Please note that in the last paragraph, the phrase "where the darkness
has no end" needs to be changed to "where there is no more darkness."
Sorry for any confusion.
Pastor Paul L. Willweber
The Magic of Wisdom
The Epiphany of Our Lord
Sunday, January 6, 2008
Matthew 2:1-12
The wise men who visited Jesus are so often simply known as "the wise
men". These were people from a far country who came bearing valuable
gifts to the baby Jesus. We're so familiar with the angels and the
shepherds and even the animals that were there at the birth of Jesus
that oftentimes we don't think twice about them. But how do these wise
men fit in? Who were they? Why did they come? How did they know about
the star?
Matthew doesn't give us a lot of these details. But there's something
I wonder about even more: when they came to Jerusalem and talked to
Herod about the "king" who had been born, I can understand why Herod
was troubled, but why was all Jerusalem troubled with him? Herod
wasn't exactly a compassionate king. That he would be disconcerted at
the news of a new king is understandable. But wouldn't it appear that
the people might want someone other hand the ruthless king Herod? He
had no compunction about killing even his own sons at the thought that
they might murder him to take over the crown.
We're familiar with the traditional cast of characters of Jesus'
birth. But of the Epiphany, we know little about the wise men, Herod,
the chief priests and the scribes. Even the common people of
Jerusalem. Let's start with the "wise men". The Greek term for these
men is magi. And that they're called wise men so often is probably
pretty accurate since they certainly were the wise ones in this whole
episode.
So who were these Magi? Well, we know they were from a different
country. We know they were Gentiles, in other words, they weren't
Jewish. They were also apparently men who used astrology to gain their
wisdom. Another interesting thing with the term Magi is that we will
recognize that our word magic comes from that Greek word. Now I'm not
suggesting that these guys were magicians. But there is an aspect of
magic to their type of occupation. Just think about how things were
back then. With certain people seeking signs and wisdom from the
stars, isn't there a magical quality about that?
In fact, the mention of another king might not have been the only
thing that disturbed King Herod. When these visitors from a foreign
country come to his city with a mysterious message they got from the
stars about a king, he wasn't exactly sure what he was dealing with.
Perhaps that had a little something to do with how the common people
reacted as well. Herod, for all his cruelty, did provide many
opportunities for them, especially with his rebuilding of their great
temple. What was to happen to them if some new king came out of the
blue that was designated by some star and foretold of by these
mysterious men? The chief priests and scribes, of course, quoted to
Herod from the Scriptures. But basically what we see in the rest of
the four gospels from these religious leaders is opposition to Jesus.
In the Magi we see true wisdom. And what is that wisdom? Listening to
the Word of God as opposed to the word of men, even if it is the word
of kings. The Magi had their sights set on Jesus, even if they weren't
Jews, didn't know the Scriptures, or put their stock in astrology. In
all the characters of the epiphany story the wise men are the ones
shown to be truly wise. And that is the magic in all of this. We
wonder at times how God works. Here He worked in a truly mysterious
way. But it was all grounded in the Word made flesh, Jesus Christ
Himself.
Herod was wise to bring in the religious leaders to get the details.
But he was too blinded by his own power to seek true wisdom in the
King that was born who would eventually die for him. I wonder if the
chief priests and scribes thought that these men who had traveled so
far were a bunch of crackpots, talking about a star pointing the way
to a king.
But wisdom doesn't look at what appears to be strange. Wisdom looks at
the Word of God and the Otherly way God works in this world. Didn't we
hear in our Old Testament reading this morning of the prophecy of the
coming of the wise men, with their traveling from far countries and
bringing gifts of gold and frankincense? Didn't that very same
prophecy prophesy of the Light that will shine upon the people of this
world, and the darkness of sin that envelopes it?
Paul speaks of this kind of magic, also, in the Epistle reading. It's
not in sorcery or spells or illusion, but in the mystery of God's love
being revealed in the flesh of His Son. That so many when Christ was
born missed this magical moment, what it meant for the world, is
understandable. We so often seek the wisdom of the world. That most
missed the working of God in human history in the person of Jesus
Christ in His life and Ministry, isn't surprising. Shouldn't God have
made more of a splash than just the three years where He gained a few
followers? That everyone missed it that God's love for the world was
revealed and displayed in Jesus' sorrowful suffering and death makes
sense, since a king would be expected to put up more of a fight than
just willingly let his enemies run all over him.
But what do we see in the Magi? Wisdom. What does it say about these
men who bore valuable gifts and bowed before this infant? What does it
say about the joy they had and the decision to not return to Herod? It
says that they found something better than astrology, stars, or
whatever else they may have put their trust in in the past. It says
they now saw the true king. They had just stood before a very powerful
king in Herod who had proven his power. Now they knelt before a baby.
The magic of their wisdom is in God coming into their world. They were
likely highly regarded in their country. What would their countrymen
think of them as they knelt before a Jewish baby and gave Him gifts?
They'd probably renounce their status as wise men. But in these wise
men we are given a picture of wisdom. Of the mysterious and
Other-worldly way God works in this ordinary world. He gives us His
Scripture, ordinary words on a page, which bring forth life and
salvation. In simple water He raises us to new life by Baptizing us.
With ordinary bread and wine He comes to us again. Where the Magi
asked where He was who was born king of the Jews, we might ask today,
where is He who has been born, who has suffered, died, and risen from
the grave? He is here at His altar, ready to give you His body and
blood. It's not magic by any means, but there is a mystery about it,
God loving you so much that He will come to you where you're at to
give you life and salvation by His very hand.
Wisdom sees God's love where it is to be found—in God born in the
flesh. Wisdom rejoices in this very One dying and rising so that we
may enter into the place where the darkness has no end and wisdom sees
only Christ. Amen.
SDG
--
Pastor Paul L. Willweber
Prince of Peace Lutheran Church [LCMS]
San Diego, California
princeofpeacesd.net
three-taverns.blogspot.com
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