THE MAGI S FOURTH GIFT Isaiah 60: 1-6 Matthew 2:1-12 January 6, 2018 Tom Whartenby WHAT IS IT ABOUT THE MAGI STORY THAT FASCINATES SO MANY PEOPLE? Is it the exotic and mysterious East from which the magi come which stirs our imagination? Or perhaps it is the star, mentioned four times in a dozen verses-was it a new star or just a conjunction of planets? Was it a comet, or a perhaps a super-nova? It just might be the Magi themselves, glamorous and shadowy figures who suddenly appear and disappear never to return to the story. And we must not forget the exotic gifts-gold, frankincense, and myrrh, all rich in symbolism as well as material value. Ironically, it is these striking aspects of the story which lead us away from the central significance of that 1
story for both Matthew and his church as well as for us today. SO WHAT IS THIS STORY ABOUT? LET S BEGIN WITH THE NEGATIVE: It s not about the East from which the Magi come. It is true that the East was viewed as a place from which came men with wisdom and the power which wisdom gave. What is significant for Matthew, however, is that these are men who are from beyond the borders of Israel. They represent the Nations, those outside the People of God. It s not about the star. This seems to fulfill a prophecy by Balaam mentioned in Numbers 24, but for Matthew it represents God s revelation in nature, the kind of revelation that could be understood by wise men outside the chosen people. It therefore represents God s guidance to outsiders. It s really not about the Magi themselves. Their wisdom and power is not of primary interest to 2
Matthew, except to highlight the limitations of the wisdom of the world. It is certainly not about the gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. It might very well be that Matthew saw these as fitting gifts for the Son of God who was the true King of the Jews and who would suffer and die, but they are not his focus. So what is Matthew s focus and therefore the principal significance of this story? THE FOCUS IS ON WHAT THE MAGI ARE DOING IN THE STORY. First they are watching and searching. They have their eyes on the heavens. That is to say, they have their eyes on God as they understand Him. They are alert to what God might reveal to them. They are open to what God might reveal to them. Next they use their God-given minds to interpret the sign God gives them. Through their life-long study they 3
realize that the appearance of the star signifies an event of cosmic importance. Third the Magi act on their knowledge. They are willing to undertake a long, expensive, and hazardous journey to find the King they seek. Magi believed that God would send a Savior to rescue the world from evil. This salvation is what they are seeking. AT THIS POINT IN THE STORY WE TEND TO JUMP TO THE GIFTS. John Hopkins, who wrote the hymn We Three Kings of Orient Are focused on the journey, the star, and of course the treasures. He rightly saw their significance as gifts fit for a king, a God, and a suffering servant. In another hymn about the Magi he speaks of the significance of those gifts for disciples of Jesus. The gold points to the money, time, and talent we give to Christ's church. The frankincense points to our life of prayer. The myrrh suggests the self-sacrifice involved 4
in following Jesus. All of these had some importance for Matthew, but they are not of first importance. THE OPENING OF THE STORY CONTAINS THE KEY WORDS. The magi ask where the one who is born king of the Jews might be found. They go on to say, For we have seen his star in the East, and have come to pay him homage. To pay him homage is to worship and it involves bowing down before the one worshipped. When the Magi find the child, Matthew tells us that they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down paying him homage. It is only after this that they opened their treasure box and gave the famous gifts. In fact, one commentator has said that his homage was the first and greatest gift the Magi gave to the Christ Child. 5
THIS IS ALSO THE GREATEST REVELATION OF THE MAGI AND THEIR STORY. The most important element of being a Christian is to worship Jesus, to pay him homage, to bow down before him. Jesus is not just some wise and good man who lived long ago and taught us wonderful things. He is not just some courageous person who was willing to die so that others might live. Jesus was the Son of God; Jesus was God incarnate in a human being. The unique way one confesses that truth is through worship. One only worships God. One only worships that which is most significant, most central, and most important in one s life. To do otherwise is to engage in idolatry. The Magi show their wisdom most clearly in seeing in Jesus the only one worthy of worship. TODAY WE CELEBRATE EPIPHANY We celebrate the joyful good news that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world to save it, to save the 6
world, not just a small chosen portion of it. We celebrate the revelation of that Son who is God in the flesh. We acknowledge along with the Magi that he alone is worthy of our ultimate concern and devotion. TODAY WE BOW BEFORE THE JUDGMENT OF EPIPHANY We confess that although we worship Jesus with our lips, our hearts our often far from him. Our lives are cluttered with concerns that obscure from our hearts the truth that Jesus alone is worthy of our ultimate devotion. Our lives are filled with worries that hide the truth from us, that no matter what Jesus loves us and in the end will save us from all that terrifies us. Nothing will ever separate us from the love of God shown in Jesus Christ. In the end, Epiphany celebrates the gift God has given to us through Jesus Christ and the blessing which he has given to all creation. Come, let us worship the king, all glorious above! 7
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