Three for the show
Commentary
You remember that child's game that requires someone to say, "One for the money, two for the show, three to make ready, and four to go." Well, here there are three who go; who leave their homeland and make the trek to Palestine to determine whether what they have heard and divined from the stars is in fact true.
Your research about these magi has no doubt revealed the story of their once being a political power, who, upon losing that power, became priests with a large interest in astrology. The fact that the entire Mediterranean world was in a state of anticipation, expecting that some great event was about to take place makes the story all the more credible. Isn't it Luke who pictures the people as being on the tiptoe of expectation (See Luke 3:15)?
It was Matthew who was determined to show forth the entire story of the birth and life of Jesus and to validate him as the expected Messiah. His method is to point out that even people from afar were aware of what happened while all Bethlehem slept and Jerusalem went on with business as usual.
Since Matthew it has been traditional for the church to use the story of the coming of the magi as its key story supporting the coming of the Messiah.
But there is more. Luke's stories of his miracles, John's record of his sayings, Matthew's reference to prophecy, Mark's rather terse historical document; all of these are meant to show forth God at work in Christ.
The story is one thing. But remember that the theology came first. Before the story Paul was writing such things as "God was in Christ" (2 Corinthians 5:29), and "designated Son of God in power" (Romans 1:4), and "through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead (Galatians 1:1)." You can dig others out for yourself. But never forget it. First the theology, the understanding of what God was doing, was worked out. Then came the story.
OUTLINE I
A pattern, for proclamation
Isaiah 60:1-6
Introduction: If you are one of those who finds words in the Old Testament that are for you foreshadowings of New Testament events you will handle today's passage in quite a different way than I. I would prefer to maintain that Matthew (and others like Luke and his birth stories modeled on 1 Samuel), knew the mind of his people, knew their expectations, understood what would communicate with them and fashioned his stories to speak understandably. Now, that does not mean that I am about to say that that story of the coming of the magi is a construct with no basis in truth, far from it. But I do mean that I know that Matthew, most of all the gospel writers, looks for ways to validate the coming of Jesus as Messiah to the Jews. Who can read this lesson and not have Matthew 2 in mind?
A. Your light has come. We have seen his star. Remember, many in that time took astrology seriously. Stars were supposed to control destinies and forecast events. Matthew uses the possessive, his star and the message is that the stars control nothing, but that God controls them and uses them for his bidding. I suggest you check out Genesis 1:14-19, John 1:1 and Paul's word in Romans 8:38-39. Check out the commentaries.
B. All nations. Who can escape thinking of Luke's humble shepherds, Simeon and Anna of the Amharetz, the people of the land, and Matthew's kings, all of whom represent the great and the small of the world?
C. Gold and frankincense. If one does not recall Matthew's story of the coming of the magi then biblical knowledge is scarce. Matthew adds myrrh for his purpose of casting the shadows of the cross around the manger as he does with the story of Herod and his threats.
Conclusion: Don't get all tangled up in arguments about forecasting and prophecy about which your hearers probably care little. Point out the Old Testament and New Testament alike join hands across the ages and proclaim that God is doing wondrous things in the midst of his people. Think of some of those things being done today and share them.
OUTLINE II
God's plan
Ephesians 3:1-12
Introduction: I suggest that you leave arguments about whether the Ephesian letter is Pauline to the seminary classroom. Nothing is to be gained by taking up your hearer's time with this approach. If you think Paul wrote it say so, if not then use some generic term like "the writer" or "the author" and the like. It is clear that whoever wrote this material had a strong sense of God at work in the world and saw that work clearly in the contemporary scene.
Verses 1-6. Mystery here means wonder. God has revealed a truth to the writer and it is a matter of wonder and awe. That wonder is that contrary to the beliefs of many, God means to fulfill Genesis 12:1-4 through Jesus Christ and include all nations as recipients of his grace, make them joint heirs with Christ, and partakers of the promises he has first of all entrusted to the Jews.
