Matthew 2:1-12
January 3, 1999
Sermon preached by Rev. Donald Ng at the First Chinese Baptist Church of San Francisco.
What’s Your Sign?
According to today’s paper’s horoscope, as a Taurus, the bull, I am….
Do you know your sign? Is there anyone here that doesn’t know his/her sign? Millions of otherwise rational people on a daily basis put some degree of stock on astrology. Millions search daily for their sign in the newspaper’s horoscope column in hopes that it might shed some light on their future.
For us who are Chinese, we also have the Chinese zodiac signs of animals. This year is the Year of the Rabbit. Since I am an ox in the Chinese zodiac and a bull in the astrology sign, I must be very lucky to have the same animal in both! They both say that I am also very “stubborn” too!
Visit of the Magi
What has become a meaningful part of the Christmas story is the visit of the wise men or Magi from the east. Though Matthew does not tell us how many visitors there were, we have supplied this detail from our Christmas pageants and Christmas cards. From the carol, “We Three Kings,” we have fixed in our minds there were three of them. They have been transformed into kings clothed in lavish royal robes and impressive turbans. We have even given them names: Gaspar, Melchior, and Balthsar—and identified them as representing different races.
Most likely they were a priestly class from Persia, practitioners of the Zoroastrian religion. Their belief system was not like the Jewish religion. For starters: they believed in two gods—one good and the other, evil. Furthermore, they were magicians. Practicing magic was bitterly denounced in the Old Testament. The word, Magi, is where we get the words magician and magic today.
In their priestly role, they practiced the ancient art of astrology, believing that the stars controlled human affairs. Today we realize that there is some truth in that the moon affects our tides and the sun controls our seasons. However, Christianity has always looked at astrology with disdain.
What’s more important in this story of the wise men is not so much that they were Zoroastrians. But that in spite of the fact that they were of a religion different from the Jews, that they were transformed. When the star that they were following stopped over the place where Jesus was, they were overwhelmed with joy. Then they entered the house, saw Jesus with Mary and paid Jesus homage by kneeling down to him. Is it possible that these magi who were primarily star-gazers became affected not so much by the star that they followed but by Jesus Christ himself?
These magi had apparently come to search for something they did not find in their own faith. Given the difficulties of travel in ancient times, these men must have endured many unreported trials in their search. As weary travelers, they gladly paid the price in their search for the small child. And when they found him, they were “overwhelmed with joy.”
Wise Men Need the Scriptures
When the magi came seeking for the Jesus, it was during the time of King Herod. Frightened and threatened by the birth of a new king, Herod summoned all the chief priests and scribes to find out where Jesus was born. They consulted the Scriptures and drawing from Micah and 2 Samuel, they knew that Jesus, the great shepherd king is to be born in the village of David, the shepherd-king.
While the magi knew that Christ was born by seeing the rising star, they needed the Scriptures to tell them where they can find Christ to worship him. In other words, they learn something from nature, but their knowledge was still incomplete. Through nature (the star), the wise men knew that the Christ has been born, but they needed the scripture to tell them where, they can worship him.
On the other hand, simply knowing the Scripture is not enough to bring one to authentic Christian worship. The chief priests and scribes knew the Bible, but they missed the Messiah. They understood the prophecies, but they did not come to the place of worship. Herod was taught the Scripture, but his intentions to “go and pay homage” was to kill the child.
Still Seeking Him
Today we can find ourselves identifying with the wise men, perhaps the chief priests and scribes, and maybe even with Herod himself.
As “wise men,” we may be content with understanding our faith simply from being enthralled with the beauty and majesty of nature around us. The signs of nature’s beauty. It’s not too hard living in the Bay Area to marvel at the breathtaking sights of the mountains, the ocean, and sunsets. We can find ourselves worshipping God for his creations and forget that when we switch from a telescope to a microscope, we can find in each one of us the need for forgiveness from the sins that we have done. The scriptures tell us that we also require Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior to have new life.
As “chief priests and scribes,” we may be content to have mastered the Bible. We can recite all the books in the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, but completely miss the deeper biblical truths. One can memorize verses, but forget the gospel. One can recite the kings of Israel and overlook the King of Creation. One can, like Herod, be in favor of studying the scripture and still be on the wrong side of God’s will. This is following the sign of the Bible as simply a “good book.”
There are times perhaps that we can also be like “Herod,” whose only intentions were to use his position of authority to discover the Christ Child to destroy him rather than to pay him homage. Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.” To even suggest that we might be like Herod is difficult to understand. But for many of us we may be wearing the sign of “Christian,” but still striving to live a Christian lifestyle from the minute we get up in the morning until the time we go to bed. The fear of being a strong Christian can turn us into Herods.
