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Epiphany 2010: Wise man still seek Jesus
| 12.01.2010, 10:22 | |
| Rev. Tatiana Cantarella Psalm 72:1–7,10–14; Isaiah 60:1-6; John 1:1, 9–14; Matthew 2:1-12 Wise man still seek and worship Jesus January 6 – the 12th day of Christmas remembers the journey of the Magi to Bethlehem and has been named Epiphany that comes from Greek for "manifestation”. It’s a moment of revelation when a person under a combination of certain events is enlightened, and he or she exclaims "Aha!” or "Eureka!” ("I got it!”). This story of the Wise Men who sought Jesus starts a whole series of stories of such Epiphanies, moments of God’s revelation of Jesus to which wise men and women of all time have responded with searching, worshiping and serving to Christ. Many of Christmas cards that we get every year picture the Wise Men on their camels, following the light of the star that is brighter than all others, looking down from the top of the hill unto Bethlehem that lies beneath. Their long, full of danger and full of hopes journey is almost over; here is the native town of Jesus, His home is just a few hundred yards away. Pure and cool air, beautiful sky and a sense of peace and satisfaction that the wise men probable felt as they look to the heavenly star and then at the house that it shines on. For most of us the story of the Magi or the wise men as we also call them is pictured in just such a way: at the center of it is the star and our amazement how it marvelously guided them to Christ. However, wise men came to Jesus being led not only by the star but also by words of Scriptures. They were probably familiar with the words of Isaiah: "Rise and shine for your light has come”, words of hope for Jerusalem destroyed by Babylonian exile and for people who hungered for peace. Isaiah’s prophecy assumed that Jerusalem, once a center of religious life of Israel, will be restored, "nations will come to its light and kings to the brightness of its dawn”. Those Magi anticipated together with the people of Israel that because of this born Messiah, the King, caravans loaded with trade good will come to Jerusalem and bring prosperity and God promised peace not only to Jerusalem but to the whole world! Magi knew this prophecy and having prepared gold, incense and myrrh they start off for Jerusalem to seek the king who they are certain will be the king of Peace and Prosperity. Having arrived to Jerusalem and asking about the newborn King, Magi greatly alarmed king Herod. If another king is born he must do something to protect his throne and starts interrogating the scribes about Isaiah’s prophecy: "tell me about that king, what is the deal with all those camels and gold and incense and myrrh?” But the Scribes tell him: "if we are talking about Messiah, you have the wrong text, for He will not be born here”. According to Isaiah Jerusalem will prosper and become the center of world economy. In that scenario, the urban elites will recover their former power and status and nothing will really change. The scribes are certain, an answer is in another test (Micah 5:2–4): "But you, o Bethlehem of Ephrathah… from you shall come forth for me one who is to rule in Israel, whose origin is from of old”. This is the voice of hope for all even the simplest people, the voice anticipating a different future, a different king that will bring peace but not through political ambition but by attentiveness to the folks on the ground. And the wise men immediately set off for Bethlehem that was about 15 km south of Jerusalem while the scribes who knew the answer remain where they were. This is not just a story about those wise men but about all those who are truly wise and those who are religious but have no divine life in them. This is a story about Jerusalem with its great pretensions, and Bethlehem with its modest promises. Those who choose a return to "normal life” in a triumphalist mode in Jerusalem, a life of self-sufficiency that contains within it its own seeds of destruction. But it is also a story of those who choose another way – the way of innocence and a hope that confounds our usual pretensions. It is a story about wisdom of Magi who did not resist the life offered in vulnerability and simplicity and did not hesitate to leave pompous Jerusalem for the sake of Bethlehem village. It’s the story of wisdom of those who instead of hesitating and resisting reorganized their wealth and learning, themselves and their lives around the baby with no credentials. They were first headed for pompous Jerusalem but having learned that the Messiah was to be found in a lowly Bethlehem, they change their course with not regrets. We often think that the Magi had a special knowledge, were especially privileged for they had that star and they could find Christ better than us. They read it all in their stars and knew it all. But who were those wise men and where they came from? We don’t really learn much about them from the Gospel. Only that they came from the east, what east? Far East? Middle East? Near East? We really only know that they traveled a long way for their journey took many months – when they arrived Mary and Joseph already lived in their own home and Jesus was almost two. The Gospel doesn’t tell us even how many and who they were. It was in the 2nd century that Tertullian suggested that they were kings (because of Isaiah’s words) and they were three according to the three gifts mentioned. But the Bible doesn’t tell us anything like that. And in the 6th century someone gave them names that have been used in operas and other art expressions: Melchior, Baltasar and Gaspar. But no one knows their names in reality. Yet, I think those details were left out for our own sake, so that we would not assign their wisdom to their education or origins but would see the heart of it, and their only desire: "we have come to worship” that newborn King. The wise mean are wise because they’ve understood: "fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom”. And in the scarcity of details about them God gives us an opportunity to be put in their place and to face the challenge: "are we seeking Jesus with those wise men or remain where we are together with the scribes, content wit things as they are, knowing much but doing so little?” Wise men are those who still seek Jesus even today, who worship and serve Him even today. Wise men still seek Him. The Magi were not from the chosen people of God who had the Scriptures and to whom God revealed Himself so many times. They are wise not because they know everything about God but because not knowing much they still sought him with all their heart. As we already said, they probably knew the prophecy of Isaiah and perhaps heard the one from Numbers 24:17: "A star will come out of Jacob; a scepter will rise out of Israel”. And so they searched the skies for years looking for a sign that the messiah had come. And when they saw the star they rejoiced and came seeking this born king of the Jews so many miles away from home. We don’t know how long their journey was, but it could have been 500 or even 1000 miles. Imagine covering that distance on a camel, trying to keep balance and jumbling all the way through desert! Davide, Linda and I went to Riga for New Years. On a bus. 950 km one way. Many of our friends sought it was crazy. But you know what? Comparing to a camel back it was a very comfortable journey! We need to give those men a credit! Imagine how much they wanted to find Jesus and to worship Him. They were serious seekers to set off for such a journey! Contrast them with the scribes, teachers of Scriptures who were not the least interested. They didn’t care about the star. And they wouldn’t travel 15 km from Jerusalem to Bethlehem to check out what was happening. They knew much about God, knew the right answers to spiritual questions, but they made no effort to see if what they had heard and spoke about was true in their own lives. Matthew was writing his Gospel to the Jews who lived a long way from Jerusalem, and in order to convince them that Jesus is the Messiah promised in Scripture he quotes it a lot. He calls them to be like the magi, the wise men, not like scribes. Wise men still seek Jesus, they check Him out, they do what it takes to convince themselves that Jesus was born the promised Messiah of God. Wise men still seek Him. What about us? This story shows: great knowledge of God and theology are not required to come to the conclusion that Jesus is God’s son who came to earth for you. Don’t miss that. Apostle John says that Jesus came to his own and his own did not receive him. But he also says that to those who receive Him He gave the power to be the children of God. We all seek something in life. Perhaps you seek what you can fill your emptiness. And there are a lot of ways to try and fill that emptiness. But only one way to fill it in a way that will last – by realizing that this emptiness is given to you as the star leading to Jesus. God sent Jesus to fill that emptiness. He came to earth as a man, lived a perfect life, died for sins and rose from the dead. He offers forgiveness, fullness and peace. And a person seeking wisdom and fullness but leaving Jesus aside is no wiser than a gardener who tries to create a beautiful green garden but refusing to let in the sun light. Wise men find their fullness in Him. Many of us found Him and committed our lives to Him. But it’s so important that we continue to seek Him, know Him and His Word every day. Will you be among the wise men who seek Jesus whole year around, putting effort, and gathering together to help each other search Scriptures, pray and get to know God? Or you will be like scribes who were just 15 km away from Bethlehem but did nothing to know the truth, will you be so close to Church but too busy to come and seek Him together with your brothers and sisters? Wise men still worship Jesus. Having followed the Word the Magi came to Jesus and not only looked, they worshiped Him. Having covered miles and miles of deserts, barriers of their own uncertainly and fears, with the help of the Word they came to the place where the King lay and worshiped and offered Him what was due, laying precious gifts at His feet. Gold, the symbol of wealth and royalty became a sign of this Baby’s destiny to be the King of all creation. Incense that was burned in the Temple became a sign that Jesus was to be the "High Priest” connecting men to God. And the myrrh that was used to anoint the dead – a sign of his destiny to die for the people in order to rise in glory, conquer evil and death and lead us all to life and light. Most likely the Magi didn’t even know then the significance of all their gifts that proclaimed that this Baby was born the King of all Creation, Great High Priest who will die to save His people. But what we know is that they didn’t just walked around until they stumbled upon that baby and recognizing who He was to be went to look for gifts. They came, having prepared to offer their most valued possessions for they were going to worship the king. Wise men still worship Him. And what about us? Are you spending time worshiping Him? I don’t just mean coming to church. You can be at church all you want and not worship Him. Worship is not just about praising him with words and songs. Worshiping is offering Him your precious gifts but not just things. O. Henry in "The Gift of the Magi” makes it very clear. On Christmas Eve in a tiny poor apartment, a young wife is thinking of what to give her young husband as a gift. In her hand are some coins – only one dollar and eighty seven cents saved by sweat and blood. What can she do? She makes a decision: she will sell her long beautiful hair and will buy for Jim a gold chain for his only treasure – a watch that he got from his father. She only hopes that he will still love her without her hair. But when she gives him the gift – there is no longer a watch to go with it: he sold it to buy that set of shell combs that she so yearned over for so long! O. Henry muses at the end of the story: "The magi, who brought gifts to a baby in a manger, were very wise people… Here I have lamely related to you the uneventful chronicle of two foolish children in a flat who most unwisely sacrificed for each other the greatest treasures of their house. But in a last word to the wise of these days let it be said that of all who give gifts these are the wisest. Everywhere they are wisest. They are the magi”. And although the their gifts were no longer fitting, those young spouses gave one another a priceless gift of love and loyalty, an unsophisticated readiness to sacrifice for another one’s greatest treasures. Speaking about the wise men, O. Henry wisely concluded: they brought the gifts but the main one of them was not named, yet we understand that it was love and loyalty. To worship is to hear God’s Word spoken, to see his will and to respond with a life transformed. And what about us? We are also gentile called to become part of the covenant of love and peace, part of the promise of God given in birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We are called to overcome all the obstacles and to come to Him with the help of the Word we hear. And while not many of us have to cross borders in our search for Jesus we have plenty of other obstacles: our skepticism, selfishness, pride and even laziness. But we are called to leave ourselves, leave the old things behind and to come to Christ in order to worship and serve the newborn King of all creation. Wise men still seek Christ, worship and serve Him, laying down before Him their most valued treasures out of love and faithfulness. | |
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