in a time of division even within the Church herself, we would be wise to hear Matthew’s message anew. Jesus Christ is the Lord of all people. He gives to us, the Church, the authority to act in his name and to follow his example of love and peace. And, through all we do, Christ is with us always.
Now hear Ann Weems’ poem called “Christmas Shopping:” (Kneeling in Bethlehem, p. 69) [For full text of the poem, see the end of this document.]
The Christmas message that we long to carry in our lives all year long is that God came in Christ to be one with us, and to show us a different way - a way of love and peace, of forgiveness and grace. As we approach the communion table, let us strive to come as wise ones, as people who offer the special child the gifts that we possess in our hearts, and who go home changed for the better by our worship of the newborn king, the Prince of Peace, the Lamb of God.
“What can I give him, poor as I am? I give my heart.”
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Long, Thomas G., Matthew (Westminster/John Knox Press, Louisville, KY, 1997)
Weems, Ann, Kneeling in Bethlehem (Westminster Press, Philadelphia, PA, 1987)
Yancey, Philip, The Jesus I Never Knew (Zondervan, 1995)
“CHRISTMAS SHOPPING”
by Ann Weems
I had a dream that the Holy Family
came down the escalators at Fields.
Angels in red raiment flew around us
sprinkling us with stardust,
singing alleluias and playing their bugles,
and all the shoppers knelt in adoration and praise.
The Wise Men, working in gift wrap,
began receiving our hearts
and wrapped them in rainbow papers
and we presented them to the Christ Child.
Then they were gone
and we returned to our shopping.
But I heard no more complaining about the long lines
and I saw no more rushing about.
We all smiled and greeted one another with
PEACE and GOODWILL.
We all remembered we had given away our hearts.
It was the best Christmas shopping I had ever done!
January 6, 2008
GREETING:
This is the day the Lord has made! LET US REJOICE AND BE
GLAD IN IT!
Welcome to this hour of worship at Westminster Presbyterian Church. We are glad
you are here. This is a communion Sunday, so prepare your hearts and minds to
come to the table later in the service. It is also Ephipany Sunday. Epiphany
indicates an appearance, a shining, a revelation. In our scriptures for this
day, the truth of the identity of the Christ child is revealed to the magi, who
worship him.
“Star of wonder, star of night, star with royal beauty bright. Westward leading, still proceeding, guide us to Thy perfect light.”
Let us worship God this day!
PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION:
To Your name, Lord Jesus, help us to bow the knee and all its worshiping, bow the head and all its thinking, bow the will and all its choosing, bow the heart and all its loving. Amen.
CHARGE AND BENEDICTION:
Who or what is king of your life? Make the Lord the rule of your life.
Worship him as did the magi. And follow his light. And the light will shine through the darkness, and the glory of God will be revealed!
Go out into the world taking with you the love of God. Take time to dance to the song of the Holy Spirit. And be sure to befriend the Christ in all you meet.
Let God’s people say, AMEN!