Sermon: Matthew 2:1-18

So this is the second Sunday of Christmas. I hope you are eking out every last moment of celebration and Joy, that you haven’t taken your trees down or started eating sensibly yet. This morning we’re in another well worn text.

Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the King behold wise men came from the east…

Herod the King here is Herod the Great and he’s in the very last years of his life which helps us put the birth of Jesus between 6-4 BC. Herod is a wicked paranoid man. He feels that everyone is plotting against him, and he is accustomed to killing anyone he perceives as a threat.Towards the end of his life this included three of his sons and his favorite wife. He was known as The Wolf.

So the Wise Men came from the East. When I’m rushing around trying to get you to be in the pageant, I’m always calling these guys Kings. But the word is Magos. Which, over time, became Magi which is the root of the word Magic. The Magi were an ancient priestly family of Medes

who eventually influenced the Persians as well. They might be likened to the Levites in Israel. They amassed so much power and influence to themselves that if you wanted to be the king

of the Medes and the Persians, you had to get through this group. They had to approve you. You might remember that about 600 years before Jesus, Judah went into exile to the kingdom of Babylon and with them a young man named Daniel. Daniel remember, was called out in the middle of the night by an angry and distressed Nebuchadnezzar who had had a dream which no one, none of his Magi, could interpret. Daniel, though, could and did. And in so doing saved the lives of all the Magi who had been about to be executed and Daniel himself was put over them all by Nebuchadnezzar. Now, if you knew a lot about the scriptures and you had a whole mess of intelligent, educated grateful men, what would you do? You unfold the scriptures to them. In other words, 600 years before Jesus, God made a repository, a treasure knowledge of himself and his plans ready for just this moment.

So the Magi come into Jerusalem. Matthew just has them come in, suddenly. We’ll find out why in a minute. It would have been an amazing spectacle. Who knows how many there were. There could have been three, but probably more, and probably with beautiful Arabian horses and a small army attachment, like cavalry. We think of there being only 3 because 3 gifts are named, but we don’t know. They come into Jerusalem. And, I’m sure you’re as well read up on first century political machinations as I was before last week, so of course you remember that the east and the roman west don’t get along. They are always vying for superiority one over the other. Rome is dominant now but she is always feeling the east nipping at her heels. And Herod is weak. He is aging. He is only king at the mercy of Rome. He is, to put it mildly, Insecure. And now a big train of gorgeously wealthy Elite Magi who are known to be the makers of kings in their own land, come to Jerusalem. And they ask an unpleasant question,

“where is he who has been born king of the Jews“.

How awkward, because Herod is referred to as the King of the Jews, even though he is only half Jewish and everyone in Israel hates him and will be happy when he dies…in fact, as more evidence of his insanity and paranoia, his funeral plans, which were mercifully not carried out, included the killing of a lot of Jewish nobility so that there would be real mourning at his own death, because, well, he knew that no one would actually be sad.

The Magi arrive and ask for the King of the Jews, who has just been born, and they know this because they’ve seen a “star” and have come to worship him. Now, watch that word, Worship. It could be said to pay our respects, and I think it’s has more in it than that. Hang onto it, we’ll discover why in a minute.But what of this star? For that we go all the way back to a strange moment in Numbers where Balaak sends for Balaam to come and curse Israel.Balaam has an altercation with his donkey and an angel, but then he doesn’t curse Israel, he gives this blessing,

“I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near”

he’s seeing far into the future,

“a star shall come out of Jacob, and a scepter shall rise out of Israel.”

The Magi have been watching for a “star”, knowing that it points to a king in Israel that will be for the whole world. So when they see this “star”, they go to where you expect a king, to Jerusalem. Our translation is severely understated in verse 3

“When Herod heard this he was troubled“.

Yes. Rattled to the bone. Extremely unhappy and terrified. But notice it says, “All Jerusalem with him.” Surely Jerusalem would be happy to hear of another kind besides Herod. Some might quietly be. Anna and Simeon were waiting around in the temple for the consolation of Israel. But this line is a little foreshadowing of the crucifixion. Remember that a later Herod will join himself to his enemy Pilate and his other enemies the Elites of Israel and they will all be united in their rejection of Jesus. Peace on Earth, but not Peace with God. So Matthew is anticipating that moment in relating to us this detail.Now, Herod is not versed in the scriptures, he doesn’t know anything except fear and power and so he gathers Israel’s elite, the chief priests, the scribes, and he asks them what on earth the Magi are talking about. And where this baby is. And they know exactly.

