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The Epiphany of Our Lord
6 January 2009
+ Jesu Juva +
St. Matthew 2:1-12
No it’s not Festivus. But it is a festival for the rest of us. The Gentiles rest of us that is. The Epiphany of Our Lord (January 6, 2009). The Gentile Christmas.
The preaching of the Gospel among the nations has borne fruit. Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were lights among the Gentiles in ancient Babylon during Israel’s long exile. And now, hundreds of years later, Magi from the East follow the star. Looking for the one born King of the Jews. The promised Ruler and Deliverer promised by God through the prophet Micah in the eighth century B.C. (Micah 5:1-14). The promised Savior that Daniel and the other faithful exiles proclaimed among the Gentiles. The Magi are coming to worship Him!
Where would you look for this King? In Jerusalem. That makes sense. It’s the capital. It’s the royal city. The center of political power and prestige.
A king lives there. Herod. Ruthless King Herod. Called “the Great” by Jewish historians. And that’s precisely where the Magi go. But Herod the Great is not the king prophesied in Micah.
Better get out your Bibles boys. So they do. And lo and behold Micah said that the King will be found in Bethlehem. Yes, little out of the way Bethlehem, not Jerusalem! From Bethlehem God would bring forth the promised Messiah from the line of King David. “Out of you will come a ruler who will be the shepherd of my people Israel,” (Matthew 2:6 quoting Micah 5:2).
Ruler, Shepherd AND SAVIOR! He will save His people from their sins (Matthew 1:21; see also Micah 5:11-12). And not only His people, but all people: “[he will] be great to the ends of the earth,” (Micah 5:11-12). A Savior for the rest of us! A Savior for all of us! Jews AND Gentiles.
And the Magi knew it. The Magi believed it. And so off they go to Bethlehem following the star and guided by the prophetic word of Micah. It takes them right to the place where this mighty Ruler, Shepherd, King of the Jews is. A house in the little town.
And whom do they see? A Child! The Baby Jesus! He’s with His mother Mary.
Herod the Great wanted to see the Child too: to destroy Him. But the Magi Gentiles from the East have come to worship Him. What Isaiah prophesied now comes to pass: “Nations will come to your light and kings to the brightness of your dawn,” (Isaiah 60:3).
Immediately the Magi bow down and worship the Child. After all, He is the Second Person of the Holy Trinity, the Word, who took on our flesh (John 1:14), to save both Jews and Gentiles through His bloody death on the Cross. King of the Jews Baby Jesus is also King of the Gentiles Baby Jesus. He’s come to give His life as a ransom for many. He’s the Suffering Servant who will bear the world’s sin in His Body in order to answer for it and all it’s hellish consequences (Isaiah 52-53). King of the Jews Jesus comes as pure gift.
The Magi believe it. This is their highest worship: faith. And then from such faith in Jesus flows gifts back to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh – traditional treasures of the East.
King Herod could have come too. He heard the prophecy from Micah concerning the Savior. A Savior for him too. But sadly and tragically he stays at home and his murderous plotting reeks. The Gospel came to Herod. He did not want it. The Savior came to His own but they received Him not (John 1:11).
The Magi believed. A Gentile Christmas. Epiphany: a festival for the rest of us. For you. And for your salvation. Behold, Jesus is born King of the Jews. And King of all the nations. He reigns in the crib, His mother’s lap, and then on the cross. Crown of thorns on His head. And there again the sign: “Jesus of Nazareth King of the Jews.” And your King too. Bearing all your sin and answering for all of it.
Still He reigns in your midst. For the crucified is also the risen and ascended King! He comes to you to lord His sin absolving and death destroying death over you in the water of your Baptism and the bread and wine of His Supper with His Body and Blood. He reigns for you. The Giver of heavenly gifts.
Now that’s a King! A wonderful Savior! Happy Epiphany!
In the Name of Jesus.
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