Matthew 2:1-12 Pastor Nathan P. Kassulke
The Epiphany of Our Lord Sunday, January 5, 2019 “We Have Come to Worship Him”
“As with gladness men of old Did the guiding star behold, As with joy they hailed its light, Leading onward, beaming bright, So, most gracious Lord, may we Evermore your followers be” (CW 83:1). We will sing that hymn stanza, along with the rest of the hymn, at the end of our worship service this morning. The “men of old” about whom we will sing are the Wise Men mentioned in our lesson from Matthew 2 today. And the whole point of our Festival of Epiphany celebration today matches the theme of that hymn. We want to be like those Wise Men. We want to not only see the young Jesus, but also to understand what he means for us and in our lives. We want to offer him our worship and praise, just as the Wise Men of so long ago did. We want to say with those Wise Men, “We have come to worship him.” We have come to worship the Christ-child in spite of obstacles. Not much is said about the Wise Men in Scripture. Other translations have referred to them as Magi, a word that sounds very much like the Greek word used for them. Some have surmised that they came from Babylon or from Arabia. Matthew in writing the Gospel only says that they came from the East. The term “Wise Men” captures that they are a part of a class of royal advisers and researchers, men known for their wisdom. What is very clear is that they were not next-door neighbors of the young child. They did not make a weekend trip to visit him. They traveled from far away. They may have traveled for as much as two years according to what we learn about them and their visit. Presumably they packed their camels, they loaded up all the necessary provisions, and they set off. They didn’t even know exactly where they would be going. This was a major undertaking. It was a major effort. No doubt there were even more obstacles that had to be overcome along the way. Yet these men made the journey. They arrived first in Jerusalem and then in Bethlehem in spite of all such obstacles. They came to worship the child Jesus in spite of all obstacles. And perhaps the greatest obstacle of all was the one that so often prevents us from worshipping Jesus the way that we would want to and the way that he deserves. That obstacle is our own sin. We make an error if we think that in order to worship Jesus, we must be wise like the wise men. That is a mistake because theirs was not a calculated decision that they would go find a king. Their decision to go was not motivated by their intellect or intelligence. Their travel and their worship were motivated by faith. They had heard the promise of God to send a Savior, and they saw the sign that God used to announce to them the coming of that Savior. God had overcome their sinful hearts. He had overcome whatever sinful laziness or indifference remained in them. Their own sin was the greatest obstacle. Today, we have come to worship him because God has overcome the greatest obstacle in our lives. God has overcome the sinful hearts that were within us from the time of our conceptions and births. God has overcome the laziness and indifference that remains in our hearts. And yet, haven’t you still felt the power of sin in your life even as you were here to worship? Have you allowed your mind to wander away from the Christ child and toward other matters? Have you been frustrated by the actions of others or the distractions that you have felt? There is plenty of evidence even in our best moments of the sinful obstacles that stand in the way of worshipping our Savior. There is plenty to remind us that while we need a Savior, we don’t deserve him. And yet he came for us; he was born for us. He called us through his Holy Spirit to be his own. He lived and died to remove every sin from us as far as it could be taken away. He rose to life again to give us the promise of eternal life. And that is why we worship as the Wise Men from so long ago. Those same Wise Men have even more lessons to teach us from their journey. Like them, we worship Jesus as he is revealed to us. When the Wise Men were on their journey, they did not go straight to Bethlehem. They stopped in a very sensible place to look for a king, in the capital city of Jerusalem. They spoke to Herod the king and asked him about the one whose star they had seen, about the newborn King
of the Jews. Well, Herod ultimately knew where to turn for answers. He called together chief priests and experts in God’s Word, and they had the answer. They knew that God’s prophet Micah had foretold the birth of the Savior in Bethlehem, a very small town not far from Jerusalem. The Wise Men found Jesus not only because of the star that God had sent especially for them, but also because they listened to what God said in the Scriptures. In fact, as I mentioned earlier, it is clear that they had previously heard God’s promises. Faith comes from hearing the message, the good news of a Savior and of the salvation that he brings. The Wise Men had come to faith by hearing that message. And when they needed details, when they needed to know where to turn, they found the answer in Scripture. Do you see the lessons for us? God has called us to faith through his Word and the sacrament of Holy Baptism. He has led us to worship the baby born in Bethlehem as our Savior, as the answer to all our sins. And as we continue to live for him, he strengthens us through his Word. He gives us answers to the biggest questions of our lives. He gives us all that we need for our faith and for our living in him. And he gives us the sacrament of his Son’s body and blood that through the power of that same gospel forgives sins and strengthens us for all that we face. We have come to worship him as he has been revealed to us. That is one of the reasons that what we do when we gather is listen to his Word and receive the sacrament that he has provided for us. That is why what we do together each week is so vital and important. It is also a reminder that God does speak to us in his Word about the situations we face in life. We are wise to listen, not to try to figure everything out on our own or to do as we see fit or think best. Herod is the example of that in our verses, thinking that he could somehow stop God’s plans, trick the Wise Men into revealing the location of Herod’s supposed rival king. But God’s plans prevailed, and those who are against his plans will always be defeated. Those who listen to his Word will be blessed. The Wise Men continued on their way to Bethlehem, and God provided even more direction from his miraculous star. They found Mary and her son Jesus in their Bethlehem house, and they bowed down in worship. And they presented rich and expensive gifts to him: gold and frankincense and myrrh. They worshipped their Savior with their generous gifts. We do the same. Our God has been so generous to us. He has forgiven our sins. He has promised us eternal life in heaven. He has fed and nourished our faith. He has given us physical and temporal blessings. And he gives us opportunities to present to him generous gifts. Sure, the most obvious way we are like the Wise Men in this regard is when we place our offerings into the plates to be used in service of God’s kingdom. But that is not the only way God allows us to be generous with what he has given us. He invites us to help and serve others. He invites us to use not just our treasures, but also our time and our skills in service to him and to others. Our Epiphany celebration comes just several days into a New Year. As many make resolutions and consider the year ahead of them, it is a great time for us to take stock of the opportunities that God gives. Perhaps there is some service opportunity here at church that you have been thinking about. Now might be the time to learn more. Perhaps you have a friend or a neighbor in need. Maybe now is a chance to share what you have with them. Maybe now is a time to think about and plan what will go into your offering envelope and into the plate based on how God has blessed you financially. We have come to worship Jesus Christ with our generous gifts. A star once led Wise Men to worship a newborn baby king. The light of that star brought them to worship the light of the world. He is our light. He is our forgiveness; he is our salvation. Join me in hearing his Word in the weeks to come. Join me in praying in his name. Join me in singing his praises. We have come to worship him.
The Text: Matthew 2:1-12 (EHV) After Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, when Herod was king, Wise Men from the east came to Jerusalem. They asked, 2 “Where is he who has been born King of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” 3 When King Herod heard this, he was alarmed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 He gathered together all the people’s chief priests and experts in the law. He asked them where the Christ was to be born. 5 They said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, because this was written through the prophet: 6 You, Bethlehem,
in the land of Judah, are certainly not least among the rulers of Judah: because out of you will come a ruler, who will shepherd my people, Israel.” 7
Then Herod secretly summoned the Wise Men and found out from them exactly when the star had appeared. 8 He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. When you find him, report to me, so that I may also go and worship him.” 9 After
listening to the king, they went on their way. Then the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them, until it stood still over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with overwhelming joy. 11 After they went into the house and saw the child with Mary, his mother, they bowed down and worshipped him. Then they opened their treasures and offered him gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 12 Since they had been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they went back to their own country by another route.