Wise Ones Seek Him Still

 

[The following is a manuscript of my message delivered on the second Sunday after Epiphany, the 15th of January, 2023, at Pilgrim Reformed Church.  Our YouTube streaming channel is: 

http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDIz4WuP8igQstkEOq1AMTg.]

Family, today is the second Sunday after Epiphany.  We talked about the Epiphany a little last week, but the main focus then was on the baptism of Jesus, because the Epiphany occurred on the preceding Friday while the baptism is celebrated on that Sunday.  So I’d like to go back today and look more closely on the event when God’s Messiah was revealed to the Gentiles.

Last week I noted than an epiphany is a sudden, intuitive insight into the essential meaning of a thing.  It is a revealing of the truth that comes in a flash.  The Epiphany we celebrate on our Christian calendar occurred when the wise men from the east, the Magi, visited the Infant Jesus.  We celebrate it on January 6th each year.  Why January 6th?  Well, January 6th is the 12th day after Christmas.  And according to Christian tradition and belief, it took 12 days after the birth of Jesus for the Magi to follow the signal star and travel to Bethlehem.  This is where we get the notion of “the 12 days of Christmas”, as well as the song.

So let’s back up just a bit, now that we’ve ordained our new Deacon and installed our officers and joined together in Holy Communion with our Lord.  Let’s tag along and watch as the wise men from the east seek out the One born King of the Jews.  Please listen and follow along to the Apostle Matthew’s Gospel account of the Epiphany in chapter 2 verses 1 through 12, and I’ll be reading from the New King James Version of our Holy Bible this morning…

1 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, 2 saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.”

3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.

5 So they said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet:

6 ‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,

Are not the least among the rulers of Judah;

For out of you shall come a Ruler

Who will shepherd My people Israel.’ ”

7 Then Herod, when he had secretly called the wise men, determined from them what time the star appeared. 8 And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the young Child, and when you have found Him, bring back word to me, that I may come and worship Him also.”

9 When they heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was. 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. 11 And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

12 Then, being divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed for their own country another way.

--Matthew 2:1-12 (NKJV)

Let us pray…  Father God, thank You for revealing Your Messiah, Your Son, to us through these wise travelers.  You sent Your Son as one of Your chosen people, a Jew among Jews, but You also made Him known to the Gentiles, so that all people might be saved.  Thank You, Father, for caring so much about all of Your creation.  Please forgive us, Father, when we lose sight of Your purpose for sending Jesus to mankind, when we take Your gift of faith for granted and return to our sinful ways.  And forgive us, please, when we fail to obey Your command to love others, even as we love ourselves.  Please help us be more obedient to You and Your Son.  Help us recognize and carry out our role in Your great plan.  And Father, please protect us from Satan and from those who are so willing to carry out his evil works.  Please keep us strong in our faith, of one mind and one purpose in our love, worship, and service, and healthy and safe through these trying times.

Speak to us now, Father, that we might hear Your voice through Your Spirit within us and better understand the message You have for us this day.  Give us an epiphany, show us the full meaning of Your words and Your works.  Reveal the truth to us in a way we can understand.  This we pray in the wonderful name of Christ Jesus our Lord.   Amen.

What if the visitors to the Baby Jesus had been wise women instead of men?  They would have asked directions and arrived on time so they could help deliver the baby.  And they would have brought along practical gifts.  Then they would have cleaned the stable and made a casserole for the little family.

When they left to return home, the conversation might have gone like this: "Did you see the sandals Mary was wearing with that gown?”  “That baby doesn’t look anything like Joseph!”  “Can you believe they left all of those animals with the baby?”  “I heard that Joseph isn’t even working right now!”  “And that donkey that they are riding has seen better days too!”   “Want to bet on how long it will take until you get your casserole dish back?”

That’s just a little bit of Christian humor, but I wonder…  would it have made a difference if those wise travelers had been women rather than men, or women and men?  In that day I think yes, it would have made a difference, for women were treated very differently than men.  For one thing, women would never have met with Herod, much less have piqued his interest in their quest.  They would have simply been considered foolish, on a fool’s mission.

So then, if Herod had not met with the wise ones and learned that a baby had been born that would be King of the Jews, he might not have otherwise learned of this and not felt threatened.  He wouldn’t have sent his troops into Bethlehem to slaughter all the male children under two years old.  Joseph and Mary might not have had to flee to Egypt with the baby to save it.  The events that shaped the early life of Jesus might not have happened.  Now I’m sure that God would have worked it all out so that His plan would still be accomplished, but how different it might have been.

