Title: THEY SAW THE LIGHT
Focus: Gentiles saw the light and revealed Jesus as King, worthy of all worship.
Function: To move the people to take our cue from the Magi and to present ourselves as living sacrifices to Christ.
Text: Matthew 2:1-12
INTRODUCTION
Three years ago, on December 31, 2002 we were able to see an unusual sight: Late at night, clearly in sight, right close to the moon, there was a brilliant star making its appearance in the sky. It was Jupiter. To most people Jupiter looked like any other bright star. But astronomers assured us that Jupiter’s brilliant appearance in the moonlit sky on that last night of the year was a rarity. On that New Year’s Eve, December 2002 we could observe Jupiter with the naked eye as being only 395 million miles away from us.
I wonder what the Magi from the east would have made of Jupiter’s appearance on that New Year’s Eve. Would they have seen it as a sign telling us something about world events?
What do we know about the Magi? We need to keep in mind that the
· Magi were most likely astrologers; they studied the sky and universe, and by the positions of stars and planets they interpreted future events. Kings and rulers of nations valued their interpretations and used them to develop and make political policy decisions. Magi were not morons; rather, they were learned people, well-read and well-taught in the mathematical sciences of their days. Also keep in mind that in the days of the Magi
· Rulers of nations often assumed the same position as gods; That is, just as people worshiped their gods in temples, so they would prostrate themselves before theirs kings in palaces and worship them.
These two observations—that Magi were astrologers serving their national rulers, and that Kings often demanded god-like worship from their subjects—give us some background understanding of the passage. These Magi from the east are foreigners, Gentiles, who saw the light and who revealed Jesus, not only as King of the Jews, but also as their King and worthy of their worship. Today we shall take our cues from them.
Matthew writes the story about the wise men in a moving way. Note, for example, the passage’s
· Spotlight of Attention: Our attention moves from the star in the east to Magi traveling to Jerusalem in search of the new-born king of the Jews. These Magi are on a mission to find the Christ-child. Having arrived in Jerusalem, our attention then focuses on King Herod and the religious leaders. And the central activity is all about inquiry: the Magi inquire about the whereabouts of the new-born king. King Herod summons Israel’s religious leaders and inquires from them where the Christ was to be born. The religious leaders, in turn, inquire from the scriptures and conclude that the Christ is to be born in Bethlehem in Judea.
King Herod takes this information to the wise men and sends them on their way to Bethlehem hoping that they would tell him where exactly the Christ-child is located. Finally, the spotlight of attention stops at the house where Mary and the child live. It’s a moving passage: our attention moves from a star in the east to Magi from the east to Magi in Jerusalem, to Magi in Bethlehem.
Also note how Matthew’s moving style of writing leads us to the passage’s
· Climax or “Burning” Point: You kids know what I am talking about: when you take a piece of glass, you can manipulate it in such a way that it channels the rays of the sun into one spot. That spot becomes the burning point. Now, the burning point of this passage is found in vs. 10 and 11: “On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh.” Matthew, then, tells the story in such a way that we end up on our knees, along with the Magi, and yield to Christ our worship and our gifts. Do you see the light, the burning point of the story?
Matthew seems to assume that his readers, Jewish but also Gentile Christians, know about Magi. Matthew describes them in a rather general way. We learn, for example, that they are “from the east” (vs.1). But Matthew does not identify their country of origin. Perhaps they are from Persia (modern-day Iraq) or given the prophecy of Isaiah 60:6 maybe the Magi come from Yemen, the country of the queen of Sheba. We do know that the Magi have clout or prestige; they seem comfortable in the presence of such a king as King Herod. And King Herod accords them respect. He takes them seriously.
As astrologers the Magi work in the service of their king. They are religious people, sensitive to the will of the gods speaking to them in dreams as well as in the positions of planets and stars. They also may be familiar with the writings and prophecies of Daniel, who himself worked as a “wise man” in the palace of Babylon’s kings. Perhaps the Magi’s understanding of the star in the east comes from Daniel’s stories and interactions with the generations of Magi before them.
So why does Matthew tell us their story? How do the Magi function in the story of Jesus’ birth? Take note:
For example, the Magi lead Matthew’s Jewish readers beyond their borders, into Gentile or foreign territory. And the star in the east draws us into the wonder and mystery of the universe where only God knows his way around. Surely, Jesus has come also for the Gentiles—for you and me. We, too, like the Magi, must see the light. But there is more:
I know, it’s a serious question. But I hope you will not dismiss it. For Matthew’s story about the Magi is all about God revealing his Son, Jesus; he is the One to usher into the world the kingdom of God. That’s why I say:
I think that we do well to commit ourselves to regular, public worship of the triune God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Let this be the year where you and I declare before the Lord our commitment to seek him, to yield to him, to bow down and serve him in all we do.
The Magi ended up before Christ flat on their stomachs and faces—prostrate bowing. And as they gave of themselves in worship, they also gave of their best:
These gifts do not just tell us something about these Magi; they also reveal to us what these Magi thought of Jesus, the new-born King. The gifts themselves reveal to us Jesus as King (He is worthy of gold); as the divine Son of God (He is worthy of incense); and as our Mediator or only High Priest (He is worthy of myrrh). The wise men from the east saw the light—and they worshiped Christ with all they have.
Should we do anything less?
Glory be to the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit! Amen.