There were three gifts carried by wealthy sages; an anxious, somewhat insane and insecure king, an innocent baby, and a star…sounds like the opening of a movie – and to some extent it is. All of this and more will be covered this morning. But to get that all done we better pray. (Prayer…)
Last week we made a transition – from looking back to looking ahead. We moved from the Advent wreath as a sign of preparation, to the shepherds as God’s earthy heralds having heard the news from the heavenly heralds. We examined this past year and all that has blessed our lives and our ministries in this church, community, country, and world. We then committed, even covenanted to be available to God for what is coming- no matter what. That leads us into this morning’s message. These next two weeks become a powerful symbol of taking our next steps. Over these next two weeks we move rapidly from the birth of Jesus, to the three gifts offered and realizations made by these wise men, to the baptism and beginning of the ministry of Jesus –with barely a breath in between. And yet there are some very significant elements that will help us move more fully into the upcoming year if we take a moment to recognize and remember them.
This is Epiphany Sunday – a Sunday set aside to remember that this birth story is so much more than that. This is the Sunday where we realize that he came into the world for the world – the entire world and not just for us or our Jewish sisters and brothers. Did you know that this celebration was practiced long before Christmas became a Christian tradition? It’s true! The importance of these wise men is huge. They are the sign that this was the one prophesied to come – not just for a few, but for the world; the one who would very literally change the world, the one to whom the world would or more accurately could turn for direction and answers, and an intimate relationship with a singular creator. As important as Christmas may be, this Sunday commemorates more than how he came. It commemorates why he came. This Sunday is filled with symbolism – of stars, gentile wise men from the east, Herod and his role, God’s voice to those God didn’t initially choose, gifts offered quickly, and an escape of two parties in two very different directions; one set to Egypt to escape. The others back to the East to return home with the news of this birth in their world. Then add to that next Sunday.
Next Sunday we remember the baptism of Jesus. We will remember our baptisms as our acceptance and incorporation into this faith. We set the Calvin retreat specifically on that Sunday as we explore the covenants and commitments we made to parents and children around loving, accepting, teaching, and supporting them as a part of this body of Christ, this family of faith. Next Sunday, much like this morning, we’ll explore that which makes us who and what we are as Christian people. But that’s next Sunday…
Today we make some realizations – some epiphanies about Jesus and these figures from the East. To begin, let’s remember a few things about this story. So far, Jesus is Jewish and tied completely to the Jewish tradition- even as the much heralded Messiah. Herod is the Jewish king and Augustus Caesar is their ruling Emperor. Jesus was born in to a very difficult time in the history of Judaism, a time of little control and yet ongoing conflicts between the Roman authorities and the Jewish communities. A major conflict would come to a head thirty some years after Jesus’ death as Roman legions would literally sweep through the region and destroy everything Jewish including the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem. Jesus was born into a time when alliances had been inappropriately created between Jewish leaders – including Herod - and Rome. Leaders like Herod were getting richer as most of the people of Judea were getting poorer. The Temple had become a money making enterprise rather than a place of worship. Jesus was born into a time when the king of Israel, or the proclaimed king of the Jews wasn’t even Jewish. Herod had won the throne in an inappropriate alliance created long before his birth. Herod was not a rightful leader, and certainly wasn’t supposed to be king. Herod was, for a variety of reasons, exceedingly and unhealthily insecure and many paid the ultimate price of that insecurity. All of that to say that as peaceful as “Silent Night, Holy Night” may sound, what was swirling around this birth was anything but peaceful.
Now, into this mix, add these sages, who by the way were not kings. They were soothsayers, star readers, experts in astrology, even priests of another religion, who came from the east (which always signifies wisdom), these wealthy Magi and their entourage – whether there were three or fifty we don’t know. What we do know is that they asked a question that sent shudders through this non-appointed and inappropriate king - Herod. And what did they ask? They asked, “Where is this one who was born king of the Jews. (Wow! But it gets better). We saw his star (or his preordination, his recognition, his official appointment by God), and we came (from a long ways away and with wisdom) to worship him. Notice they didn’t pay homage to Herod. They didn’t bow to him. They didn’t give him gifts. Are you beginning to get the picture?
Notice also that these wise men had been looking for something like this, searching the skies for a sign of something like this. They immediately recognized the significance, gathered what they had and followed the sign to its origin. We have no idea what they expected – but what they found I’m sure surprised even them. It should surprise us – even today. They expected lavish royalty and what they found was a king of a different sort. And again, I need to remind us that these magi were not Jewish and needed help in finding the specific location of the child. Miraculously, it was Herod who identified the prophesied birth place and directed the wise men to it – one ill-placed king of the Jews directed gift givers toward another, and these magi moved from one throne room to another, one ornate and the other so simple. So in a somewhat circuitous route, God’s Word through Isaiah, quoted by an inappropriate king, led these wise men to the child – God’s child. And it reminds us one more time that God will use what God will use to serve God’s purposes. We certainly see that in scripture more often than not. Friends, Epiphany is about realizations and we need to recognize the subtleties of this story in order to grasp the full meaning. But it doesn’t stop there. We still have these gifts.
