Finding and Adoring

This message was first delivered at Cove United Methodist Church in Coleman Falls, Virginia on January 6, 2019. It is based on the lectionary texts of Matthew 2:1-12.

Matthew 2:1-12 (NRSV)

In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, “Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage.” When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet: “And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who is to shepherd my people Israel.”

Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage.” When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.

As I was reading and studying the story of the wise men this week I discovered an interesting perspective on the subject by Father Jim Haney of Lubbock, Texas. We've probably all heard this joke or seen it in an email: Do you know what would have happened if it had been Three Wise Women instead of Three Wise Men?

1. They would have asked for directions.

2. They would have arrived on time.

3. They would have helped deliver the baby.

4. They would have cleaned the stable.

5. They would have made a casserole.

6. They would have brought practical gifts.

It's cute and makes us laugh. But Father Jim went on to debunk the statements. And helped me have a deeper understanding of who the Wisemen are and why they were in Bethlehem. I'll share a few of his thoughts with you. #1- They would have asked for directions. This one is actually a myth anyway. The people on the TV show Mythbusters tested this one, and found not only did the same numbers of their male and female test subjects ask for directions, the men did it 20% sooner. So men not asking for directions is nothing but an urban legend, except for my Dad and brother.

But the very first thing they do is ask for directions. It's right there at the beginning of our Gospel reading, “In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, 'Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews?”

There has been a tremendous amount of research on who these Wisemen were and what the star might have been. The intelligent people who have done that research conclude that the Wisemen or Magoi in Greek, were Zoroastrian astrologers, probably from Persia, modern day Iran. As to the star, since stars and planets placement and movements in the sky follow established patterns...it is possible (even easy for people who study astrophysics) for us to know what the heavens looked like at the time of Jesus' birth. Astronomer Michael Molnar points out that "in the east" is a literal translation of the Greek phrase that was a technical term used in Greek mathematical astrology 2,000 years ago. It described, very specifically, a planet that would rise above the eastern horizon just before the Sun would appear. Then, just moments after the planet rises, it disappears in the bright glare of the Sun in the morning sky. Except for a brief moment, no one can see this "star in the east."

We need a little bit of astronomy background here. In a human lifetime, virtually all the stars remain fixed in their places; the stars rise and set every night, but they do not move relative to each other. The stars in the Big Dipper appear year after year always in the same place. But the planets, the Sun, and the Moon wander through the fixed stars; in fact, the word planet comes from the Greek word for wandering star. It's interesting that around the time of Jesus' birth there were times during an 8 month period that Jupiter and Saturn converged in the constellation Pisces, with Mars also involved at times.

To us that means some planets happened to line up in a certain part of the western sky. To ancient astrologers, that arrangement of planets and stars could be interpreted as a sign that a new king was born in the region of Roman Palestine. Our modern day astronomer Molnar believes that the wise men were, in fact, very wise and mathematically-adept astrologers. They knew about the Old Testament prophecy that a new king would be born of the family of David. Most likely, they had been watching the heavens for years, waiting for alignments that would foretell the birth of this king. When they identified a powerful set of astrological portents, they decided the time was right to set out to find the prophesied leader. In Jesus' time, the only king in that region happened to be Herod the Great in Jerusalem. So it was perfectly natural for Iranian Magi to show up in Herod's palace asking for directions to where the new baby was. Then even Herod asks for directions from his priest and scribes, who find the answer in the Prophet Micah: The Messiah is to be born in Bethlehem. So they did ask for directions.

The joke goes on to say that the wise women would have arrived on time. I'm not sure that men arrive late and women on time, but that's another question. The larger question here is, what time were the Wisemen supposed to arrive? It's a long trip when you walk from Iran to Israel. And it's long even if you're riding on a camel. It would have taken a while. In fact, in verse 7 Herod asks the Wisemen when they first saw the star. And they tell him. And Herod later gives his soldiers orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem, 2 years old and under. Sounds like quite a bit of time has passed. Even if the Magi left at the instant of Jesus' birth, even if they hopped on the camels that moment, it would have taken months to travel. So they probably arrived as quickly as they could. That means then next part of the joke is a moot point: 3. They would have helped deliver the baby. Unless the Wisemen had a jet fueled and standing by, there's no way they could have arrived in time to help deliver the baby. And I'm not sure I'd want several Persian Astrologers in the birth room anyway, thank you very much.

Wise women versus Wise men part 4: They would have cleaned the stable. Actually, Matthew never mentions a stable. For that matter Luke doesn't mention a stable either. Luke says Jesus was put in the feed trough, but there's no mention of a stable. It could have been a manger, a feed trough in a freestanding stable like we picture it. Could have been in a cave stable. Could actually have been in the downstairs room of a house where animals were often kept. And it could be in an open courtyard. And we also need to remember, Luke is telling us about the events the night Jesus was born.

In Matthew's version, he uses the word "house" in verse 11. If there had been months or even more than a year's delay between Jesus' birth and the coming of the Magi, there'd be no reason for Mary and Joseph to stay in the temporary emergency shelter they had the night Jesus was born. I know there was no room in the inn that night, but even Magi on jet propelled camels would not have arrived with the shepherds. It's easier for our nativity scenes to have everybody there at once. It just isn't at all accurate.

