Preaching
Ordinary Words, Extraordinary Deeds
Preaching The Miracles Of Jesus
Matthew 2:1-12
Epiphany
Miracle One
The Star
In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, "Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage." When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him, and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. They told him, "In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet: 'And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who is to shepherd my people Israel.' "
Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, "Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage." When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.
Reflections On The Text
With its curious foreign characters who, guided by an extraordinary star, "traverse afar" with their special gifts, Matthew's unique story of the magi has captured the imaginations of children and artists, believers and seekers. In the conflated scheme adopted by many renditions of the nativity, the wise men and their regal retinue crowd out the shepherds and dominate the space in front of the holy family. While this scene does help make a more complete set for collectors, it bears little resemblance to the biblical stories of Christmas: Luke has shepherds and Matthew has magi and never do the two meet. The key for interpreters of this text then is to look away from the tale "everyone knows" and instead consider how the particular features of this episode contribute theologically to the story about Jesus Matthew is trying to tell.
The Gospel of Matthew begins in chapter 1 with a genealogy tracing Jesus' ancestry through David and back to Abraham. From the beginning, Matthew wants to assure us that Jesus is in line with both of the essential promises of Hebrew Scripture. Jesus inherits the covenant made with Abraham in which God has chosen Abraham's descendants for a position of favor and for a special mission: to be a blessing to all nations (Genesis 12:1-3). Jesus also inherits the covenant made with David in which God will establish David's descendants upon the throne of Israel (2 Samuel 7). As son of David, Jesus is the one to restore the kingdom; as son of Abraham, Jesus is the one through whom all the nations of the earth shall be blessed.
From this opening introduction to the family tree, Matthew's Gospel moves along the path plotted by these two claims: Jesus is for Israel (son of David) and Jesus is for all people (son of Abraham). After the genealogy, the remainder of this first chapter focuses in a large part on the Davidic nature of Jesus' birth as a presage to his life. Underscoring the saving work to be accomplished by this child, which parallels the saving heroics of King David, Joseph is told that he will be named Jesus "because he will save his people from their sins" (1:21). In addition, Jesus' Davidic heritage is sealed by the Immanuel quotation from the most famous of the Hebrew prophets, Isaiah, who speaks of the Messiah as one born of a young woman, one who will be God with us (Isaiah 7:14).
If Matthew 1:18-25 speaks of Jesus' birth in light of his Jewishness and his Davidic heritage, Matthew 2:1-12 casts his nativity onto the world's stage. He may be for Israel, but he is, like his ancestor Abraham, a blessing for all people. The magi represent the peoples from the ends of the earth who will come to worship him and call him Lord. They are the first people in Matthew's Gospel to respond to Jesus. They are not Jews. They are not local. They are not even named. They are truly outsiders. Yet they come to see Jesus. According to the text, they come because they have seen a star, a sign inviting them to make a closer inquiry.
The outsider status of the magi contrasts sharply with the presence in this text of King Herod and the chief priests and the teachers of the law. These Jewish political and religious authorities are the ultimate insiders. They have the palace and the temple and the positions of privilege. They even have the scriptural clue provided by the prophet Micah that the Messiah will come from Bethlehem. If anyone should know about Jesus, they should. But they do not, and the appearance of the magi suggesting the existence of a new king right in their midst instantly creates a stir and a threat. Herod and the religious leaders have every advantage for seeing Jesus. Yet they do not recognize anything significant has happened until they hear about it from the magi. Of course, this will not be the only time in the Gospel of Matthew that the insiders will get it wrong and the outsiders will figure it out; but it is the first time.
The magi come because they have the seen the star, a phenomenon that has illumined their path and led them to the exact place where the child lay. Astronomers of various skills have endeavored to explain the star's presence and composition. These explanations vary from comet tails to planetary conjoinings to constellations run amok. They all miss the point. The star is a miracle and defies rational explanation. In including it here, Matthew is not saying something astronomically, but rather theologically. Through this sign, God leads these outsiders to the newborn king. Guided by this star, the magi come from far away to worship him, while those who should be better informed see in him not glory but threat. Following the star, the magi seek to pay him homage, while Herod and his henchmen, following their own self-interest, seek only to deal him death (2:13-19).
