The star didn’t live up to its expectation. Oh, the star did alert the wise men, the Magi, that a new Jewish king was born. But it only led them, at first, to Jerusalem. And so that’s where they went: to Jerusalem. They went there to give their gifts to the new king, to honor and worship Him.
So there stood the Magi before Herod: “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.” But there’s a problem. Jerusalem already had a king, and his name was Herod. How unsettling were the Magi’s words to Herod, and to all Jerusalem. Why did these men travel for from afar and ask–not for Herod–but for another king?
And so everyone started getting nervous. “There’s a new king?” And most troubled of all was the current King, Herod. He didn’t take kindly to rivals seeking his throne. And when Herod wasn’t happy, no one was happy.
But that’s how it is with Jesus. It was that way at the beginning and still it’s the same today. Jesus’ coming into this world was–and is–often troublesome. Jesus’ coming is trouble for all who want to be their own king, ruling over the King of kings. He’s trouble for those who want to overrule Jesus in their lives in what they think, say, and do. The real Jesus is always trouble for those who want to make themselves into the end-all, and be-all, of their existence instead of God. The real Jesus is even trouble for those who think the Church is theirs and not the Lord’s, for those who want to treat the Church as their own playground.
But Jesus troubling is not always bad. His troubling you can even be good, if it means that King Jesus is working to set up His rule and reign in your heart. For Jesus doesn’t let us make peace with sinfulness and rebellion against Him. He wants to kill our sin to bring us back to life, to change and transform us. Jesus wants to us be children of the Light, not devils of the darkness. He wants us to be bearers of His divine nature.
Think about it. When the sins you commit bother and trouble you, isn’t that a sign that God is alive and active inside you? Isn’t that a stirring of your conscience to warn you against demonic dangers, of following the deceiver Satan into eternal death? For if you don’t feel your sin, place your hand on your chest to see if your heart still beats. For you won’t have one moment of life in this fallen world when you’ll be fully free from sin’s entanglements. That’s why we never outgrow our need to repent.
But Herod was only troubled in a sinful and selfish way. Yet, in his duplicitous nature, he called in the chief priests and scribes, asking them where the Messiah was to be born. And Scripture gave the answer. For signs and wonders were not enough. Scripture said, “In Bethlehem of Judea.” That’s what Prophet Micah had foretold centuries before. Bethlehem–that insignificant, little town whose only claim to fame was being the birthplace of King David–that was the place.
So on that day over two millennia ago, the Magi and Herod heard the same Gospel Word, the same Word where the Messiah, the Savior of the world, was to be born. But Herod refused to hear that Gospel Word; he wouldn’t listen to it. Oh yes, Herod heard the sounds and syllables, but he only heard them from a hardened heart of unbelief. He only heard the Word fearing what he might lose, not what he might gain in Christ. And so with a demonic desire, he twisted the Lord’s Word to suit his own pleasures.
But the Magi heard the Word in faith. They heard with a mind that God had opened and a heart that He had made willing. And they heard, even more, trusting that the Lord’s Word was good and true–even if hard to understand, and even if harder to believe. For the Word of God does that.
And it makes sense when we realize why Jesus came. For Jesus came, not to cast us into the kingdom of Satan, but to free us from its deathly chains. God the Holy Spirit working through the Word overrules our selfish wants. The Word squashes our self-chosen ideas about God and how we think He should be. And most of all, the Word of God creates and strengthens faith.
Do you find it strange that the Magi needed more than the star to find Jesus? They also needed the Word of God. Signs and wonders were not enough. And it’s the same with us. We can see the wonders of God in a beautiful sunset, or find ourselves dazzled, looking at the shimmering waters on Table Rock Lake. But the place where we find the Lord Jesus is in His Word–and where His Word comes to us.
Well, back to the Magi. They arrive in Bethlehem. Jesus was about a year old by then. But look at the Magi who are looking at our Lord! They don’t scoff and say, “This can’t be the King! He’s a poor boy dressed in common, working-class clothing. This place is no palace; it’s a carpenter’s house.”