Wise Men and Women Still Seek Him
The magi searched for Christ because they were wise enough to realize that they couldn’t find satisfactory answers in their own religion. Are we wise enough today to search for God? Or are we too set in our ways to not be able to hear the Good News of Christ? Being wise enough means:
- Wonder
When we think we have life or God or anything else all wrapped up, we stop wondering, seeking and growing. Jesus encourages us to seek that we might find. We must be opened to all kinds of viewpoints believing that when we study the Gospels and apply these truths in all that we read, God’s plan will be made known. Let us not be afraid of learning new things in the world. When the magi saw the rising star, they wondered what it was and they discovered the Christ Child.
Inquire
The magi received only part of the truth when they saw and followed the star. They needed the other half: the scriptures. When they arrived in Jerusalem, they met with King Herod, the chief priests and the scribes to inquire where the Messiah was to be born. By inquiring and consulting scriptures, the magi was told that in Bethlehem is where the child is born.
Sojourn
Discipleship is an invitation to follow Christ on a journey of faith. It doesn’t matter so much where we are in our life of faith as it does where we are going. Unfortunately, some people are going nowhere because they perceive that the journey is completed. The magi journey long and dangerously to find the truth.
Enter
Many of us are following all kinds of stars in the world. We are following the star of power or the star of fame or the star of fortune. And we are ready to bow down on our knees to pay homage to these gods. To follow the star of Christ means to follow him into a life of costly discipleship. After following the star, the wise men entered the house and saw the child with Mary. We need to take that necessary step to enter into God’s house.
To be WISE enough today, we need to
Wonder about new possibilities,
Inquire about the facts and histories,
Sojourn knowing the risks involved, and
Enter with the faith that we can be transformed.
As Christians today, we continue to seek him still and when we discover the love of Christ as the wise men did, we will be “overwhelmed with joy.” When the wise men kneeled before Him, they opened their treasure chests and laid gold, frankincense, and myrrh at the feet of the king. When we follow Christ, we too are required to lay before him our treasure chests. Jesus taught us that “For where your treasure is, there your heart be also.”
What Sign Were You Born Under?
If someone asks you that question again, tell him neither your astrological or your Chinese zodiac sign, but tell him that you are born with the sign of the Cross. In this sign, we were baptized. In this sign, we are redeemed. In this sign, we will die. And more importantly, in this sign, we will conquer death as Jesus has done.
The star over Bethlehem led the wise men on their journey, but only after they found Christ is when they were overwhelmed with joy. For us, we may be led by the star at first, but we will find Christ on the cross. There, because of his sacrifice for us, will we find new life—overwhelmed with joy! Our destiny is not found in the sign of a star but in the sign of the cross on which God opened his hands to embrace the world.
When our kids were little, they used to ask us, “How much do you love me?” We would stretch out our arms like this and say, “This is how much I love you.”
There’s a poster with this message: “I asked God, ‘How much do you love me?’ He said, ‘This is how much I love you.’ Then, he opened his arms and died.” Thank God for such a beautiful sign.
Saving a Sign for the New Year
Probably nothing is more of a chore than to take down the Christmas tree and all the decorations around the house. Finding all the little boxes for each of the new ornaments you bought this year so that they can be safety stored away again. Untangling the strings of lights so not to accidentally pull the wires out of the light bulbs. And what is even worst is vacuuming up all those pine needles that are trapped in your carpets way into the coming summer months.
But behind this chore, we find a reminder that after all the intervention of putting up a Christmas tree and decking the halls, it signals the return to the normal and perhaps humdrum life that we had. But only if we let it! This year let us not allow ourselves to
pack away the true meaning of celebrating Christmas. Let’s celebrate the birth of Christ in our lives throughout the new year!
Let me suggest that when you are putting away your decorations this year, that you keep one of the decorations out. Don’t pack everything away. Keep one, maybe a small one, but keep one special decoration, a reminder of Christmas, out in your home or apartment!
Maybe it’ll be a snowflake! Maybe a Santa mug! Maybe a dove of peace! Maybe a shepherd or an angel! Maybe a little cross! Keep one decoration out that keeps fresh the memory of Jesus Christ’s birth. And if by chance that you didn’t have a Christmas tree this year, we invite you to take home one of the ones that our children made for our sanctuary tree. Let this little sign reminds us to the truly hard, exhausting work of making Christmas active in our lives throughout the new year in 1999!
Let us pray.
Precious Lord, we pray with humble hearts still seeking your power and place in our busy lives. Create in us a clean heart when we are opened to your love for our fragile world and use us as your instruments of your everlasting peace. In the name of Him whom we still seek, Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen.