Sermon - Epiphany 2024 - Matthew 2:1-12

Adoration of the Magi, Albrecht Durer, 1504

The Magi Reveal the Kingship of Jesus.

1. The Faith of the Magi

2. The Unbelief of Jerusalem

3. The Worship in Bethlehem

Today we celebrate the Epiphany of our Lord. An epiphany is when something is made manifest or clear. What the Magi reveal is that Jesus is the King. Thus far in the infancy narrative Jesus’ identity was not widely known. In Bethlehem only a few shepherds knew about Him. When Jesus was presented at the temple in Jerusalem only Simeon and Anna knew about Him. But with the arrival of the Magi from the East, all of Jerusalem suddenly had an epiphany: The King of the Jews has been born!

When the Magi from Babylon had received this epiphany they were overcome with such joy through their faith that they went on this great journey to go and worship this newborn King. It’s a bit surprising that Gentiles from the East would suddenly show up in Jerusalem, because how is it that they come to worship Jesus before Jesus’ own people? 

Well we know two things about the Magi: First, they’re wise men from Babylon, and second, they saw His star in the East. 600 years earlier in Babylon another wise man lived, one who was chief of the wise men in Babylon: the prophet Daniel. Daniel had prophesied of a coming King: “I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.” In addition to that prophecy, it’s quite possible that Daniel had said other things and had received more visions which made these details clearer to the magi 600 years later.

Particularly, there may have been more details about this star which they had followed to Jerusalem. Because it’s evidently not an ordinary star, since it’s low enough to the earth that it can be followed even to the house where Jesus was living. We know that stars are all actually suns, many times the size of our own planet. But this thing apparently had the appearance of a star, and was obviously given to the magi from God in order to guide them to Jesus. This star really was an epiphany for the Magi since, like a star, it shone light for them in order to reveal Jesus to them.

These magi had faith in Jesus through the scriptures. Although they were not Israelites, they still believed in Jesus. The Holy Spirit had given them faith such that they would go on a journey from Babylon and come to Judea in order that they might worship Jesus! It’s really an incredible thing when you think about it, since they were operating entirely on faith in a new born King who no one else seemed to know anything about.

But in contrast to their faith we also see the unbelief of those in Jerusalem. “When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him” Herod was troubled likely because he was not the rightful heir to the throne of David. Herod was an Idumean and his father a convert to Judaism. Herod was the king of the Jews because of his political connections with Rome, not because he was an heir to the throne of David.

All Jerusalem was troubled with him probably partly because they knew what kind of a man Herod was, and that if there was a threat to his throne who knows what kind of violence Herod might perpetrate. For instance, Herod had executed several of his own family members, including one of his wives. When Herod was near death he was so afraid that no one would mourn him, that he had wanted his family to execute a bunch of well-loved individuals so that there would be a show of great mourning in the city when he died. Ultimately we know that Herod ended up killing all of the male children in Bethlehem two years old or under.

But, another possibility is that Jerusalem was troubled about a different king coming because they enjoyed king Herod and didn’t want another king to take his place, even if that King were the Messiah. Sure Herod was kind of a loose cannon and nuts, but he had ties to Rome and all of the prosperity which that included. He rebuilt the temple for the Jews and brought in a bunch of Roman technological advances. Sure the Jews were being Romanized, Herod had also built a temple to worship Caesar Augustus, but, if you didn’t mind compromising your faith and going to hell, life was pretty good.

Nevertheless it’s a dramatic contrast between the unbelief of Jerusalem and the faith of the Babylonian wise men. It’s stunning that the chief priests and scribes believed the scriptures well enough to know where the Christ was to be born, namely in Bethlehem, but they didn’t believe the scriptures well enough to receive Him as their King. They believed the Bible was true about Christ being born in Bethlehem, but they didn’t believe the Bible was true about Christ being their ruler who would shepherd them. The Babylonian magi used the information in the Bible so that they might go and worship Christ, while Herod and the Israelites used the information in the Bible so that they might try to kill Christ.

These actions of Jerusalem foreshadow what would take place some 30 years later: Jesus the Christ would be rejected by the chief priests and scribes, by His own people, and put to death on the cross. In the fullness of time God the Father sent His Son Jesus to take up our cross and suffer death upon it so that He might redeem His people from their sins. King Jesus came as one lowly and despised so that through His suffering and death we might be lifted out of the pits of hell unto His heavenly throne room.

But in spite of Herod’s seething rage, the magi continued their journey to Bethlehem and followed the star “until it came to rest over the place where the child was… And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary His mother, and they fell down and worshiped Him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered Him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh.” Here was this babe of Bethlehem, still in His mother’s tender arms, and the magi fell down and worshiped Him as King.

Our epiphany is that Jesus is our King! The magi worshiped Him when He was just a little boy in His mother’s arms. We worship Him when we know Him as the Crucified One who hung upon the cross. He doesn’t look like a King, doesn’t look as majestic as Herod or even Biden, and yet, He is our King! Like the magi all we have to go on is the Bible, and we don’t even have a shining star, but in faith we receive Jesus as our King.

We do this symbolically in the Divine Service. We bow our heads during prayer to worship Jesus as King. Likewise, it’s appropriate to bow anytime we say the “Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.” Or, during the procession of the crucifix, we bow as it passes by. Or we bow or take a knee during the Nicene creed at the words “and was made man.” We give an offering to our church because Jesus is our King. Or after the words of institution the pastor genuflects and all can bow because there before us is our King. We also bow and kneel before we receive communion, not because the pastor is there, but because our King Jesus is there. 

These worshipful actions of bowing and kneeling in the Divine Service reflect the posture of the magi as we come to worship our King Jesus. He’s our King, not just symbolically but really. He rules over all creation, before Him all shall bow down. He is our King who rules us, who shepherds us, who guides us through all of our days. He reigns over us and His Word rules supreme. Through the cross He reigns over us with His grace and goodness, since by His death our trespasses are forgiven and new life is received in the place of death. He isn’t a loose cannon or nuts, but He’s wise, peaceful, and faithful to keep His promises. He doesn’t just impart to us some fleeting technological advances and prosperity, but His providence is eternal and endures from this age to the next.

Dear Christians, we’ve had an epiphany as revealed by the magi: Jesus is King and His reign is supreme!