3 January 2010 Epiphany “Finding the King” Matt. 2 : 1-12
Sermon notes by David Cowley, Reader at Strasbourg Anglican Chaplaincy
Christmas cards : how many show a nativity scene, and how accurate is the picture ? Our impressions of Christ’s birth are often coloured by artistic license and tradition rather than the gospel records . Some myths are not supported by the gospel of Matthew. Was the “star” was very bright and obvious to all ? ; were there three Kings , who came to the stable in Bethlehem on camels and found the shepherds there as well ? Not so: the Magi came up to 12-18 months after the birth of Christ (they entered a house, not a stable of an inn ; Herod’s command to kill all baby boys under 2 years old Matt 2 : 16 )
Who were the Magi / Kings / Wise Men ?
The STATUS of the Magi
Historical origins : hereditary pagan priesthood tribe within a larger people, the Medes (source : Herodotus ) like the Levites in Israel. From the Babylonian (700 BC) to the Roman empire of Jesus’ day they had a powerful prominence and influence in the Orient (Iran/Iraq of today). First mentioned as advisors to Nebuchadnezzer (Babylon; Jer 39:3) they continued as high ranking officials in the Medo-Persian empire of Darius (book of Daniel chps 3-6 )
Role and influence as “King makers” ! Key political power as advisors to royalty ; well versed in priestly functions, occult powers of divination, interpretation of dreams and visions, astrology , and practical knowledge of astronomy, mathematics and architecture. In Roman times the Magi were members of a ruling body, like a Senate, called the Megistanes. It was they who trained and had absolute choice of the King – the king makers
cf. modern Iran : Assembly of Experts – who must be Muslim clerics, like Rafsanjani and Mousavi (liberal, in news at present) and who monitor and can remove even the Supreme Leader ( Ayatollah Khamenei ) ; also Expediency Council which adjudicates on legislation and clerical domination of the judiciary !
Certainly the arrival in Jerusalem of a delegation of the Magi ( probably accompanied by around 1000 armed horseguards ) came as a great SHOCK to Herod Matt 2 : 3 “troubled/disturbed” and a SURPRISE to the religious authorities
Why should they bother to come to the capital of a small buffer state controlled by the Romans - except to prepare to take over or to enlist Herod’s help in a revolt against the Romans ? No doubt Herod panicked
The SEARCH of the Magi Why did they come ?
What prompted their search , what had prepared them for it ?
1 ) Political necessity : they had had problems with a king whom they had deposed. They wanted to fight Rome with an able and willing ruler while the time was opportune. Caesar Augustus was near to death, and Tiberius’s retirement left the Roman army without a commander-in-chief. The Magi were looking for a new King and thought they could expect the support of the Jewish people in any future revolt.
2 ) Revelation in nature , a sign in the sky : according to their mixed astronomical/astrological system an unusual phenomena had been observed in the dawn (eastern) sky. Exactly what is a matter of considerable debate ( supernova ; comet ; conjunction of planets …? ) not helped by the uncertainty in fixing absolute dates, like that of Herod’s death ( 1 or 4 BC ? )
Regardless of any justification for their belief, this event in the heavens signaled for the Magi the relevance for their situation of a royal birth in Palestine.
3 ) The prior witness of Biblical revelation from contact with Jewish people :
Jewish exiles in Babylon ( 586 BC onwards )
Daniel – appointed by Darius as “chief” of the Magi advisors, yet uncompromisingly faithful to his Jewish faith. It is hard to imagine that something of the OT revelation of God did not pass over into the Medes religious thought – ideas of a Saviour King (Messiah) . There may even have been some sections of the Magi who like Daniel followed the Jewish faith ! God works and prepares within history by the faithful witness of his servants. Exciting !
So a complex mixture of truth and error in hopes, dreams, aspirations – political, scientific, spiritual – made the Magi set out to find the truth about a new King – but they did react and they went to search diligently !
Today, people’s reasons for looking for spiritual truth and meaning in life can be just as complex and disparate or quite mixed-up ! Remember that when sharing the gospel.
We have to realize also that there are prevalent
False contemporary attitudes to seeking the truth
The attitude of some well-educated liberal people : the process of searching, looking, experiencing is everything, not the truth of what you find
eg better to travel hopefully than to arrive ?
