Loving God, you spoke to the wise men through the appearance of a star and prompted them to come and worship. Bring us with them this day to encounter your Son, Jesus, and so transform us for life in your presence; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Have you ever thought about why the wise men made their trek to come and worship the infant Jesus? It was expensive. It was time-consuming. It resulted in unspeakable action by King Herod. What did they hope to gain from this journey? Why did they feel compelled to come, bringing gifts, and to kneel down before the one who would be “king of the Jews”?

These questions become even further magnified when we consider what the Jewish attitudes would have been towards people like the wise men. The Greek word which tends to be translated as “wise men” is actually magos or magoi. It is a word that doesn’t really have an English equivalent. The Magi (which is the Latin equivalent) are variously defined as a religious caste from Persia or as oriental priests who were learned in the esoteric arts, including astrology and the interpretation of dreams. Some of the more modern translations refer to the magi as either astrologers or scholars.

However we refer to them, the wise men would not have been welcomed by most Jewish people. For one thing, they were Gentiles – foreigners – and most devout Jews would not want to associate with Gentiles or even to be in the same house with them for fear of becoming unclean. In addition, magi were associated with many practices that are condemned in the Old Testament. Magicians, mediums and wizards are condemned outright (Lev. 20:27; Deut. 18:9-14), and astrologers are always mentioned in a negative light (Isa. 47:1, 12-15; Dan. 2:27-28). The wise men could only expect to be condemned by most Jews.

And so, what did they hope to gain from this pilgrimage to worship the infant Jesus? For one thing, the wise men stand in a long line of people seeking wisdom and bringing gifts. In 1 Kings (10:23-25) it is recorded how people from all over the earth came to visit King Solomon in order to hear his wisdom, and every one who came brought gifts with them for the king. The Queen of Sheba was one of those who came to visit Solomon, and she is mentioned later in the gospel of Matthew. In Matthew, Jesus is speaking to some scribes and Pharisees and points out to them how the Queen of Sheba “came from the ends of the earth to listen to the wisdom of Solomon” (Mt. 12:42). Jesus continues by saying that she will stand up at the judgment and condemn them because “something greater than Solomon is here!” (In other words, Jesus)

The wise men seem to recognize this. They come seeking wisdom and bringing gifts, but not to listen to an adult king say wise things to them. They come to see the one who is God in the flesh, and who is referred to as “the wisdom of God” (1 Cor. 1:24). And so, what exactly do the wise men see as they gaze upon the infant Jesus in the arms of his mother, Mary?

Perhaps they see Jewish people who have welcomed them and have allowed them into the house! Perhaps they can feel the presence of the Spirit of God and are enlightened and filled with God’s love as they kneel before this child. Perhaps, in an instant of recognition, they see God’s plan for the salvation of all people – even of Gentiles like them! Perhaps they see the one who is greater than all astrology, all magic, and all divination. Perhaps they can see the divine Wisdom and Love in the eyes of Jesus – communicated to them even without words.

They have come with an offering and they have come to worship, and we can only imagine that quite likely they were changed by this encounter. We are not told that the wise men ever asked, “What’s in it for me?” We simply know that they saw the star signalling the birth of the Messiah and felt compelled to come and worship him.

And what about us when we come to worship? Why do we come and what do we hope to gain? Do we come, expecting to be rejected, and discover that we are welcome in God’s house? Do we come seeking wisdom and bearing gifts? Do we come expecting all that we believe to be reinforced and affirmed, or do we come expecting to be challenged and changed? Do we come in the hopes of kneeling down before the one who has come as our Saviour, or do we come asking, “What’s in it for me?”

The thing is that true worship always changes us. God is not content with us the way we are, although God does love us and welcome us as we are. God is intent on transforming us so that in our thinking, in our actions and in our love, we become more and more like Jesus Christ. God will not be content until we have become the new creation that he always intended us to be.

And so, what does this new creation look like? What does it mean to become more and more like Jesus Christ? Not so long ago in confirmation class we were talking about imitating Jesus. It dawned on me as we were talking that this was a meaningless phrase for the students, as they really had no idea what Jesus was like or how he treated people. Since that time, we’ve been looking at at least one story each week that tells us something about Jesus, and we’ve been making a list of what we know about him.

One of the most common misconceptions that emerged early on was that Jesus was always nice and never, ever got angry. However, we discovered that there were at least two things that made Jesus angry. The first was when the money changers had made the Temple into a marketplace instead of a place for prayer and worship (Mt. 21:12-16). Jesus could not stand to see greed and profit infringing on the place that was meant for worship. The second thing that angered Jesus was when the religious leaders stood around trying to find fault with him healing people on the Sabbath day (Mk. 3:1-6). They were more concerned about their precious Sabbath laws than about God’s healing power and the health and well-being of the people.

Additionally, we have discovered that Jesus always treated people who knew their need with love and compassion. He healed the sick, included the outcasts and associated with sinners. He was always teaching people what God is like, and wanted nothing more than for every person to know God intimately and to live in God’s love. When Jesus spoke harshly, it was always to people who considered themselves to be righteous and godly. Jesus was willing to act as a loving servant for others, and he accepted the loving service that was given to him – even from sinners!

This is the Jesus whom we are called to imitate and to learn from. This is the Jesus who changes us when we come to worship. This is the Jesus who, even as an infant, seemed a threat to those who were greedy for power. This is the Jesus who ultimately gave his life for ours, and who calls all people from near and far to come, and worship, and be transformed. Amen.

The Epiphany of Our Lord Matthew 2:1-12
January 6, 2008
St. Luke’s Zion Lutheran Church
Pastor Lynne Hutchison Moore
© 2008 Lynne Hutchison Moore All Rights Reserved