The Epiphany of the King and Savior of the Gentiles

Sermon for the Epiphany of Our Lord

Isaiah 60:1-6  +  Matthew 2:1-12

Epiphany came and went here in America on Sunday, with very little celebration, with very little publicity. Apart from the kings and the camels, the three gifts and the star that you might find in a Nativity scene, people don’t know much about Epiphany. Even in Latin America, where “Three Kings Day” is a bigger celebration than here, most or all of the religious references have been removed.

But the Holy Church of Christ remembers Epiphany. We’re being careful to remember it now on January 8^th, since I was out of country on the 6^th. But we did celebrate it in Colombia, where I heard a wonderful Epiphany sermon preached by the pastor there, with whom we hope soon to be in fellowship.

Epiphany really is a big deal. It’s a Greek word that means “revelation” or even “radiant appearing.” God’s Son was finally born into the world, but who was He? Why had He come? For whom had He come? Even Mary and Joseph only knew bits and pieces of the answers to those questions. But God made it all clear, little by little, throughout Jesus’ life. He made it clear, though only to small groups of believers at a time, and then, through the writings of the Holy Apostles, He has revealed it also to us who believe in Him. On the day of Epiphany, the ancient Church celebrated three radiant revelations of Jesus: The revelation of Jesus to the wise men as the King and Savior of the Gentiles; the revelation of Jesus to John the Baptist as the Christ, the Son of the living God, at His Baptism (which is why, after the sermon today, we’ll sing Luther’s great hymn commemorating the Baptism of Christ); and the revelation of Jesus to His first disciples at the wedding at Cana, where He revealed to them His divine power, goodness, and hiddenness, as we’ll hear more about in a couple of weeks.

For now, our Gospel turns our attention to the visit of the wise men. There was literally a light that shined on Israel at the birth of Christ—a miraculous light, a “star” that was no ordinary star, but, as Isaiah prophesied, The glory of the Lord is risen upon you…The Gentiles shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising. We heard about that glory of the Lord as it shone around the shepherds of Bethlehem on the night of Jesus’ birth. It may well have been that same glory of the Lord that moved up high into the night sky and led the wise men to the land of Judah.

Of course, it wasn’t only the star or the glory of the Lord that led them. How can anyone know anything just from seeing a light? No, these were “wise men,” ancient oriental scientists and astronomers, and also scholars who obviously had studied certain prophecies of the Jewish Old Testament Scriptures. There’s a prophecy in Numbers which the false prophet Balaam actually spoke, I see Him, but not now; I behold Him, but not near; A Star shall come out of Jacob; A Scepter shall rise out of Israel. Even more important was that prophecy from Isaiah that you heard this evening which speaks of the glory of the Lord rising upon the land of Judah. It’s these words of Isaiah that hold out hope to the Gentiles, the hope of finding salvation in the King who would be born in Israel, the hope of finding a home among the people of God, even though they were born outside of God’s people.

This is what Paul wrote to the Ephesians: Now, therefore—that is, now that you Gentiles have been saved through faith in Christ Jesus—you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit. Or as Peter writes to Jews and Gentiles alike: You are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.

This was the hope that led the wise men to follow the star to the land of Israel.

But the light of the star in the sky disappeared; it only took them as far as Jerusalem, where they had to inquire, 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. Now the light of the prophet Micah had to guide them, as Herod had the priests and scribes search the Scriptures for the answer: 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. See how God always drives His people back to His Word, so that we ground our faith, not in outward signs that are so often misinterpreted, but in His sure, unfailing Word.

So the Word of God shined the light on Bethlehem. But not everyone cared to see it. The king and the priests of Jerusalem, and most of the city with them, were not happy to hear about the birth of the King of the Jews. They were “troubled,” it says. Herod and all Jerusalem were “troubled!” Isn’t that sad? 4,000 years of promises to mankind, 2,000 years of promises made to Abraham and his offspring, 1,500 years of promises made to the people of Israel, 1,000 years since the promise was made to David, 700 years of waiting since the prophet Isaiah spoke of this day. And the reaction in the capital city of Jerusalem was “troubled.”

Some were troubled. Others were indifferent. They pursued a “wait and see” course of action as they just let the wise men be the ones to seek out and find the Lord’s Christ. How devasting! And yet, how common. The Word of Christ is still preached in the world as God holds out to a dying world a lifeline, a refuge for the day of judgment that is swiftly approaching. Some are troubled, upset with the relatively few Christians who still preach such a message. Most are indifferent.

And then, of course, there are those who would actually persecute the Christ and His people, as King Herod would soon do after the wise men departed. They still exist today, too. The light of Christ has shone on the world. Many are troubled by it. Many are indifferent to it. And some openly oppose it. They all prefer to remain in darkness, because their deeds are evil.

We, on the other hand, together with the wise men, know that there is no salvation in the darkness, no hope without a Savior. And so we, like they, run to where He is. Back then, it was in Bethlehem. Today, it’s in His holy Church, where His Word is preached and His Sacraments administered.

When the wise men, led again by the star, found baby Jesus, they fell down before Him and worshiped Him. What do we do when we find Him here among us in His Means of Grace? We do well to remember that humble reverence in His presence here, too. If we really believe that Jesus is with us here in this Divine Service, then it will have an effect on how we behave here where He serves us, not with slouching, not with distractedness, not with boredom, but with the humble reverence of the magi.

The wise men offered the baby Jesus the gifts that were prophesied in Isaiah: gold and incense. Gold, frankincense and myrrh were also the gifts given to the son of David, King Solomon, when he became king. They’re fitting gifts. Precious gifts. Expensive gifts that allowed Mary and Joseph to flee to Egypt when King Herod set out to slaughter the baby boys of Bethlehem. With such gifts, they fled to Egypt, not as the modern-day so-called “refugees” who are sneaking across foreign borders expecting the foreign country to pay for their food and shelter and medical care, but as subjects of the Roman empire, traveling to another country under the same Roman empire, with plenty of wealth to support themselves fully until it was time to move back to the land of Israel.

While the world goes on ignoring Epiphany and, more significantly, ignoring the Savior who was revealed at Epiphany, we will go on celebrating it with great joy—this Epiphany to the Gentiles and all the ways in which God has graciously revealed our Savior to us. For as important as His birth was, it would have meant nothing if God had kept His Son a secret from the world and hidden Him away. Instead, little by little, Christ was revealed as the promised Savior. Even now the Holy Spirit is revealing Him to you, another Epiphany, the radiant appearance of the King of Jews and Gentiles, right here in our midst, here in the Word, and here in the blessed Sacrament. Come, let us follow that light, that we, too, may worship Him all our days! Amen.