Epiphany of our Lord January 6, 2019 The Sunday of the Wise Men
Epiphany of our Lord
Matthew 2:1-12
January 6, 2019
“Jesus Is Not For Me”
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
There are many people all over the world who simply say, “Jesus isn’t for me.” They don’t believe in Him. Don’t think they need Him. And don’t think Jesus really came for them. “Jesus isn’t for me.” Likewise, even you and I, there are many times when we should be turning to Jesus. But instead, we think, “Eh, Jesus isn’t for me right now. Jesus can’t do anything for me right now.” We’re fine with that Jesus stuff on Sunday morning…but he’s not for the really hard and really important stuff of the rest of the week. “Jesus isn’t for me.”
But today, Epiphany, the Sunday of the Wise Men, is a reminder to the entire world and to you and me that we’re wrong. Jesus IS for me. In fact, Jesus is for everyone, everywhere, at every time. What if the Magi from the East, the Wise Men, had said, “Eh, this Jesus isn’t for us.” They didn’t. Because the entire world, just like the Wise Men, will turn to Jesus. And what you and I need to know is that Jesus is always the light we should turn to—every day and in every situation.
We have forgotten over the years that the Magi, the Wise Men, were not really that wise. They certainly weren’t kings as the song goes, We Three Kings of Orient Are. For whatever reason, over the years we have changed the perception of these guys so that we think they’re some kind of scholarly, academic, wise beyond their years, best-of-society type guys. But the fact is that we don’t know that at all. The root word Magi is where we get the words magic and magician. And any other time that Magi come up in the Bible, it’s always negative. Described as magicians, sorcerers, soothsayers, etc. They were pagans. St. Chrysostom from the 4th century calls them “barbarians”.
So why didn’t they say, “Eh, Jesus isn’t for us”? It’s not because they were so wise. Not because they were royalty paying tribute to another king. No. It was because they saw a star. They looked up in the sky and said, “Huh, that star is different. I think we should check that out.” And lo and behold, they find in God’s Word, from the prophet Micah, that the King of kings would be born in Bethlehem. A ruler over all.
So it wasn’t their great wisdom or great power or great wealth or anything else great about them that brought them to Jesus. It was God’s Word. The Holy Spirit. And, of course, a star. Why did they get it when so many others didn’t? Why did they show up in Jerusalem and nobody seemed to know what they were talking about? Hadn’t anyone else seen the star? Because, sadly, so many in Jerusalem hadn’t paid attention to God’s Word. In fact, after the Wise Men come, it’s only then that Herod gets the chief priests and scribes together and says, “What does God’s Word say?” And they tell him, “Bethlehem. That’s where He’ll be born.”
So to recap: Was it that the Magi were so much wiser than everyone else? No. They followed the light. The light of the star and the light of God’s Word. As should everyone else. Everyone. No matter who you are. Because Jesus is for everyone.
So what about you and me? Are we wise folks? Wise men and wise women? Are we wiser than other people here on this earth? We’d like to think so. Wouldn’t we love to think that we’re the great, wise, seekers of truth, who ride up on our camels with crowns on our heads and royal gifts in our hands? Wouldn’t we love to think that if everyone were as wise as us then they’d get it like we do?
Ha! We’re not as wise as we think we are. What is it that brought you here to worship the baby Jesus? You simply followed the star. In your case and my case, it wasn’t a star in the night sky but the star of God’s Word. The same Word of God that the magi from the East followed. The Word of God is a bright shining star that leads us to Jesus Christ our Savior.
Psalm 119:105, “Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” Jesus is called the morning star. The Sun. Psalm 43:3 says, “Send out your light and your truth; let them bring me to your holy hill and to your dwelling.” You hear it, right? Let the light of God and His Word bring us to Him. Bring us to Him just like the Wise Men were brought to Him.
You aren’t wise than other people. I’m not wiser than other people. But we have followed the light of God’s Word. And it has led us to Jesus. And we continue to follow the light of God’s Word. We believe it. Unlike King Herod who rejected God’s Word and tried to kill the child Jesus. We’ve been led to Jesus by the Word of God. That Word of God leads us here every Sunday to Jesus. Leads us up here to the altar to find Jesus. To bring our gifts of prayer and praise to receive from Him His gifts of forgiveness, life, and salvation.
We’re wise only because we’ve been led by the wisdom of God’s Word. We’re wise only because we’ve believed God’s Word. We’re wise only because the light of God’s Word has shone into our hearts and given us an epiphany. A light to lighten the Gentiles. That’s us. And the light is Jesus Christ and His Word.
Now enough about us. Back to those folks who say, “Jesus isn’t for me.” We Christians are way too quick to be like, “Okay, you don’t want Jesus? He’s not for you? That’s fine. We’ll just hide Him in the corner over here with us and we won’t bother you with Him at all. We don’t want to offend anyone or anything like that.”
But the Day of Epiphany is a wake-up call. It’s a day of mission. This story about the Wise Men is a mission story. It’s a reminder that there’s no one anywhere in the world who can truthfully say, “Jesus isn’t for me.” It’s just not true. The fact is that Jesus is for everyone. He’s not just for us in this sanctuary. He’s not just for people who are so-called “wise enough” to seek Him. No, Jesus is the bright morning star. The Sun. Is there anyone anywhere in the world that would say, “The sun isn’t for me.” No. The sun is for everyone. Jesus is for everyone.
And now I’m really taking you into Isaiah chapter 60 which we heard this morning, There Isaiah calls Israel to wake up. “Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.” He says, “Nations will come to your light. Kings to the brightness of your rising. Look around you and see—they all gather together, they come to you.” And later, “the abundance of the sea shall be turned to you, the wealth of the nations shall come to you.”
Do you see the picture there? All of the entire world is turning to the light of Christ. Everyone, everywhere is turning to Jesus. Nations, kings, oceans, the rich, the powerful, camels from everywhere—all bringing their gifts, gold and frankincense, and the praises of the Lord.
The whole world having one big EPIPHANY as they see the light of Jesus Christ. Arise and shine. That’s God’s Word to you and me this morning. Arise and shine for our light has come. And this light, Jesus Christ, is for all people. As Paul says in Ephesians 3 today, “to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things, so that through the Church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known.”
So have an epiphany here this morning. Let the light bulb click on in your heart and mind. Wake up and see the sun shining. “Jesus is for me.” Let the whole world say, “Jesus is for me.” Repent of your sins and turn to Jesus. Be a Magi. A Wise Man. A Wise Woman. There’s not just three of them, you know. We don’t know how many there were. May have been ten for all we know.
So join their party. By turning to Jesus and following the star of His Word. Everything in the world will turn to His light. So stop your sinning and turn to Jesus. Stop your worrying about every little thing in your life and turn to Jesus. Stop your complaining and your bitterness about everything and turn to Jesus. Stop your busyness with all kinds of things that don’t really matter that much and turn to Jesus.
Pray to Him. Sing praises to Him. Come to Him here at the altar and receive His forgiveness. And then bring His light to everyone else in your life. Don’t ever let this thought go through your mind, “Eh, Jesus isn’t for them.” Wrong. Jesus IS for them. Jesus is for everyone in your life. Arise and shine. Shine the light of Christ into the world all around you. Because, one way or another, the whole world WILL turn to His light.
Happy Epiphany! May your days of 2019 be filled with the light of Jesus Christ. May you not only rise to the light of the sun each day but to the light of Jesus Christ. And may you follow the light of His Word so that your heart would never say, “Jesus isn’t for me,” but would always says, “Jesus be with me.”
In Jesus’ name. Amen.