While commentators note that the astral phenomena regularly attended the births of famous people in the ancient world, the significance of the star in the story here is not its existence, but rather its invitation. In other words, what matters in this story is not the star itself, but rather that the wise men follow the star. A sign that invites no inquiry is just a pleasant detail. A burning bush is just a curiosity until Moses heads back into Egypt. Rather than just observing a brightness in the heavens, the magi see something that compels them to go, ask, and discover. "Where?" is their first word in this text (2:2). It's been the question of seekers ever since. We see something different, experience something beyond and better from that in which life usually consists, so we inquire and wonder and perhaps even follow. The star is a symbol of grace, inexplicably placed by God in the right way and at the right time, invisible except to those paying attention. Like the star, grace exists beyond the bounds of text and tradition so that the outsiders have just as much access to it as those who know the story by heart. It all depends on where you are looking and what you are looking for. The miracle of the star in the sky is completed by the quest it launches in the hearts of the magi.
Indeed, a careful reading indicates that it is the star, not the child, which elicits "overwhelming joy" from the magi (2:10). Having accepted the invitation to follow the sign, having explored and questioned its meaning, having gained an understanding of its significance as it finally rests over the place where the holy family is, the wise men are overjoyed and ready for worship. The journey has been fulfilled; the glimpse has proven true beyond their wildest dreams. No wonder they have to travel home by another road (2:12).
This story, in which the wise men come from far away to worship Jesus at his birth, is neatly reversed at the conclusion of Matthew when Jesus commissions his followers to "go and make disciples of all nations" (Matthew 28:16-20). From his beginning, Jesus has attracted people from beyond the nation of Israel and the religion of Judaism. His charge to his disciples at the end of the story seeks to fulfill the depth of the promise given to Abraham. By teaching the nations "to observe all that I have commanded you," the disciples will make Jesus a blessing to all people. He is the savior of the whole world. He is the one who beckons all to come, regardless of how far away we might be.
Preaching Possibilities
The star in the sky that draws the attention of the magi offers a nice image for speaking about the signs of grace in our lives. In ways great and small, things appear in our lives that, when viewed with the eyes of faith, can be understood as traces of God's glory in our midst, hints and clues that invite exploration and point to a path which directs us to something holy. The magi can be seen as models for seekers everywhere. They see something, and then they inquire, and then they follow. At the end of the journey, they find a great blessing.
Another focus for a sermon could be the activities of the magi once they reach Bethlehem and have finally seen the Christ. The text says that they are overwhelmed with joy and that they worship him and that they give him gifts. Here are the actions of faith performed by the magi: rejoice, worship, give. Here is the way to respond to the newborn king: rejoice, worship, give. Within these three actions are contained not only the essence of Christmas, but the essence of the Christian life.
Rejoice that God has come among us in this most personal of ways. God has taken our flesh and shared our life. God became human because human life matters to God. That is an overwhelming joy. Worship the God who has done such a wonder. Kneel before God with gratitude and praise for this most extraordinary love. Worshiping God is our greatest work as Christians. We need to do it as often as we can, as well as we can. Give gifts to God. The magi brought gold, frankincense, and myrrh. What do we have to offer? What time, talent, resource do we have to give? The good news of the incarnation rightly elicits a generous response from us.
A third sermon might be developed from the peripheral status of the magi. What does it mean that the first people in Matthew to respond to Jesus come from so far away? Why do these outsiders understand and respond, while those who should be most aware of the Messiah's birth not only do not get it but are violently opposed to it? What does it say about the nature of the gospel that it draws and repels in such unexpected ways? This story at the beginning of Matthew hints at the theme of reversal that continues throughout his Gospel: the blind see and the lame walk and the deaf hear; the outsiders are welcomed; the sinners are included; the insiders are scandalized; the pious are offended. No one it seems is unaffected by Jesus. In one way or another, everything, everyone is transformed. Of course, that theme continues right to the end. Who would expect death to be defeated? Since when is the tomb not the end? The possibility of resurrection is about as likely as three strangers from distant lands following a star across the desert to worship a child they claim to be a king.
Both the star and the gifts possess sacramental imagery that might be helpful to the preacher. The star is the visible sign of God's presence in this story. It illumines and beckons and directs, much like the saving death of Jesus, demonstrated by broken bread and poured wine, becomes the guide for our lives. Or the star which points the magi in the direction of Jesus might also find echoes in baptism, the sacrament that marks the beginning of our journey of faith.
The magi offering the gifts to the child corresponds to the offering at the beginning of the eucharistic liturgy. At our church, where the Epiphany celebration includes costumed kings, these characters bring the bread and the wine to the table that day, responding to the invitation of Psalm 116:13, "What shall we bring to the Lord for all the good things God has done? We will lift the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord." In bringing our gifts to the table to celebrate our salvation in Christ, we are simply continuing the action of the magi who brought their gifts to Jesus long ago.
