Epiphany Sunday
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Scripture |
Matthew 2:1-12 2 In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem , 2 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.” 3 When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; 4 and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. 5 They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet: 6 ‘And you, Bethlehem , in the land of Judah , 7 Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. 8 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.” 9 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. 10 When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. 11 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. 12 And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.
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Devotional |
The birth of Jesus into the sinful imperial world brings two responses.
Jesus is God’s revelation for the whole world. Here at the beginning of the Gospel of Matthew, we see that the mission will be to all nations and to all people. The birth of Jesus leaves us with two responses. Today which do we follow? The Pharisees and scribes were politically correct, having all the inside information and tradition to assist them in their search for the Messiah. This is a people who should have recognized the coming of the Messiah with their inside information. The wise men, on the other hand, had only a star to follow none of the sacred knowledge was available to them. They followed the little light they received and trusted that more light would guide them. They took the little light God had provided and began their journey, trusting that they would receive more light while they traveled. How would we respond if God called us to leave our comfortable place to follow a light that would take us into the unknown? How much light do we need before we started the Journey? Can we travel on our spiritual journey with a small amount of light, while depending on God to provide more light when needed? Before we decide we are nothing like Herod, we should examine ourselves. Is part of our inner self like Herod? Do we have a darker inner side of our self? Douglas Hare cautions us not to scoff at Herod until we acknowledge the Herod in your self. “For us, the contrast can serve to symbolize the internal contrast between the part of the inner self which willingly and joyfully accepts the Lordship of Christ our king and that darker side of the self which firmly and persistently rejects his right to rule. Scoff not at Herod until you have acknowledged the Herod in yourself!” 1 Can we see God’s plan for our search for the Messiah? “I think Christianity has created a great problem in the Western world by repeatedly presenting itself, not as a way of seeing all things, but as one competing ideology among many. Instead of leading us to see God in new and surprising places, it too often has led us to confine God inside our place.” 2 As we reflect on the birth of Jesus, do we see God in a new and surprising place and way? Are we tempted to confine God to only our place?
1 Douglas R. Hare, Matthew. Louisville : John Knox Press1993. p. 15 |