“In Bethlehem of Judea”

and then they go on and quote two prophecies together, Isaiah 7:14 and Micah 5:2.

Here, they say to the wolf, will come a ruler, unlike you, who will be a true shepherd.

Now, if you have been studying the scriptures your whole life and discover that a couple of messianic prophecies, are finally being fulfilled….

Well, first of all, isn’t it remarkable that these people from the east have seen it first? You didn’t see, but now that it’s been pointed out to you, surely you would rush off to see this thing that you yourself have apparently been waiting for your whole life. But look down at your text. There’s just a little paragraph break, right? A big nothing. Everyone just does nothing. The only people that go see him, that believe in him are going to be these strangers. He came unto his own, and his own were not even remotely interested.

I don’t want to be discouraging in this season of feasting, but I really think that we in the western church are kind of standing around like the chief priests and scribes and elites. We have an abundance of bibles and translations and tools, and we kind of know what it says, but we don’t really care any more. I don’t think this is any longer true at Good Shepherd, I think this is a place of real hunger and desire for God. But notice the incredible and damning apathy of the religious here. They stand silent as their Messiah is born and carries on living in a town only five miles away from them. This apathy is going to be grotesquely more obvious and shocking and evil when we turn over the page.

So Herod calls the Magi back on their own because he is paranoid. He wants them to find the child and come back so that, he says, “I too may worship him.” There’s the word worship again. So the Magi go on their way and then, verse 9, behold, the “star” that they had before seen, goes before them and rests over the place where the child is. So let’s consider this star for a moment. The word that we have for star is translated from Hebrew, Koshev, into Greek, Aster, and of course finally into English. It does mean star, but it is broader than that. It means a bright shining, with glory. Various scholars over the centuries have tried to figure out exactly what it is, fixing always on the idea of a star, or an alignment of planets, something in the heavens. But I’m going to break with several thousands of smarter people than me, and posit that it is not an actual star. Don’t worry, though, I’m not making it up. Some very smart people, like Matt, agree with me. If there is a bright shining of glory, it doesn’t have to be a far off in the sky. In fact, God has a habit of, when he reveals himself, there being a manifestation of fire,

of glory. When God rescued his people from slavery in Egypt, he was visible to them as a pillar of fire, but those looking at it from the other side, the Egyptians, saw only darkness. Matthew wants us, through the arranging of these prophecies, to discover that Jesus is the second Moses. That Moses was a type, Or shadow, of Jesus. Here is a second Exodus, God is rescuing his people from slavery to sin and death, and with it the sign of fire and glory. Consider. Once the Magi have seen this aster, this koshev, this blazing glory, they know exactly what to do.

They don’t follow it. When they see it, they go to the place that the scriptures foretell, Jerusalem, the place of kingship. There they discover that the Messiah must be born in Bethlehem. They immediately turn their steps and while they are on their way, they see again this blazing glory. It rests over the place where the child is. Not some sign in the heavens that they are trying to discern. No, a bright glorious light right over the house. The pillar of fire, the burning bush, later the tongues of fire over the heads of the disciples, each time the fire indicates the place where God dwells. And, because they know the scriptures, they know and understand this sign. So, of course, they rejoice exceedingly with great joy. A sense of relief and anticipation and amazement. You go along waiting and preparing for something for a long time, wondering if maybe you are crazy, and then it turns out to be more true and more obvious than anything you could have imagined. Do you ever wonder how people knew that God was talking to them in the Scriptures? Maybe they just imagined it. But look at these wise strangers who drop everything and come rushing to this small house in this dinky village in this microscopic country. They saw unmistakably the glory of God. So they come in and give gifts, gold, frankincense and myrrh. These are for a king. Hear the note of the Queen of Sheba coming to visit Solomon heavy with gold and spices. Something greater than Solomon is here. But the gifts are also extremely practical. Gold will be very helpful to Mary and Joseph in the next 48 hours. The Magi must settle in for the night because they are warned in a dream not to return to Herod.

But first, they worship him. They fall down and worship, Not just paying their respects. But having seen the glory of God and knowing and understanding it to be God’s own disclosure of himself, they worship. Worship is what we’re doing here this morning. It’s the business of setting yourself aside and putting your whole attention on the one who created you, who knows you. It’s not a feeling, though it encompasses feelings and emotions. It is a decision, a posture, a claim. You, the Lord, are God and I am not. All of us worship something. What you worship, or who you worship will determine the whole course of your life, what you do, who you are, how you live.

