"Revealing God's Unexpected Grace" (Matthew 2:1-12)

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Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Amen! Dear brothers and sisters in Christ:

“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, saying, ‘Where is He who has been born King of the Jews?” (Matthew 2:1-2a).

 

For “wise men,” these Magi were more foolish than wise. Now, these Magi were educated. They were educated at the universities of their day. They were educated as priests, astronomers and astrologers. Because of their education, they were influential advisors. But they also were men who knew a great deal about the occult arts. And they did not worship the God of Israel. So, nobody would have expected the Magi to search for the promised King of Israel prophesied in the Scriptures.

 

But on this day, as we observe the Epiphany of Our Lord, we find these unlikely men searching for the King of the Jews.

 

For these learned men, they likely learned about the Messiah for whom the Jews were waiting – from Daniel, who served as the presiding officer of the Magi during the Babylonian exile of the Jews. As learned men, they wanted to learn more about the culture around them, so they took seriously the prophecies of the Messiah. In today’s lingo, we could describe the Magi as agnostic. They were curious about the prophecy, but they were not devout believers in the Messiah. They were not Jews, but Gentiles.

 

One day as the Magi were looking up into the sky, they noticed something different. Something was off. They noticed a star that was unlike any other star in the night sky. This star wasn’t there before, and it didn’t act like any other star they had seen. 

 

As astronomers, these Magi noticed this star and they decided to follow this star, since it was moving in the sky. So, they travel west. And they may have recalled Numbers 24:17 which says, “I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near: a star shall come out of Jacob, and a scepter shall rise out of Israel.” Although the true context is that this “star” is the Messiah Himself and not a heavenly body announcing His birth. But again, these men were more foolish than wise.

 

But even in their foolishness, God leads these Gentiles west.

They follow a star, but they wind up not at Jesus’ birthplace in Bethlehem, but in Jerusalem. And when they arrive in Jerusalem, they act more like lost tourists as they say, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews?” (Matthew 2:2)

 

As they wander around Jerusalem, knocking on doors and asking locals at the marketplace where the King has been born, they cause a stir.

 

Now, it was only natural for the Magi to come to the capital city of Jerusalem. That would be the city everyone would expect the King of the Jews to be born. But these men were certainly surprised when everyone they asked offered no information. And after a while, the news of the Magi asking questions came to Herod the Great.

 

Now, Herod had a mixed relationship with the Jews. He was a clever and capable warrior, orator and diplomat. He helped raise money for the poor in Jerusalem. He built theaters to entertain the people. He raised the money to remodel the Temple. But Herod was also cruel, merciless, and extremely jealous. He remodeled the Temple not for any other reason but to make a name for himself and to make Jerusalem a prominent Roman city. He had his wife’s brother drowned. He had his own wife murdered, as well as her mother and three of his own sons. And as Herod neared death, he had the most distinguished citizens of Jerusalem imprisoned for no other reason than that they would be executed at the moment of his own death, so that the people would mourn, since he feared there would only be rejoicing at his death.

 

So, Herod accomplished many building projects, but he was ruthless as king.

 

With all the stir, Herod assembled the chief priests and scribes to inquire of them where the Christ was to be born. After searching the Scriptures, they told Herod, “In Bethlehem of Judea” (Matthew 2:5), which was just a few miles away.

 

Upon finding out the location, Herod summoned the Magi and questioned them. Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him” (Matthew 2:8).

 

Now, Herod never had any intention to worship the Christ. He only pretended to want to worship Him. What Herod really wanted was the location of this Boy so that he could easily destroy this threat to his personal authority.

 

Then lone and behold, the star appeared to the Magi again. These lost tourists were back on the right road again as they arrived in Bethlehem. Now, like St. Peter, it wasn’t their smarts that revealed the way to the Messiah. Yes, these Magi may have been “book smart,” but they lacked “street smarts.” They lacked true faith. So, just as Jesus said to Peter, “Flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 16:17), it was God the Father using that star to lead the Magi to His only begotten Son.

 

“And going into the house, they saw the Child with Mary His mother, and they fell down and worshiped Him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered Him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh” (Matthew 2:11).

 

When they saw the Child Jesus, they fell down and worshiped Him. These foolish men came to faith.

 

You would have thought that the chief priests and scribes would have looked for the Messiah as soon as they saw the prophecy in Micah 5:2. But they didn’t. They remained in Jerusalem as if this was no big news. Often, when the Gospel goes out, it’s not the righteous, but sinners who respond. It’s not the strong, but the weak. It’s the tax collectors and prostitutes who repent. It’s often not the people you’d expect. 

 

The Magi would have returned to Jerusalem if not for being warned in a dream for they truly believed Herod wished to worship the Christ Child.

 

So, what does this all mean for us? The Magi asked everyone they saw in Jerusalem, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews?” (Matthew 2:2a)

 

Now, it should not have been the Magi asking this question! It should have been the devout Jews who had the Scriptures available to them. The Epiphany moment here, the illuminating discovery, is that the Christ did not come only as the Savior for the Jews, but He came also as the Savior for the Gentiles! Jesus didn’t come as the Savior for a select few, but He came as the Savior for everyone!