B. The manifold wisdom of God. It is God's purpose that through the church established by Jesus Christ his truth might be made known to all principalities and powers. God is at work in the world which is his creation. God means to bring all nations, all peoples, all powers to the throne of grace and cause them to bow the knee and admit that Christ is Lord, to the glory of God (See Philippians 2:10-11).
Conclusion: The theme that God intends that all nations receive and profess the gospel is a theme still not fully understood in the church. There are those who think that that message has to do with Christians alone, others that it has to do with their denomination, and some that it has only to do with their congregation. It is an easy matter to just assume that we are the apple of God's eye and that all others are on the outside looking in. The lesson for today says otherwise.
OUTLINE III
Symbols for Epiphany
Matthew 2:1-12
Introduction: Today's selection offers a great opportunity to dig into the meaning of the symbols offered to the Christ child in Matthew's story of the coming of the magi. Do some homework, especially with Barclay's Daily Bible Study Series and learn something of the background of these determined travelers. Then turn to their gifts.
A. Gold. Gold was for a king. Matthew knew that his Jewish audience would hear the message. One of our greatest modern mistakes is that we assume that the gospels were written for us and then give them modern twists. They do carry meaning for us but that meaning is the same as it was for the first readers. Perhaps you will want to deal with Jesus' conversation with Pontius Pilate and listen again to Jesus' definition of his kingship.
B. Frankincense. Frankincense, a costly incense, was a gift fit for a priest and was probably the first gift given any new priest by his family. Jesus is to be a priest to his people. No one deals with this aspect of is person better than does the writer of the letter to the Hebrews. I recommend you read it before commenting on this aspect of Messiah.
C. Myrrh. Matthew added this one. Myrrh is an embalming spice. Already Matthew, who, of course knows the story since he writes at about 75-80 A.D., lets the shadows of the cross gather about the manger. He weaves this story in with the story of the insanely jealous Herod who means to kill the child.
Conclusion: You might check out Henry Van Dyke's story of The Other Wise Man and add it in here. His symbol has much to say to us also.
Your research about these magi has no doubt revealed the story of their once being a political power, who, upon losing that power, became priests with a large interest in astrology. The fact that the entire Mediterranean world was in a state of anticipation, expecting that some great event was about to take place makes the story all the more credible. Isn't it Luke who pictures the people as being on the tiptoe of expectation (See Luke 3:15)?
It was Matthew who was determined to show forth the entire story of the birth and life of Jesus and to validate him as the expected Messiah. His method is to point out that even people from afar were aware of what happened while all Bethlehem slept and Jerusalem went on with business as usual.
Since Matthew it has been traditional for the church to use the story of the coming of the magi as its key story supporting the coming of the Messiah.
But there is more. Luke's stories of his miracles, John's record of his sayings, Matthew's reference to prophecy, Mark's rather terse historical document; all of these are meant to show forth God at work in Christ.
The story is one thing. But remember that the theology came first. Before the story Paul was writing such things as "God was in Christ" (2 Corinthians 5:29), and "designated Son of God in power" (Romans 1:4), and "through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead (Galatians 1:1)." You can dig others out for yourself. But never forget it. First the theology, the understanding of what God was doing, was worked out. Then came the story.
OUTLINE I
A pattern, for proclamation
Isaiah 60:1-6
Introduction: If you are one of those who finds words in the Old Testament that are for you foreshadowings of New Testament events you will handle today's passage in quite a different way than I. I would prefer to maintain that Matthew (and others like Luke and his birth stories modeled on 1 Samuel), knew the mind of his people, knew their expectations, understood what would communicate with them and fashioned his stories to speak understandably. Now, that does not mean that I am about to say that that story of the coming of the magi is a construct with no basis in truth, far from it. But I do mean that I know that Matthew, most of all the gospel writers, looks for ways to validate the coming of Jesus as Messiah to the Jews. Who can read this lesson and not have Matthew 2 in mind?