Instead, the Magi close their eyes and open their ears. They see and hold before the eyes of their hearts the Word of God. They believe, despite what their eyes tell them. For seeing is not believing; no, believing is seeing!
The Magi believe that what God has said is true. God’s Word has not lied. That’s the Gospel doing its work! That’s the Gospel changing hearts of stone to hearts alive in Jesus. And that’s how the Magi hear the Word of the Lord.
And so they come to worship the Christ-child. And they do so, not only with their gifts, but with the trust and confidence that first led them to Jesus. This trust–this faith–led them to believe that the toddler before them, Jesus, was not just another king but the King of kings. They knew He was the Lord of lords, the promised Messiah, and the Savior of the nations!
That’s the Gospel at work! It works as a self-fulfilling message that changes people from fear to faith. It moves people from guilt to joy, from earth-bound rebellion to heaven-sent peace, from hell-bound sinners to heaven-bound saints. The Word of God changes us from enemies of God to sons and daughters of the King. That’s how God the Holy Spirit works through His Word!
But there’s more of God’s Word for us. For the Magi to see Jesus, to be in His presence, they had to be where God’s Word said He would be. I suppose they could have wandered off somewhere else, foolishly hoping to arrive at where Christ could make Himself known. But why do something so foolish and unsure when you know where Jesus is going to be? And so the Magi went to Bethlehem. That’s faith in action!
And it’s the same with us today. We often ask the same question the Magi asked, “Where is Jesus?” And like the Magi, we expect Him to be in the awe-inspiring and spectacular, the great and glorious, not humbly cloaking Himself in the common and mundane. Jesus was not born in a palace at Jerusalem; he was born among animals in Bethlehem. He did not sleep in a king’s bed but an animal’s feeding trough.
But it gets even better. Just as God promised to be in Bethlehem to the Magi, so also does God promise to be with us today. Today, He promises to be where His Word attaches to water–baptism–and where His Word attaches to bread and wine–the Lord’s Supper. And Jesus also promises to be where His Word is preached and where two or three gather in His name. And where does all that happen? Here, here in the Divine Service!
So do not be deceived. Even here in Kimberling City, even in this small congregation, God is here. He’s here giving you His forgiveness, and shaping and forming you by His Word. God does not mislead us. Jesus has said it. And so it is!
Yes, this Epiphany–today–our Jesus shines on us again and gives to us His gift of forgiveness. He calls to you:
Come, come to be my own and live under Me in My Kingdom in everlasting righteousness, innocence, and blessedness. Hear my Word. For I will show you where I lavish and pour out My forgiveness on you. Today, it is here. For here my Word is preached, and my gifts are given out. Here, I give you what I was born to offer in your place on Calvary’s splintered cross, washing away your sins as far as the east is from the west, so I may reign as King in your heart forever.
What good news! Today, we joy and exult like the Magi. And after Christ gives us the treasures that only He can give, we like the Magi, also offer God our treasures and our praise.
Did you ever wonder why the offering is collected when it is during the Divine Service? It’s collected after receiving the Gospel Word. For our faith-life grows from the Gospel Word that creates and strengthens faith. And our offerings are but one of the many sacrifices of praise we give back to God.
Yes, we love because Jesus first loved us. So also with our giving; we give because Jesus first gave to us. And the value of what you give back to God is a true treasure, because Jesus treasures you. God the Father through the Son in the Holy Spirit forgives you and declares you to be holy, a saint of God. That’s why you are holy and precious to God. And that makes your offerings precious to Him, as well.
In Christ Jesus, you are holy, precious, and a forgiven saint of God. Because of Jesus’ coming, fetters of eternal death dissolve and disappear. Yes, Jesus sets you free from your guilt and your fear, and lifts you from shame to the place of His honor. For Jesus has come among us this day, on this day when we celebrate His Epiphany, in the words of Absolution, the preached Word, and soon in His body and blood! Indeed, “Jesus has come! He, the king of all glory!” (LSB 533) Amen.