 

Through the Magi, God in His wonderful and unexpected grace has revealed His Son to us. For Christ “is the propitiation – the atoning sacrifice – for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole word” (1 John 2:2).

 

The Lord’s leading of the Magi to Bethlehem proves that Jesus has come as the Savior of the world!

We are often like the Magi. If we were in their world of 2,000 years ago, we would have likely sought the King of the Jews in Jerusalem as well. Afterall, that is the expected place for a king to be born.

 

So, do you always look for Jesus in the right places? Maybe you expect Jesus to show up in places according to your expectations. And when you think He isn’t there, you may lose faith. Maybe you ask during struggles, burdens and worries, “Where are You God?”, “Where are You Jesus?”, and “Why don’t you answer my prayers?”

 

But how did the Magi truly locate Jesus? It really wasn’t the star. It was the scribes searching the Scriptures. That is how they got back on the right road. It wasn’t by their intellect – as their intellect only led them to the wrong city. You see, it was only by God’s revealing through Scripture – and then for added measure, God the Father dragging the Magi to the house in Bethlehem via His guiding star.

 

Today, God reveals Himself to us through means that our minds and intellect would not expect. Jesus is as present as He was with the Magi then as we read and hear the Scriptures. Today, Jesus is just as present as with the Magi as we receive His body and blood under bread and wine for the forgiveness of our sins and strength for our faith.

 

So, the next time you have your faith struggle, search for Jesus where He promises to be: His Means of Grace, His Word and Sacraments. Search the Scriptures, for there you will find Jesus and there He answers your prayers. So, read His Word, hear His Word and receive His grace for Jesus has come as Your Savior!

 

So, “arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you” (Isaiah 6:1) as Jesus has come revealing God’s unexpected grace to you! Happy Epiphany! Amen!

 

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding,

 keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen.  

+ SOLI DEO GLORIA +

Sermon for The Holy Trinity: "Made Holy" (Isaiah 6:1-8)

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Blessèd be the Holy Trinity and the undivided Unity! Amen! Dear brothers and sisters in Christ:

“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory!” (Isaiah 6:3).

 

Isaiah had a tough assignment as God’s prophet for at the time of his calling, the Kingdom of Judah was well on its way to destruction and captivity. By including, “In the year that King Uzziah died” (Isaiah 6:1), this signaled the end for Judah.

 

However, the people had no inclination of destruction. For, under Uzziah’s son Jotham, Judah extended her boundaries to their ancient frontiers. Commerce and agriculture flourished. This created a sense of national pride. And it was a time of prosperity and peace. The kingdom was flourishing!

 

The Kingdom of Israel to the north also experienced a period of national power. Under King Jeroboam II, Israel achieved military dominance in the area. But when Jeroboam II died several years before Uzziah, Israel plunged into an age of chaos. Four of Israel’s last six kings were assassinated. Then Assyria invaded Israel and then demanded tribute.

 

Just as the death of Jeroboam II became the sunset for the Northern Kingdom of Israel, the death of King Uzziah marked the beginning of the end for the Southern Kingdom of Judah. Peace and prosperity would soon disappear.

 

As this was all happening, God never ceased sending prophets to warn of the judgements that He would send upon His people for their unbelief. Israel refused to listen to the Lord’s call to repent. In spite of the warnings, God’s people remained ignorant of the scope of the coming disaster. Worse yet, they were defiant, believing they could control their own destiny without God. The Northern Kingdom of Israel fell to the Assyrian invaders in 722 B.C.

 

You’d think that the Southern Kingdom of Judah would be well aware of what happened to the north. I’m sure, they had family and friends in the north. They were all well-aware of what had just happened. But did they repent? No! They just kept on getting more and more wicked.

 

Since the Judeans refused to repent, God would use the upcoming Babylonian Empire as His judgment on Judah and Jerusalem because God’s people had forsaken Him. One century after the Northern Kingdom of Israel fell, the Southern Kingdom of Judah would fall in 586 B.C. The Babylonians ground Judah to dust and carried the Southern Kingdom into captivity.

 

Now, God never desired to punish His people. This is why He continuously sent prophets to call His people to repentance. But God’s people persisted in their rejection of the Lord and His promises. The Kingdom of Judah decayed into gross idolatry, human sacrifices, temple desecration. They turned away from God’s help and preferring only worldly help.

 

The death of King Uzziah signaled the beginning of a new era for Judah. Prosperity and peace would disappear. Judgment was on the way. This is the world Isaiah was living in. And he was the one called by God to proclaim God’s coming wrath to a people who wanted nothing to do with God at all.

 

Throughout all this coming destruction, we hear about God’s calling of Isaiah. Some have wondered why Isaiah includes his calling here in chapter 6 rather than at the beginning. One answer suggests that Isaiah first presented the heart of his message and then underscored the message with his calling. Isaiah presented in a visual way the triple phrase that we sing at each Divine Service: “Holy, holy, holy” (Isaiah 6:3). You see, Isaiah’s prophecy comes from the Holy One of Israel.

