Epiphany . Rediscovering Jesus . Episode 9
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The Magi Visit the Messiah
1 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem 2 and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”
3 When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. 5 “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:
6 “‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for out of you will come a ruler
who will shepherd my people Israel.”7 Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. 8 He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”
9 After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 11 On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshipped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. 12 And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.
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Epiphany is the oldest and the least celebrated of the three main Christian festivals (the other two are Easter and Christmas). Traditionally we read about the wise men who followed the star to Bethlehem to see and worship the boy Jesus. Let us hear and read this familiar story once again.
Read Matthew 2:1-12
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The Magi Visit the Messiah
1 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem 2 and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”
3 When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. 5 “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:
6 “‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.”
7 Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. 8 He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”
9 After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 11 On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshipped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. 12 And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.
The famous carol says, 'We three kings of Orient are.' But the Magi were not kings; they were astrologers studying the stars and sky at night. And, there was something new or extraordinary in the constellation at that time that led them to set out in search of the baby born to be king.
It is important to put their decision to travel in the context that there had been no Messianic prophecy for 400 years. In that 400 years of silence, Israel came under the rule of the Persians (538-332BC), then the Greeks (Alexander the Great 332BC) and then the Roman Empire from 63BC.
Around 2AD, these wise men from the East who knew a bit about stars followed a 'new star' which marked the spot where the Messiah would be born - Bethlehem (as predicted in 500BC by the prophet Micah (Micah 5v2).
I suggest three words to guide us on our Epiphany journey that ends this series of short studies for the festive season.
Preparing, Revealing, & Discovering
Preparing
God was preparing the wise men for this meeting long before they met the infant, Jesus. Look at what we know about the wise men from the East [Astrologers Magi]. They were interested in studying stars and planets.
Clearly, there is a spiritual hunger in them to find out more about the Messiah. In truth, God was on the case - drawing them through their interest in the stars - God meeting them where they were.
[The Isle of Wight where I live attracts people interested in astrology, we are applying for Dark Sky Status, there are spiritual seekers here].
God is not restricted to traditional seeking methods (like GodTV, conventions, crusades, religious tracts, books).
We must understand that God meets us where we are; he is on our case before we are even aware of Him. We are not operating in isolation in our search for the truth and, for those of us who have faith, we must not give up on praying for our family, friends and neighbours.
God is preparing them to encounter him, and God is preparing us for opportunities he will give us to reach out to others.
Revealing
The Wise men were revealing the true nature of Jesus
These wise men from the East were not Jewish; they were part of a wider world being drawn into God's family. These wise men were not travelling for months just to see a baby in a manger; they were travelling for months to see the long-awaited Messiah.
Isaiah 60 v 1-6 prophesied and through these Wise Men, the true nature of Jesus was being revealed. Yes, an infant, yes human, but this child was God in the flesh - the promised Messiah.
The gifts the wise men brought were revealing Jesus to be more than a manger babe. Gifts of Gold [depicting a king], Frankincense [divine and worthy of worship] and Myrrh [an Oil used in embalming].
The wise men were revealing Jesus to be the Messiah and that his destiny would be to die for us.
Likewise, God calls us to reveal Jesus to others by our words and actions as we live out our faith in our communities and our families.
Discovering
In discovering Jesus for themselves, they worshipped him and their hearts filled with joy. When the wise men saw Jesus
'how happy they were, what joy was theirs ... they knelt down and worshipped him.' — Matthew 2:10-11
Discovering Jesus causes us to respond with joy and worship (in other words, an encounter with him is not a theological or an academic journey or a spiritual formula or prayer pattern). Discovering Jesus personally - causes joy and worship.
Just as the wise men discovered Jesus to be their Lord Jesus Christ [Lord, Saviour and King]. We need to discover him for ourselves - Lord of our lives, Lord of our circumstances, Lord of our eternity. Friends, we need to rediscover Jesus as our Lord and be unashamed in worship. Matthew 2:11 — they knelt down and worshipped Him - how happy they were what joy was theirs.
If you can make one resolution in 2022. Resolve to Discover Jesus. Or, if you have faith, rediscover Jesus in worship. Worship like nobody's watching. An unreserved, unashamed kind of worship of Jesus. Not the baby Christmas Christ but your Lord Jesus Christ.
Oh, star of wonder, star of night
Star with royal beauty bright
Westward leading, still proceeding
Guide us to thy perfect light
Thank you for joining me in these short seasonal studies. I am in the process of building this website to release resources, talks, studies, prayers and will keep you posted monthly about what is available.
Later in the year, I hope to bring you news about my book, which is nearing completion. Please keep in touch; I have loved getting your emails and encouraging comments.
Happy New Year to you, and may God's blessings be upon you throughout 2022.