Fits well with modern skepticism about final answers or absolutes, and the prizing of tolerance , open-mindedness, ambiguity and ambivalence
For the serious seeker this attitude is highly unsatisfactory :
an “open mind” can be an empty head
“tolerance” of incompatible and contradictory stances/opinions, can be indistinguishable from believing nothing - or indicates an unwillingness to make any choice/decision !
No help in finding honest answers to honest and important questions of life, the meaning of our existence !
“Hopeful travel” implies that there is a destination in mind, not a blind meandering, although there may be surprises when you arrive !
cf Abraham ( he was called by God from the same region 1800 years before the later Magi )
Hebrews 11:1 Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.
Heb 11 : 8 By faith Abraham, when called …. Obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going v10 for he was looking for a city with foundations(definite goal), whose builder and maker was God
The conditions for a search that reaches a definite goal
Deut. 4:29 …you will find the Lord if you look for him with all your heart Effort
Psalm 27:8 My heart says of you “seek His face” : your face will I seek ! Act of Will
Jer 29:13 You will seek me and find me when you seek for me with your whole heart
Matt 7:7 , Luke 11:9 Seek, and you will find (Jesus) Persistence
The start of a spiritual search for us may be
a sense of need awakened,
a quest for meaning,
a point of wonder,
a crisis which prompts for answers that our present system does not give.
The need does not justify the believing in the answers we seek - that would be irrational and self-deceiving – rather true seekers often come first to disbelieve in what they first believed in, because of new questions and issues that the old beliefs could not address
It was said of former ardent atheist and journalist Malcolm Muggeridge, who became a Christian at a late age “He knew what he disbelieved long before he knew what he believed “
At some point, sooner/ later, the searcher must face the revelation of God in the Bible
Confronted with the truth in the OT revelation it is only the Magi who go to Bethlehem to continue the search
Continued commitment by the Wise Men to find the truth is not matched by that of the Jewish religious establishment – the official church leaders and theologians – who are surprised, know the “right answers” but are hardly enthusiastic to find out in practice !
cf Isaiah 55:6 Seek the Lord while He may be found, call on Him while he is near
The Magi showed earnest and serious effort, in desiring to close in on the answer involving the heart, mind, and will . This was not a detached intellectual enterprise with no practical consequences or importance !
Their dedication to the quest is confirmed by further events in the natural world: the “star” re-appears – and their hearts were filled with joy ( and perhaps relief ! )
Matt 7:7 , Luke 11:9 Seek, and you will find (Jesus)
Psalm 40:16 and Ps 70: 4 May all who seek you rejoice and be glad
The SUBMISSION of the Wise Men to the new young KING Intelligent, powerful diplomats and court advisers bow down before a vulnerable ordinary toddler. Recognition of his Supreme Kingship, by Gentiles of all people
They had started out searching in their own ways, but ended up being discovered by Deity lying in a manger. They looked for an earthly king, and were found by the Messiah, God with us, and the Saviour of the whole world
Their gifts prophecy the nature and life of the Man born to be King of Kings
Gold : kingship Frankincense : deity Myrrh : humanity and dying
Matthew emphasizes that Jesus is the King of both Jews and Gentiles, from the story of the Wise Men in Chp 2 to Jesus before Pilate in Chp 27 and the great commission (Mt 28:19)
The pagan Magi were seeking the truth about a spiritual and temporal Ruler
God still draws people to Himself from within their culture with its truths and falsehoods of ideas, and idols of worship.
Will we be helps or hindrances to their search ?
The Holy Scriptures point specifically to the Source of Truth and Life : Jesus Christ
We can help by bringing these words before people in our conversation ; and in encouraging others to read, learn and understand the story of Jesus.
But knowing the scriptures, whilst very good and essential, is not sufficient unless we meet and come to know the Jesus of whom they speak cf scribes knew Micah 5:2 !
We can hinder the spiritual search of others in several ways
By apathy ( smug complacency in our beliefs, unwilling to share )
By misdirection ( giving our ideas not God’s on salvation and wholeness )
By ignorance of the Word of God ( nothing concrete to share )
By attempted destruction of the message of God’s word ( like Herod ! )
If someone is wandering around town lost and asks the way, you can give them verbal directions – that can help a lot – but even more helpful is to say “I’m going that way, let me walk along with you to where you need to be”
Zech 8: 21,22 Let us go to …seek the Lord Almighty. I myself am going ! Many peoples and powerful nations will come to Jerusalem to seek the Lord Almighty
This sums up the story of the Magi coming to the newborn Christ
Or as expressed in the wellknown carol “O come, let US adore Him, Christ the Lord”