There’s been a lot of conjecture over the years about these “wise men”.  We know they were wise, and we know they came from somewhere in the east, which means they were Gentiles and not Jews.  But that’s about all we know for sure - the rest we have to guess at.

They must have been learned men, scholars perhaps, who had read and were familiar with the ancient texts and scriptures, most notably the writings of Micah and Isaiah and other prophets.  They may have been astronomers, or had training in that field, for they had studied the heavens and noted a specific star that stood still in the sky.  They followed that star as their guide.  They had to have been rich, for the gifts they brought were quite expensive, in that time and still today.  The gold alone would have cost a bundle.  As a side note, the interesting thing about the gold is that it would have covered the costs for the family while they were in exile, hiding from Herod.

Finally, these men must have been devout, religious.  From their readings they would have known about the one true God, and maybe believed in Him.  For when they came into the house and saw the Baby Jesus with His mother Mary, they fell down and worshiped Him.  In a sudden, intuitive flash, they recognized that little infant as the Messiah sent from God, and they worshiped Him.

Wise men traveled from the east seeking Jesus.  Does being wise necessarily mean being smart, well educated, highly intelligent, vastly experienced?  No, not necessarily.  The Psalmist tells us that wisdom begins when we fear the Lord, when we respect Him, and then our wisdom grows as we obey His commandments.  We know God, but the hard part comes in when we try to obey His commandments, especially when it comes to loving all others as we love ourselves.  If we are wise, we will continue to seek our Lord.  We’ll turn to Him, not only for help in bad times, but to thank Him and praise Him when times are good.

Moses spoke for God when he prophesied to the Jews that they would be scattered among other nations, other peoples, other gods.  Hear what Moses told the people in the 4th chapter of his Book of Deuteronomy, verse 29 through the first part of verse 31…

29 But from there you will seek the Lord your God, and you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul. 30 When you are in distress, and all these things come upon you in the latter days, when you turn to the Lord your God and obey His voice 31 (for the Lord your God is a merciful God), He will not forsake you nor destroy you.

--Deuteronomy 4:29-31a (NKJV)

Seek the Lord and you will find him, IF you seek with all your heart and soul.  Turn to the Lord and obey His voice and he will not abandon you.  Seek the Lord in good times and bad.  Ask for His help for ourselves and for others.  Give Him thanks in all things, no matter what situation we find ourselves in.  And our true wisdom will grow.

Wise men and women still seek the Lord.  They spread His name and His message as they go.  We know God.  We believe in Him and in His Christ, His Son Jesus.  Now let our wisdom grow.  Let us be more obedient to our Lord by loving unconditionally, by serving without hesitation, by helping to find the lost and bringing them to Jesus.

As Isaiah said, our light has come.  The glory of the Lord is upon us and all around us.  Wise ones seek Him still.  In the blessed name of Christ Jesus our Lord.  Amen.

Let us pray…  Almighty God, You constantly bless us in so many ways.  Even during our trials, even if You punish our disobedience, You still bless us because You love us and want us to do what is right.  Thank You, Father, for Your love and Your blessings, none of which we truly deserve.  Forgive us, please Father, when we take Your blessings for granted.  Forgive us when we can’t see or ignore Your hand at work in our lives.  Please help us grow in our wisdom and our faith.  And Father, please help us remain strong, faithful, and true through all that we face in this age.

Please hear us now, Father, as we pause for just a moment to speak to You through Your Spirit within us, promising to be more obedient to Your commands, and seeking Your help to do so…

Lord Jesus, while You were still a babe, our Father God let us Gentiles know that You were the Christ, the Messiah sent to save us from eternal death.  Wise men came to worship You, bringing gifts that spoke of Your divinity, Your kingship, and Your death.  Thank You, Jesus, for coming to all mankind, for Jew and Gentile alike.  Thank You for offering us salvation if we only believe in You and accept You as our Lord, the King of kings.  Please help us understand the full meaning of that visit so long ago.  Help us remember why You came to this earth and what You did on our behalf.  And Jesus, please heal the hurts that separate and divide us one from another.  Help us remain trusting and obedient no matter what we go through.  Help us keep our focus on the things of heaven and the needs of others rather than on anything this life might offer.  This we pray in Your blessed name, Christ Jesus our Lord and our Savior.  Amen.