On Thursday night I helped my sisters Denise and Susan as they began the work of taking down Christmas decorations at Centenary. One of our members who downsized this year donated a lovely but large nativity scene that has been on our altar table since the beginning of Advent. Nobody knows where the packing materials are...so we decided to rearrange the figures so it could remain there for today's Epiphany service. There was hearty debate on who would still be hanging around when the wise men arrived. But nobody wanted to eliminate a figure so today's creche has shepherds skulking around outside the circle of wise men who have moved up closer to the baby Jesus. Susan wanted to find a toddler Jesus and send the shepherds back to work!

We are challenged by the collision of scripture and carols throughout the Christmas season. Even in our hymns today we have angels, shepherds, sages, saints and hunters crowding into the scene with the newborn having to deal with all that chaos. But when we look to scripture, we find that these are several different encounters between the newly arrived Messiah, humankind and heavenly beings. The angels proclaiming, the shepherds – common working people arriving to see the miracle they heard about from the angel chorus. And then the sages...magi...not kings, but not common men...they come to see the fulfillment of prophecy long awaited and watched for. They didn't bump into the shepherds, not matter what the carols indicate. This was finding after seeking. House makes sense. So no stable for Wisemen to clean.

Both wise men and wise women are off the hook for that one.

The next part...#5...that they would have made a casserole? Look, with no refrigeration, a casserole being carried by camel back for well over 1,000 miles would probably be pretty ripe. If they had brought a casserole, I sure wouldn't want to eat it. And I'm game for eating a LOT of weird stuff. Now if they wanted to arrive and cook some Persian cuisine, I'd eat it. Not sure that Jesus is ready for curry and couscous...but I think that is a kid I'd like to spend time with!

Then the charming concept that the three wise women would have brought practical gifts. I saw the cutest video on YouTube of youth and children acting out the Christmas Story when they asked the kids what gifts the “kings” should bring. Stuffed animals, a pair of Jordans and a ham were the three choices they made. The youth leaders suggested formula, Pampers and a crib. But the wise men in scripture picked differently...the famous gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Or as many children might hear it, gold, FRANKENSTEIN, and myrrh. What kind of Christmas gifts are those? We know what gold is. What exactly are frankincense and myrrh? And why were these the gifts that were chosen?

Frankincense is a kind of natural incense made from the dried sap of certain middleeastern trees. It's a rare and expensive substance. For those who study the characteristics and uses of essential oils it is considered to be grounding, calming and relaxing. Ancient Egyptians used the resin for everything from perfumes to salves for the skin.

Myrrh is a gummy tree sap from a different kind of middle-eastern tree. It has medicinal properties and was also used for embalming. Because of its versatility and effectiveness, it has been valued across many cultures for thousands of years. It has been used for everything from medicine to religious ceremonies. It is also rare and expensive.

And gold...well, we know what gold is.

So the Wisemen were definitely not bringing practical gifts. Mary and Joseph were not wealthy. We would probably describe them as blue-collar, lower-middle class folks. They could have probably used something more practical, even a gift card to Wal-Mart. Why would the Magi bring these gifts? Well, it just so happens that gold, frankincense, and myrrh were gifts fit for a king. They were often given to earthly kings. This WAS the “normal” gift for a new king. It just seems strange to us through our modern day lens.

Many years ago I was invited to a cousin's wedding. It was a Native American ceremony that was incredibly moving. The symbolic gestures and references were interesting, but I didn't understand all the parts of the ceremony. But I had done a little research when deciding on a gift for the new couple – and found that a traditional gift was a blanket. Which makes little sense to those of us who can go to Target and get a perfectly useful blanket for our homes for very little money and almost no effort. But think to when that tradition began – a blanket meant hours of work and care.

So, we have to look at the traditions of the day when these “unpractical” gifts were presented by the wise men. These were gifts worthy of a king!

What's more, they were also widely offered in worship. Gifts fit for a god.

And then we look at the manner in which they were presented. Were they given out of obligation with a stingy heart? I don't think so. Matthew says in verse 11 the Magi bowed down and prostrated themselves in a posture of worship before Jesus. Did they think they were worshiping a human king or a divine king? Who knows. But these Iranian astrologers traveled well over 1,000 miles to come and worship him. King Herod and his religious advisors did not travel the 6 miles between Jerusalem and Bethlehem. God's own chosen people did not recognize or worship the new born king. But these strange foreign pagan Wisemen did. And they devoted an enormous amount of time and left some pretty pricey gifts behind. I'm not sure the three wise women could have actually done any better...despite the joke.

Which leaves the big question: How wise are we? What will we give in the way of time each week to worship Jesus? And will we give any of our talents and/or treasure to his work? Over 1,000 miles by camel is a big commitment to go to worship. How committed are we? It's a good question to ponder. Do we come in adoration bringing our best? As we celebrate the new year, it is a good time to examine our lives. Many people are crowding into gyms with new resolution to get their bodies in shape. Some will take time to examine their budgets and get their financial houses in shape.

As we enter the new year, how will you worship, how will you serve your Lord? As the bumper sticker says, "WISE men and wise women seek him still." Do we have that kind of wisdom? Can we show that kind of commitment? After all, God has given us the greatest gift of all. It is for us to respond with thanksgiving and worship.

Come, all ye faithful. Joyful! Triumphant! Come to Bethlehem and behold! He was born the king of angels but still has tenderness and love for each and every one of us. Come and adore. Let that adoration shine out of every pore of our being.

We don't often sing verse 5 of Come All Ye Faithful...hear the poetic question and reflect on the answer of the refrain.

Child, for us sinners

poor and in the manger,

we would embrace thee

with love and awe.

Who would not love thee, loving us so dearly?

Come let us adore him, Oh come let us adore him.

Come. Let us adore him.

Christ the Lord.

Amen.