Epiphany
Miracle One
The Star
In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, "Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage." When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him, and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. They told him, "In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet: 'And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who is to shepherd my people Israel.' "
Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, "Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage." When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.
Reflections On The Text
With its curious foreign characters who, guided by an extraordinary star, "traverse afar" with their special gifts, Matthew's unique story of the magi has captured the imaginations of children and artists, believers and seekers. In the conflated scheme adopted by many renditions of the nativity, the wise men and their regal retinue crowd out the shepherds and dominate the space in front of the holy family. While this scene does help make a more complete set for collectors, it bears little resemblance to the biblical stories of Christmas: Luke has shepherds and Matthew has magi and never do the two meet. The key for interpreters of this text then is to look away from the tale "everyone knows" and instead consider how the particular features of this episode contribute theologically to the story about Jesus Matthew is trying to tell.
The Gospel of Matthew begins in chapter 1 with a genealogy tracing Jesus' ancestry through David and back to Abraham. From the beginning, Matthew wants to assure us that Jesus is in line with both of the essential promises of Hebrew Scripture. Jesus inherits the covenant made with Abraham in which God has chosen Abraham's descendants for a position of favor and for a special mission: to be a blessing to all nations (Genesis 12:1-3). Jesus also inherits the covenant made with David in which God will establish David's descendants upon the throne of Israel (2 Samuel 7). As son of David, Jesus is the one to restore the kingdom; as son of Abraham, Jesus is the one through whom all the nations of the earth shall be blessed.
From this opening introduction to the family tree, Matthew's Gospel moves along the path plotted by these two claims: Jesus is for Israel (son of David) and Jesus is for all people (son of Abraham). After the genealogy, the remainder of this first chapter focuses in a large part on the Davidic nature of Jesus' birth as a presage to his life. Underscoring the saving work to be accomplished by this child, which parallels the saving heroics of King David, Joseph is told that he will be named Jesus "because he will save his people from their sins" (1:21). In addition, Jesus' Davidic heritage is sealed by the Immanuel quotation from the most famous of the Hebrew prophets, Isaiah, who speaks of the Messiah as one born of a young woman, one who will be God with us (Isaiah 7:14).
If Matthew 1:18-25 speaks of Jesus' birth in light of his Jewishness and his Davidic heritage, Matthew 2:1-12 casts his nativity onto the world's stage. He may be for Israel, but he is, like his ancestor Abraham, a blessing for all people. The magi represent the peoples from the ends of the earth who will come to worship him and call him Lord. They are the first people in Matthew's Gospel to respond to Jesus. They are not Jews. They are not local. They are not even named. They are truly outsiders. Yet they come to see Jesus. According to the text, they come because they have seen a star, a sign inviting them to make a closer inquiry.
The outsider status of the magi contrasts sharply with the presence in this text of King Herod and the chief priests and the teachers of the law. These Jewish political and religious authorities are the ultimate insiders. They have the palace and the temple and the positions of privilege. They even have the scriptural clue provided by the prophet Micah that the Messiah will come from Bethlehem. If anyone should know about Jesus, they should. But they do not, and the appearance of the magi suggesting the existence of a new king right in their midst instantly creates a stir and a threat. Herod and the religious leaders have every advantage for seeing Jesus. Yet they do not recognize anything significant has happened until they hear about it from the magi. Of course, this will not be the only time in the Gospel of Matthew that the insiders will get it wrong and the outsiders will figure it out; but it is the first time.
The magi come because they have the seen the star, a phenomenon that has illumined their path and led them to the exact place where the child lay. Astronomers of various skills have endeavored to explain the star's presence and composition. These explanations vary from comet tails to planetary conjoinings to constellations run amok. They all miss the point. The star is a miracle and defies rational explanation. In including it here, Matthew is not saying something astronomically, but rather theologically. Through this sign, God leads these outsiders to the newborn king. Guided by this star, the magi come from far away to worship him, while those who should be better informed see in him not glory but threat. Following the star, the magi seek to pay him homage, while Herod and his henchmen, following their own self-interest, seek only to deal him death (2:13-19).
