Over 500 years before the birth our Lord, King Nebuchadnezzar had a vision which he could not understand. In his vision Nebuchadnezzar saw a huge statue. The head of this enormous figure was made of pure gold, its chest and arms of silver, its belly and thighs of bronze, its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of clay. Then, in the vision, each part of this awesome statue was crushed and swept away. Now all of the king's magi, his wisemen, were unable to interpret this dream. Daniel, that faithful Israelite, living in exile in Babylon is alone able to interpret the king's vision. After Daniel explains to Nebuchadnezzar how each part of the statue represents a different kingdom that rises and falls, he tells of the coming of Christ's kingdom saying, "The God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever" (Dan. 2:44).
That kingdom envisioned in Nebuchadnezzar's dream is now here in the person of the Baby of Bethlehem and by a star God leads Wise Men from the land once ruled by Nebuchadnezzar to worship this King. The meaning of Nebuchadnezzar's dream was hidden from his magi, but now the God who reveals mysteries reveals His Son to Wise Men from the East. In doing so, God makes known His purpose to be the Savior of both Jew and Gentile, as we sang in the opening hymn this evening:
"Hail, Thou Source of every blessing, Sov'reign Father of mankind! Gentiles now, Thy grace possessing, In Thy courts admission find. Grateful now we fall before Thee, In Thy Church obtain a place, Now by faith behold Thy glory, Praise Thy truth, adore Thy grace" (129:1 TLH)The magi were watchers of the stars, astrologers. They see the star of Him who is born to be King of the Jews. Naturally, then, they go to Jerusalem for it is the holy city - the place of both the temple and King Herod's palace. In Herod's palace they do not find a newborn prince. In fact, King Herod is troubled by the announcement which the Wise Men make.
Now Herod was the embodiment of power. One commentator observes that Herod "was a clever and capable warrior, orator, and diplomat....Herod truly was one of the great builders in the history of the Jews, perhaps the greatest king since King Solomon" (Albrecht, People's Bible: Matthew, 26). But Herod was also a man without mercy; he was cruel and calculating. Jealous of any potential rivals to this throne. He was so evil as to have his brother-in-law who was high priest drowned and then pretended to mourn his death at an elaborate funeral. He arranged for his own wife and three of his sons to be assassinated. Just before his death, he ordered that some of Jerusalem's most prestigious citizens be confined in a stadium and left instructions for them to be shot by archers as soon as he died, to ensure their would be mourning in Jerusalem at the time of his death. It comes as no surprise that Herod would want to snuff out the young life of even a weak and helpless infant, if that child posed even the slightest threat to his throne.
Herod wants to seek out this Child. From the priests and the scribes He learns that the Messiah is to be born in Bethlehem according to Micah's prophecy. It is to Bethlehem that Herod directs the Wise Men. It is only as God's Word is attached to the star that the Wise Men are brought to Christ. Matthew tells us that "when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and they fell down and worshipped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh."
Their search is over, for they have come to Him who is the Star of Mercy, the true light which enlightens every man. These Wise Men come to the one who is the very Wisdom of God in human flesh, the One who is greater than Solomon, the One who is not only the King of the Jews, but the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Herod's kingdom will lie in the dust of history, but of His Kingdom there will be no end. Jesus' kingdom will be established by His death on the cross and through the preaching of that cross, He will draw to Himself a kingdom of priests to glorify Him forever.
With the sharp eyes of faith, the Wise Men see in this Child, cradled in Mary's arms, the Lord of heaven. And they give to Him what may be given to God alone - worship. With their royal gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh they confess that this baby is the Lord. Epiphany evokes worship. Where God makes His presence manifest, His people proclaim His mercy and adore His grace.
Epiphany continues among us here tonight, for God makes His mercy manifest in the preaching of His Gospel, the Gospel that declares to us that we have a Savior who has died our death on the cross and has been raised from the dead to live and reign as our King. The Star proclaims the King is here. He is here in His Word. He is here in His body and blood. "Arise, shine, for your light has come and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you" (Is. 60:1).
The peace of God which passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus to life everlasting. Amen.