So the Magi worship the King, the Lord of Creation, this small ordinary looking child,and they give him gifts and then they go home on a more convoluted route so as to avoid Jerusalem. Notice their complete obedience. They don’t sit around and argue about it. They just go another way. Right away. Because the clock is ticking. Bethlehem is five or six miles from Jerusalem. That is basically an easy walk or a quick horse ride.

Matthew says, that “when they had departed”

so pretty much right away, an angel of the Lord appears to Joseph and says

“Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child to destroy him.”

Isn’t it a grace and mercy that the angel doesn’t appear to Mary? Joseph just bundles her and Jesus up and rushes them out That Night. She doesn’t need the shattering vision of an angel. No, the familiar comforting steady voice of Joseph. Joseph who is so obedient. Not asking for a sign, thank goodness, because there isn’t time. They go by night, and probably by the same way as the Magi. And they have to just walk away from everything. No time to pack up the kitchen or workshop.They can just walk away from it because they have just been given a whole quantity of gold. It will take them about a week to get to Egypt, hurrying desperately. And do you hear the notes of the Exodus? Rushing out, at night, bearing the whole weight of Egypt’s wealth. And they go to Egypt, why? Because The Lord said,

“Out of Egypt I called my son.”

Israel is a type, a shadow of Jesus. Israel was called out of Egypt to foreshadow Jesus himself being called out of Egypt.

So Herod sees that he’s been tricked and becomes furious, the fury of a dying grasping insane man. We’re talking Kim Jong Un crazy. Willing to slaughter whole masses of people just because he feels like it. So he sends and has killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in that region, under two years old, according to the time he had ascertained from the wise men. He is the second Pharaoh. Killing all the baby boys in Israel. This was to fulfill, says Matthew, Jeremiah’s prophecy,

“a voice in Ramah, weeping and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be comforted, because they are no more.”

Ramah is in two places. It is the place that all the exiles from Israel and Judah were gathered before being carried away. There is a sense of Rachel, the mother of Joseph and Benjamin, weeping as the exiles are carried away. But there is a second Ramah, just outside of Bethlehem, the historic tomb of Rachel. Its as if she is weeping here, for these babies who are slaughtered. The women inconsolable. But consider the incredible other tragedy in these lines. Who is not weeping? Where is the weeping of the rest of Israel? There is a big haunting blank of complicit apathy here. This horrible moment isn’t recorded in Josephus or other historical documents. It didn’t even register as important. That might because of the great fear everyone had of Herod. No one wanted to complain. But I think Matthew means for us to see that the religious of the day were callous and blind both to the glory of God and the suffering of his people.

Its an easy place to be. We can become overwhelmed by the sufferings of the world so that we don’t really care any more. We have been going on in this country for several generations with the death of many children, babies, year after year after year, not wrested from their mother’s arms but from their mother’s bodies, sometimes, often, by the choice of the mother. Day after day, in the darkness and blindness of our collective apathy. What are we to do? What can we do against such a great evil? Well, the first is to weep, along with Rachel. To really mourn. To rend our hearts and cry out to God. Second, not to absorb and succumb to the apathy. But to let each fresh evil have its full woe. But the real key brings us back to worship. Herod was also a worshipper. His lie that he would worship the child stands against the Magi’s true worship. He is not worshiping God. He is first and foremost worshipping himself. And look at the devastation of that choice. The darkness threatens and stormsAnd seems like it will take over and win.

Except that God doesn’t accept this. He is not satisfied with the death that we chose. As these babies are dying, the hope of the world is being stolen away to safety. His ultimate death will encompass and rescue the deaths of these little ones. Though they die, in him they will live forever. Did you know that babies and little ones go straight to Jesus?That is a whole sermon that I Hope Matt will preach. This evil is only for a little while. The savior of the world, carried in the arms of his mother, is a savior to those who are perishing. When you hear of the little ones of the world being killed, slaughtered, when you hear the numbers of abortions in the US each day, when you wake up to find another maniac has shot up a school, do not throw up your hands and turn away. Weep, with Rachel, as one who cannot be comforted, knowing that God himself bore the death of each of these, that they live forever with him. But know that if you stop there and do not worship the King,you will be among those who are perishing.You must worship God and not yourself. You must open your eyes to his glory. You can lay everything down before him and ask to be the house that he lives in, the place where the glory of God can be seen from afar. Come, Worship the King.