While commentators note that the astral phenomena regularly attended the births of famous people in the ancient world, the significance of the star in the story here is not its existence, but rather its invitation. In other words, what matters in this story is not the star itself, but rather that the wise men follow the star. A sign that invites no inquiry is just a pleasant detail. A burning bush is just a curiosity until Moses heads back into Egypt. Rather than just observing a brightness in the heavens, the magi see something that compels them to go, ask, and discover. "Where?" is their first word in this text (2:2). It's been the question of seekers ever since. We see something different, experience something beyond and better from that in which life usually consists, so we inquire and wonder and perhaps even follow. The star is a symbol of grace, inexplicably placed by God in the right way and at the right time, invisible except to those paying attention. Like the star, grace exists beyond the bounds of text and tradition so that the outsiders have just as much access to it as those who know the story by heart. It all depends on where you are looking and what you are looking for. The miracle of the star in the sky is completed by the quest it launches in the hearts of the magi.
Indeed, a careful reading indicates that it is the star, not the child, which elicits "overwhelming joy" from the magi (2:10). Having accepted the invitation to follow the sign, having explored and questioned its meaning, having gained an understanding of its significance as it finally rests over the place where the holy family is, the wise men are overjoyed and ready for worship. The journey has been fulfilled; the glimpse has proven true beyond their wildest dreams. No wonder they have to travel home by another road (2:12).
This story, in which the wise men come from far away to worship Jesus at his birth, is neatly reversed at the conclusion of Matthew when Jesus commissions his followers to "go and make disciples of all nations" (Matthew 28:16-20). From his beginning, Jesus has attracted people from beyond the nation of Israel and the religion of Judaism. His charge to his disciples at the end of the story seeks to fulfill the depth of the promise given to Abraham. By teaching the nations "to observe all that I have commanded you," the disciples will make Jesus a blessing to all people. He is the savior of the whole world. He is the one who beckons all to come, regardless of how far away we might be.
Preaching Possibilities
The star in the sky that draws the attention of the magi offers a nice image for speaking about the signs of grace in our lives. In ways great and small, things appear in our lives that, when viewed with the eyes of faith, can be understood as traces of God's glory in our midst, hints and clues that invite exploration and point to a path which directs us to something holy. The magi can be seen as models for seekers everywhere. They see something, and then they inquire, and then they follow. At the end of the journey, they find a great blessing.
Another focus for a sermon could be the activities of the magi once they reach Bethlehem and have finally seen the Christ. The text says that they are overwhelmed with joy and that they worship him and that they give him gifts. Here are the actions of faith performed by the magi: rejoice, worship, give. Here is the way to respond to the newborn king: rejoice, worship, give. Within these three actions are contained not only the essence of Christmas, but the essence of the Christian life.
Rejoice that God has come among us in this most personal of ways. God has taken our flesh and shared our life. God became human because human life matters to God. That is an overwhelming joy. Worship the God who has done such a wonder. Kneel before God with gratitude and praise for this most extraordinary love. Worshiping God is our greatest work as Christians. We need to do it as often as we can, as well as we can. Give gifts to God. The magi brought gold, frankincense, and myrrh. What do we have to offer? What time, talent, resource do we have to give? The good news of the incarnation rightly elicits a generous response from us.
A third sermon might be developed from the peripheral status of the magi. What does it mean that the first people in Matthew to respond to Jesus come from so far away? Why do these outsiders understand and respond, while those who should be most aware of the Messiah's birth not only do not get it but are violently opposed to it? What does it say about the nature of the gospel that it draws and repels in such unexpected ways? This story at the beginning of Matthew hints at the theme of reversal that continues throughout his Gospel: the blind see and the lame walk and the deaf hear; the outsiders are welcomed; the sinners are included; the insiders are scandalized; the pious are offended. No one it seems is unaffected by Jesus. In one way or another, everything, everyone is transformed. Of course, that theme continues right to the end. Who would expect death to be defeated? Since when is the tomb not the end? The possibility of resurrection is about as likely as three strangers from distant lands following a star across the desert to worship a child they claim to be a king.
Both the star and the gifts possess sacramental imagery that might be helpful to the preacher. The star is the visible sign of God's presence in this story. It illumines and beckons and directs, much like the saving death of Jesus, demonstrated by broken bread and poured wine, becomes the guide for our lives. Or the star which points the magi in the direction of Jesus might also find echoes in baptism, the sacrament that marks the beginning of our journey of faith.
The magi offering the gifts to the child corresponds to the offering at the beginning of the eucharistic liturgy. At our church, where the Epiphany celebration includes costumed kings, these characters bring the bread and the wine to the table that day, responding to the invitation of Psalm 116:13, "What shall we bring to the Lord for all the good things God has done? We will lift the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord." In bringing our gifts to the table to celebrate our salvation in Christ, we are simply continuing the action of the magi who brought their gifts to Jesus long ago.