Like the juxtaposition of these two kings (Herod and Jesus) might there also the symbolism behind these gifts? We can ask, very much like can be asked of the author of the Gospel of John, if the author of Matthew is trying to tell us something here. Like John’s “Wedding at Cana” in John chapter two, if the gifts in Matthew chapter two might symbolize so much more than a few precious or expensive items brought to a child by foreigners. The three gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh were each gifts fit for a king. But might they also represent an element of what is to come in the rest of this gospel? We just don’t know. I’m also aware that many lift up the fact that Matthew has the wise men visiting Jesus in a house rather than the manger. I find that fact pretty insignificant. It has less to do with where than what was delivered: a message to Herod and the Jewish authorities, recognition of this ordination of a king by a star and by gentiles, and the delivery of these gifts by those gentiles.
Okay, back to the gifts. First, it’s important to understand the tradition of giving gifts to royalty. Travelers, particularly wealthy travelers, when entering a country that was not of their origin, would often offer gifts as a sign of humble honor. They would often, upon giving these gifts, bow before the king and ask his permission for safe passage through the country. Often the king would offer something, a parchment with his seal, a sign of his court or family that would assure safe passage. In this case, Herod is not worshipped and is so overcome with manipulation that he instead offers them only instruction to return. The gifts of these travelers would go to the other king, a child. Gold, the most precious of metals, could be molded into any form and was not found anywhere in Judea. It was imported. But so were frankincense and myrrh. Frankincense is a sort of resin or sap, drawn from bushes that grow in southern Arabia and India. Its strong odor was used for embalming by the Egyptians, and for the highest forms of worship by the Jewish religious leaders. It was highly prized and very precious. Finally, myrrh, was also a resin, but smelled beautiful. It was used as an expensive perfume, an enhancer of wine, and for holy anointing. Given these items you can readily see why authors throughout history have made the conjecture that the gifts, fit for a king, also held deep significance.
So, now that we’ve kind of set everything into place, and as wonderful as this story is, might there be meaning for us today? Absolutely! Here are a couple of items. Lest we believe that Jesus came only for a small set of followers, we need to go no further than this story to find that Jesus was born to help the world – all of it. That’s where at least some of the wisdom lay in this narrative. I do not believe that anywhere in this story does it say that the wise men returned to their country, became Christian disciples and started churches. That’s not the point. The point is that Jesus came to earth for all people – to help reestablish an appropriate kingdom or order on earth. He came to help all people, including inappropriate and ill-placed earthly kings (and us for that matter) learn to love each other, hold each other accountable to a higher level of order and love, see that it is a full dependence on the creator of the stars that brings wisdom and abundant life, and not wealth and power. It is in sharing what we have, honoring what is important in life – like relationships – that cause others to take notice and want to do the same.
Notice one more thing - once the wise men delivered their gifts and provided for the needs of this young family, they disappeared and are never heard from again. What does that tell us? It tells us that it’s not about the wise men. It’s about placing these two kings together for comparison. And it raises the question – which king most fits where we are in our lives, what we believe about ourselves or our place in the world, and what we believe about being dependant – like Mary, Joseph and Jesus were dependent – on a God who seeks to provide for us? These are tough questions, but it’s a tough story. Finally, let’s remember that they found the child…because they searched and followed what they knew would lead them to him. How about us? Are we allowing God to lead us to this child? Where is the child for us? What do we follow in order to find him…if not A Star then what? And that leads us to this meal.
This meal is the ultimate reminder that what we follow is so much more than a small child born to lowly parents into a place of obscurity. The child grew up, and as we will remember both this week and next, became something so much more. He redefined riches. It’s not about gold. It’s about sharing, like the wise men did with that young family, what we have so that others might live. It’s not about expensive perfumes, but about being anointed for the work of Christ in the world, and creating something special in this world –as God’s world with God’s order. It’s not only about life and trying to make the most of it. It’s also about this death, and a belief that in following this life there is the possibility of resurrection – in this world and in the next. So, as I said in the beginning - three gifts carried by wise people sharing what they had with a family in need, two kings – one to follow and one to reject, and one realization that the one we choose to follow gave his life for us after showing us clearly how life was to be lived – by love, acceptance, accountability and by grace. That, I pray is the epiphany for each of us – that we follow Jesus more than we follow anything else. That we search for him and find him – or maybe more appropriately are found by him, accept him and live our lives accordingly. That’s the epiphany. That’s the point. That’s the challenge. Amen? Amen!
©Brad Beeman, 2008. Permission is given for brief quotation with attribution.
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"Gifts"