Rev. Tom Sorenson, Pastor
January 7, 2007

Scripture:

Let us pray: May the words of my mouth and the meditations of all of our hearts be acceptable in your sight O God, our strength and our redeemer. Amen.

One of the odd things about Matthew’s story that we just heard is that the tradition isn’t content to take it as it is. If I asked you how many kings there are in the story, you’d probably answer three. Some of you could even name them: Kaspar, Melchior, and Balthazar. Yet in the story as Matthew wrote it there is only one king, and he’s the villain of the piece. His name is Herod. The visitors aren’t kings at all, they’re “magi,” or astrologers. We call them “wise men” I suppose because astrologers were the wise men of that time, or at least some of them. There aren’t three of them, or rather Matthew doesn’t tell us how many of them there are. The number three, the names, and the transformation of the wise men into kings are all matters of tradition not scripture. Tradition for some reason won’t leave this story alone, which is unfortunate I think because when we do take it as it is we find all sorts of interesting things in it.

One of those interesting things that struck me this year is the profound contrast between the ways some of the principal characters react to Jesus. One of the things the story tells us is that Jesus provokes a response from people. No one in the story is neutral toward him. Everyone responds, and the story shows us the great range of responses people have to him. The story gives us the two extremes of possible responses to Jesus Christ, from murderous rage to worshipful adoration.

Herod the king represents one of those extremes. He was the nominal king of the Jews at that time. The real power, of course, lay with the Roman occupiers, but Herod had the title of king. He was a Roman puppet. In Matthew’s story he represents worldly, secular power. His reaction to Jesus is brutally negative. Matthew says that when the magi tell him that a child has been born “king of the Jews” he was “frightened.” King Herod reacted to Jesus with fear. Why? I think because he knew that Jesus really was a threat to all rulers who are unjust and violent because Jesus is God’s reign of justice and peace come among us. Herod reacted in his fear the way fearful people, especially powerful fearful people, so often react, with violence. Like fearful, powerful people of all times and places, he lied about his intentions. He told the magi he wanted to go pay the child homage himself when what he really wanted was to have him killed. Fearful, powerful people always disguise their evil intentions as something good and noble; but their actions always speak louder than their words and reveal their true intentions. We didn’t hear this part of the story this morning, but Herod shows his true colors a few verses later when he orders the murder of all male children under two years of age in and around Bethlehem. Fearful, powerful people are always willing to sacrifice the innocent to assuage their fears and preserve their power. Herod was a historical figure, but in Matthew’s story he is more than that. He is the type of fearful, powerful people of all times and places who are threatened by Christ’s Gospel of peace and justice.

The wise men represent the opposite reaction to Jesus. Where Herod represents worldly power, they represent spiritual wisdom. As astrologers they sought to understand the mysteries of the universe. Their reading of the stars, and of one star in particular, told them that something miraculous had happened in Bethlehem. God had come into the world in a unique way in this newborn child. Unlike Herod they did not experience his coming as threat. They experienced it as gift, as good news of great joy, to borrow a phrase from Luke. They responded not with fear and violence but with joy, humility, and thanksgiving. They didn’t try to kill Jesus, they knelt down, paid him homage, and gave him valuable, symbolic gifts. In doing that they acknowledged him as Lord and Savior. They indicated their willingness to follow him and the Gospel he would bring. They represent wisdom recognizing the Wisdom of God come into the world. They made themselves disciples not enemies of Christ.

Matthew’s story of the visit of the magi tells us that an encounter with Jesus demands a response, and it shows us the range of possible responses—from murderous enmity to worshipful adoration. Matthew’s story prompts us to consider what our own response will be. Presumably we won’t slaughter young children in a futile attempt to destroy Jesus and his Gospel like Herod did. Yet there are options available to us that also reject him and his word. We aren’t likely actively to oppose the Gospel in the world, but much of the time we ignore it, which in the long run can have the same effect. We can’t kill Jesus, but we can kill his word in our hearts by ignoring it, by failing to follow it in our lives.

Or we can respond positively. We can’t give Jesus physical gifts like the magi did, but we can give him the most valuable gift of all. We can give him our hearts. We can respond to him and to the Gospel he brings with joy just as the magi did. Like them, we can confess that he is Lord and Savior and make ourselves his disciples.

The choice is ours. Today no one is forced to be a Christian, to be a disciple of Christ—not that anyone ever really could be. So the question that this day, this Epiphany, puts to us is: How will we respond? It’s a serious question. Let us take it seriously and answer it well. Amen.