 

Whatever the reason, Isaiah sees the Lord seated on His throne. The prophet notices the Lord first. What a sight! Isaiah identifies the One seated on the throne as the Lord, using a name that emphasizes His authority, superiority, and power. This is no ordinary king. He is the Lord of the Church who rules all things for the benefit of His Church. This is not just an ordinary temple in Jerusalem. Isaiah looked into the heavenly sanctuary, where God may be seen by saints and angels. Isaiah had the rare privilege of standing in the presence of the Lord.

 

Isaiah heard the angels sing to one another, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory” (Isaiah 6:3). This is the truest worship of God in its simplest praise and confession. This sound of the angelic hymn shook the foundations of the thresholds.

 

The One seated on the throne is holy, times three. He is set apart, infinitely separate and above all creation. In Hebrew, repetition expresses a superlative; God is supremely holy! He is perfect in power, wisdom, and majesty.

 

God’s holiness also means that He is separate and opposite from all sin. God hates sin and because of His holiness, He must destroy sin like an antiseptic must attack bacteria. God would cease to be holy if He did not oppose sin and its consequences.

 

So, where does this put us – you and me? Are we any better than the Judeans? Do we – you and me – actually fear God’s wrath more than man? Do we show any fruits of faith in our daily living? Do you despise God by neglecting the Word of God? If we are all honest, we all deserve the same wrath God put forward upon the Kingdoms of Israel and Judah. We all deserve to be grinded to dust.

 

But God’s holiness is also a positive for us poor, miserable sinners. Because of God’s holiness, He found a way to destroy sin and make sinful humanity holy. Isaiah, too, believed he should also be punished for his sin. He believed he was no better than any other sinner. He believed he deserved punishment. “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips” (Isaiah 6:5).

 

In his vision, the Lord is responsible for the purification of Isaiah. And in his vision, those lips receive forgiveness via a means of grace.

 

The seraph obtained a burning coal from the altar in heaven. As Isaiah’s lips were touched, the seraph explained what this meant: “Your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for” (Isaiah 6:7b). As the coal touched Isaiah’s mouth, Isaiah experienced the relief of the forgiveness of his own sins.

 

This sin purging is not just for Isaiah, but for the entire world. Throughout his prophecy, Isaiah would also tell of God’s gracious plan of salvation. And like the prophet Isaiah, we are in dire need of the salvation that God alone by grace alone has accomplished and provides for us. 

 

Since God cannot be among unholiness, sinfulness, uncleanness, and darkness, He would make us – who are unworthy – worthy of being holy. Now, this is not done by our own doing. This holiness is only done as a gift from God. “When the fullness of time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of woman, born under the Law, to redeem those who were under the Law, so that we might receive adoption as sons” (Galatians 4:4-5). 

You see, the Lord purged the entire world of sin through the suffering and death of Jesus! This declaration that all the world is holy and righteous because of Jesus is an act of this holy God.

 

Those who believe and trust in Jesus are called “saints” – that is, holy ones. As “saints,” we are to be separate from the fallen world with its sin and death. As “saints,” we are set apart for the Holy God and receive all His blessings.

 

God has indeed provided the only answer to sin, rebellion, and perversion that plagues humanity. He has provided us Jesus. Sin is only purged in Jesus. For those who do not believe God’s answer to sin, they refuse God’s solution. They stand in opposition to God, choosing to offer their own solution to sin and death, and they can expect the holiness of God to execute judgment on the Last Day.

 

Until the Last Day, God is still a merciful God. He could have just let Israel and Judah fall to their own demise, but instead He sent prophets, like Isaiah, to warn them of their sinful condition. And even when His people were conquered, He gave them the promise of the Savior, who would atone for the guilt of their sins. God is still showering us with His grace and mercy as He continues to send spokesmen to carry His message of Law and Gospel to those who worship Him as the only true and triune God, who still provides visible Means of Grace, the bread and wine that touches our lips to give assurance of forgiveness.

 

Today is Holy Trinity Sunday, so why did it take me this long to speak of the triune God? Well, I have been. God is always in His fullness in Trinity and Trinity in Unity. In that triple phrase, “Holy, holy, holy,” we also see the nature of the thrice holy God: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.

Just as Isaiah was cleansed when the coal from the altar touched his lips, so our Father cleansed us in the waters of Holy Baptism by joining us to Christ in His death and resurrection (Romans 6:1-14). In Christ, we were made new creations who love God, trust in God, and have His power to live holy lives. Through the Holy Spirit, we are made aware of Jesus and our need for Him as the propitiation for our sins. We are forgiven and made holy! Being holy, we live a life dedicated to Him, serving the triune God in our various callings. Blessèd be the Holy Trinity and the undivided Unity! Amen!

 

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen.  

+ SOLI DEO GLORIA +