A. Your light has come. We have seen his star. Remember, many in that time took astrology seriously. Stars were supposed to control destinies and forecast events. Matthew uses the possessive, his star and the message is that the stars control nothing, but that God controls them and uses them for his bidding. I suggest you check out Genesis 1:14-19, John 1:1 and Paul's word in Romans 8:38-39. Check out the commentaries.
B. All nations. Who can escape thinking of Luke's humble shepherds, Simeon and Anna of the Amharetz, the people of the land, and Matthew's kings, all of whom represent the great and the small of the world?
C. Gold and frankincense. If one does not recall Matthew's story of the coming of the magi then biblical knowledge is scarce. Matthew adds myrrh for his purpose of casting the shadows of the cross around the manger as he does with the story of Herod and his threats.
Conclusion: Don't get all tangled up in arguments about forecasting and prophecy about which your hearers probably care little. Point out the Old Testament and New Testament alike join hands across the ages and proclaim that God is doing wondrous things in the midst of his people. Think of some of those things being done today and share them.
OUTLINE II
God's plan
Ephesians 3:1-12
Introduction: I suggest that you leave arguments about whether the Ephesian letter is Pauline to the seminary classroom. Nothing is to be gained by taking up your hearer's time with this approach. If you think Paul wrote it say so, if not then use some generic term like "the writer" or "the author" and the like. It is clear that whoever wrote this material had a strong sense of God at work in the world and saw that work clearly in the contemporary scene.
Verses 1-6. Mystery here means wonder. God has revealed a truth to the writer and it is a matter of wonder and awe. That wonder is that contrary to the beliefs of many, God means to fulfill Genesis 12:1-4 through Jesus Christ and include all nations as recipients of his grace, make them joint heirs with Christ, and partakers of the promises he has first of all entrusted to the Jews.
B. The manifold wisdom of God. It is God's purpose that through the church established by Jesus Christ his truth might be made known to all principalities and powers. God is at work in the world which is his creation. God means to bring all nations, all peoples, all powers to the throne of grace and cause them to bow the knee and admit that Christ is Lord, to the glory of God (See Philippians 2:10-11).
Conclusion: The theme that God intends that all nations receive and profess the gospel is a theme still not fully understood in the church. There are those who think that that message has to do with Christians alone, others that it has to do with their denomination, and some that it has only to do with their congregation. It is an easy matter to just assume that we are the apple of God's eye and that all others are on the outside looking in. The lesson for today says otherwise.
OUTLINE III
Symbols for Epiphany
Matthew 2:1-12
Introduction: Today's selection offers a great opportunity to dig into the meaning of the symbols offered to the Christ child in Matthew's story of the coming of the magi. Do some homework, especially with Barclay's Daily Bible Study Series and learn something of the background of these determined travelers. Then turn to their gifts.
A. Gold. Gold was for a king. Matthew knew that his Jewish audience would hear the message. One of our greatest modern mistakes is that we assume that the gospels were written for us and then give them modern twists. They do carry meaning for us but that meaning is the same as it was for the first readers. Perhaps you will want to deal with Jesus' conversation with Pontius Pilate and listen again to Jesus' definition of his kingship.
B. Frankincense. Frankincense, a costly incense, was a gift fit for a priest and was probably the first gift given any new priest by his family. Jesus is to be a priest to his people. No one deals with this aspect of is person better than does the writer of the letter to the Hebrews. I recommend you read it before commenting on this aspect of Messiah.
C. Myrrh. Matthew added this one. Myrrh is an embalming spice. Already Matthew, who, of course knows the story since he writes at about 75-80 A.D., lets the shadows of the cross gather about the manger. He weaves this story in with the story of the insanely jealous Herod who means to kill the child.
Conclusion: You might check out Henry Van Dyke's story of The Other Wise Man and add it in here. His symbol has much to say to us also.
