“The Way of the Wise Men”
Matthew 2:1-12

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Pastor Kevin Vogts
Trinity Lutheran Church
Paola, Kansas
The Epiphany of Our Lord—January 6, 2019

Our meditation this morning is titled, “The Way of the Wise Men,” based on the Gospel Reading for Epiphany, from Matthew chapter 2: “Wise Men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, ‘Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him’ . . .  When they heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was.  When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him.  And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.”

Epiphany comes at the end of the 12 days of Christmas, and traditionally marks the end of the Christmas celebration.  What is Epiphany?  We are accustomed to having the Wise Men in the scene at the stable the night of Christ’s birth.  But, you will notice that today’s Gospel Reading says the Wise Men came not to a stable but to a “house.”  So, despite the popular image, it seems the Wise Men actually came to Bethlehem a few days or weeks or months after Christ’s birth.

The word “Epiphany” comes from a Greek word which means “to appear, to reveal.”  The Christian festival of Epiphany celebrates the appearing of Jesus Christ, especially the revealing of his glory to the Gentiles, the non-Jews, represented the Wise Men, who were the first Gentiles to worship the newborn King.

The best gifts are thoughtful ones, which really take into account the person to whom they are given.  The gifts of the Wise Men to the Babe of Bethlehem are not just any gifts, but they form a confession of the Wise Men’s faith in who this Babe is.  Gold, a gift fit for a king, is their confession that he the King of Kings.  Incense, the spice burned in ancient temples to represent prayers ascending to God, is their confession that he is more than human, but is God and man, God born in the flesh.  And myrrh, the spice of bitterness and used in ancient burials, indicate this Child’s bitter life and ultimate death.

“Wise Men Still Seek Him.”  I’m sure you’ve seen that neat saying on bumper stickers, Christmas cards, ornaments.  And that saying is very true.  For, like the Wise Men, we too are on a journey, a journey to behold the Son of God in the flesh.  As we prayed in the Collect this morning, “Now lead us, who know you by faith, to know in heaven the fullness of your divine goodness.”  So let us look at our own journey through life in the light of the journey of the Wise Men, and see how “The Way of the Wise Men” reflects our own way to heaven.

The Beginning of the Journey

For the Wise Men, their journey began with a revelation from God.  A special star appeared in the East.  Although they were not Hebrews, they were well aware of the prophecies about the Christ, the Messiah who would come from the Hebrew people.  Because centuries before, the Hebrew exile Daniel had risen to become the chief of all the Wise Men in Babylon.  Daniel surely communicated to them the greatest teaching of Hebrew wisdom: God’s promise to send the Messiah, the Savior of the world.  And so the Israelite prophecies concerning the Messiah were preserved and passed on among the Wise Men in the East.

That is why when this special star was revealed to them they understood its significance, knowing it must mean that the King of the Jews had been born for the salvation of the world, and that they, too, had a part in that salvation.  And so they journeyed to Israel to worship the newborn King of the Jews and acknowledge him also as their King and their Lord: “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews?  For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.”

Our spiritual journey to the kingdom of heaven begins the moment of our conversion, our inner new birth as children of God.  Like the special star revealed to the Wise Men, our conversion comes from above, by divine revelation and divine power.  For we are all born into this world in spiritual darkness, sinful, guilty, actually enemies of God.  We cannot by our own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ our Lord or come to him.  But the Holy Spirit calls us by the Gospel, enlightens us and brings us to the true faith.  God raises us out of the spiritual death into which we are born, doing what we could not do.

Those who have come to faith in Christ later in life often describe the experience as “seeing the light.”  Like the star which revealed the Christ to the Wise Men, God came to us and illuminated our hearts with the light of faith.  By the light of his Word, spoken to us and in the Sacraments of Baptism and Communion, God shines the light of faith into our hearts.  Our journey through this world began as dark, dreadful, and with an fearful final destination.  But now our way through life is illuminated by God’s presence.  And we see ahead not doom and gloom, but the wonderful light at the end of the tunnel of this life, our blessed final destination, the glory of heaven.

The Middle of the Journey

The Wise Men, having seen the star, knew at once they must go to Jerusalem, the capital city of the chosen people from whom the Messiah would come.  But when the Wise Men arrived there, they were disappointed and frustrated, they did not find what they were expecting.  There was no newborn King in the royal palace.  In fact, no one seemed to even know about this new King.  And when the Wise Men announced the purpose of their coming, King Herod and the capital city of the Jews did not share their joy.  No, instead “[Herod] was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.”  Even the scribes and high priests who located the prophecy for them from the book of Micah seemed not to care very much about it.  Do you think perhaps the Wise Men began to doubt?  Do you think they began to wonder if the prophecies and promises were a lie?  Do you think they began to think maybe the star they saw was a hoax, a product of their own imagination? 

And so it is for us in our Christian journey.  At times our journey through life is easy and blessed.  But sooner or later, troubles come, frustrating times of disappointment and difficulty.  Then doubts and questions arise within us, making us wonder if perhaps we were mistaken.  Maybe there is not as much to this Christianity as we thought.  Maybe the spiritual light we thought we saw is a hoax or only our imagination.

This time of testing is brought upon all Christians.  There is an old saying that disciples of Christ are forged in three ways: meditation, prayer and testing.  Meditation, taking in and learning God’s Word; prayer, communicating with God; and testing, facing struggles, trials, and temptations.  We would like to do without that last part, but it is there in the life of every Christian, and it is important.

At times the path in which God leads us through life is on the sunny mountaintops.  But he also leads us through the dark valleys, even through the valley of the shadow of death.  Our Good Shepherd is with us, and his rod and staff leads us through it all, and as a result of our affliction, as a result of our testing, we come closer to him.  He becomes more dear to us than ever before.  And, perhaps, we might eventually recognize the purpose for the affliction and even be thankful for it.

How does God leads the Wise Men through the valley of darkness and confusion and testing they find in Jerusalem?  With his Word.  For even in this city that was troubled at the birth of the King, that actually wanted to hide and deny his birth, they find a guide and light in the Scriptures.  The prophet Micah proclaims to them where the coming King is born, “in Bethlehem of Judea.”  God’s Word speaks to the Wise Men, comforts them, guides them, assures them in their journey.

So it is with us in our journey through life, when the world around us distresses and disappoint us, when doubt and fears rise in our hearts, then God’s Word and God’s promises guide us, reassure us, and strengthen us in our steps to our journey’s end.

The End of the Journey

“Behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was.  When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy.  And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him.”

Just as the wise men rejoiced as they approached Bethlehem, so also we are joyful in our approach to our goal, our final destination in heaven.  That is why we gather together for worship, to “rejoice with exceedingly great joy” as we journey together through life to finally fall down and worship our Lord together in heaven.  As the Wise Men fixed their eyes on the final goal to which they traveled, so also we are joyful as we fix our eyes on the goal to which God is calling us heavenward.

“Wise Men Still Seek Him.”  We see in “The Way of the Wise Men” a reflection of our own journey through life:

Like the special star revealed to the Wise Men, the beginning of our spiritual journey to heaven—our conversion—comes from above, by divine revelation and divine power.

The middle of our journey to heaven, our life in this world, is often frustrating, challenging, disappointing, a time of testing, like the Wise Men’s experience in Jerusalem.

And just as the Wise Men finally entered into the house and worshipped the Christ Child, at the end of our journey to heaven we will enter and worship him in the eternal home he has prepared for us.

“O God, by the leading of a star you once made known to all nations your only-begotten Son; now lead us, who know you by faith, to know in heaven the fullness of your divine goodness.”

Amen.