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Sermons

"TRULY WISE"
GOSPEL SCRIPTURE TEXT:
MATTHEW 2:1-12 (NRSV)

DAVE RING, PASTOR
LOS ALAMOS 1ST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
SUNDAY MORNING, JANUARY 13, 2008

GOSPEL SCRIPTURE TEXT:  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.  – Matthew 2:1-12 (NRSV)
MESSAGE:   Today, January 13th, is the first Sunday following a special day on the Christian calendar.  That day, January 6th, is called “Epiphany.”  Susan Nava was here last week to preach, and I’m assuming she preached on the subject of Epiphany.  But I’m trusting she didn’t completely exhaust the subject, which is why I’m daring to preach on it this Sunday as well.

Epiphany is a big, “theological” word. It means “God has appeared.” What Epiphany commemorates is the visit of the “wise men” to the infant Jesus in Bethlehem. Although the Bible says nothing about the timing of their visit, Christian tradition has long held that these men arrived in Bethlehem on the twelfth day following Jesus’ birth, with the time between being referred to as the “twelve days of Christmas.“

What we really know, with certainty, about these so-called “wise men” is remarkably little. The first twelve verses of chapter two of Matthew’s gospel, which are our text for today’s message, are the sum total of the Bible’s account of them. They are mentioned nowhere else. Matthew tells us only that they were “wise men,” or, to use an older word, “magi,” who came to Bethlehem to worship Jesus. How many there were -- two, three, four, or twenty -- isn’t stated. Only tradition holds that there were three of them, and even goes so far as to give them names: Caspar, Balthazar, and Melchior. They came “from the east” of Jerusalem, but how far to the east is completely unknown. Anyplace from Arabia to China are possibilities.

The Bible does say that they came because they saw a “star” in their eastern land, and this, coupled with the title “wise men” or “magi” in several early languages, has led many to assume that they were astrologers, persons who regularly studied the movements of the stars in ancient times. It has also been variously suggested that they were priests of an Eastern religion, or kings, or scholars, or physicians, or magicians, or any combination of all those in the lands from whence they came. No one really knows for sure.

We are sure only that these persons who followed the star to Bethlehem to worship Jesus are called, in God’s holy word, “wise men.” That’s the total description we have of them. Even so, despite the meager number of words, I want to suggest to you that it’s a perfectly adequate description. In the brief account scripture gives of them, there are demonstrated at least four ways by which these men proved their title. In this morning’s message, let’s explore together why these men are called wise, and perhaps we, thereby, may gain wisdom as well.

First, the “wise men” were wise in that they sought knowledge of the natural realm in which humans live. Clearly, these were persons who sought learning in a multiplicity of ways. They even turned to the stars in the sky, studying their movements to try to gain new understandings from them. These were men in whom a thirst for knowledge, for learning -- for wisdom -- was an insatiable desire. They would even undertake a long and hazardous journey to a distant land to learn of something new and potentially important which might add to their store of knowledge and, perhaps, affect their lives.

I often shudder at the current attitude which many Christians take toward natural, worldly knowledge. Picking out an obscure Bible verse here or there to suit their inclinations, I’ve met significant numbers of believers who vigorously excuse ignorance, prejudice, and irrationality by claiming that God’s knowledge and wisdom are utterly opposed to man’s knowledge. By judicious selection of verses, I suppose that one might “prove” that science and the Bible are incompatible, that God hates all doctors and dentists, or that “ignorance is bliss” in God’s sight. But the connected narratives of the Bible reveal a far different picture. Beginning with Genesis, chapters one and two, God gives humanity a wonderful world to live in, to learn about, to explore, and to understand as fully as our God-given minds will allow. The truly wise -- men and women -- seek to know all they possibly can about the world God has placed in human care.

Second, the “wise men” were wise in that they sought religious knowledge. And, as with worldly knowledge, it appears that their quest for religious understanding was deep and wide.  Though they came out of lands far removed from the territory of Israel, once they had arrived in the homelands of the Jews, they already knew to go to Jerusalem in order to find major religious authorities -- those who could help them pinpoint the location of the birth of the new king. Jerusalem was not the political capital of the region, nor was it the largest city. Yet the wise men knew, without asking, to journey there first. Obviously, they had studied the Hebrew Scriptures prior to their arrival, so that they were well-informed of the religious significance of Jerusalem in Judaism. These were open-minded men who sought Godly truth down many avenues, even from those religions foreign to their own.

Christians -- I’ve said this before and I fear I’ll be saying it again as long as I live -- the greatest shame of the Christian faith is our lack of knowledge of it. Our greatest problem, as Christians, is our lack of knowledge of the Holy Bible. God has given us one book -- just one -- in which is fully and completely revealed everything necessary to salvation --and many of us don’t know what’s in it.

I don’t even dare to suggest to most Christians that we read or study other religions, although that would be a valuable and broadening experience. It would be wonderful if Christians would study religious matters in general; it’s sad that we can’t motivate ourselves to study even our one, specific revelation of God -- the Bible -- in a vigorous, lifelong pursuit of Godly truth. The truly wise -- men and women -- seek to know all they possibly can of God’s revealed truth to humanity.

Third, the “wise men” proved their wisdom in that they took action in response to both the worldly and the religious knowledge they had obtained. They studied the scriptures, they observed the star -- and they did something about it. They got off their plush Persian pillows, got on their camels or horses or whatever, and went out -- seeking the infant Jesus.

Friends -- if it were to be announced that Jesus was coming to earth tomorrow evening, arriving at Ashley Pond in the middle of Los Alamos, I’m willing to wager that three-quarters of the population of this county would hope that there was plenty of TV coverage of the event, so they could watch from the comfort of their living-room chairs. Jesus Christ’s coming into the world demands activity, not passivity. We can read the Bible, we can pledge our love to Jesus during our favorite tele-evangelist’s altar call on channel eleven, and we can gripe about how the world is falling apart because of a lack of faith in Jesus. But until we put our faith into action, we haven’t really met either the Babe of Bethlehem or the Man of Calvary.

Christianity is not a spectator sport. It requires active involvement on the part of every person who would dare to claim the matchless title of Christian. The apostle James puts it succinctly: “...be doers of the word, and not merely hearers.” The truly wise -- men and women -- actively respond to the coming of Jesus Christ into their world.

Fourth, the “wise men” proved how really wise they were in that they recognized the goal  -- the end -- of all their seeking when they reached it. Verse 11 of our text says, “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.” When they found the Christ child, these wise men knew that their seeking and searching were over. Henceforth, here would be the center-point for their lives. To the babe of Bethlehem belonged all their worship, honor, and giving. They need look no further -- they had found Jesus

Many persons today are seekers -- searchers for truth, for knowledge, for wisdom. And many have gotten so caught up in the idea of searching -- of seeking, that they’ve become permanent seekers. We all know the type: the college student who’s changed majors 21 times, has accumulated 300 total credit hours, is 29 years old, and still hasn’t earned a degree. The woman who’s failing in her fourth marriage, because she still hasn’t found the perfect man, or, conversely, the man who’s done the same, still looking for that ideal woman. The “church hopper” who’s belonged to twelve different congregations so far, but still hasn’t found the right “formula” in any of them.

There’s a growing tendency in our society to concentrate upon the concept of searching and seeking until such becomes an end in itself. Finding truth, meaning, or knowledge is ultimately forgotten as a purpose -- the search itself grows all-important. That is not wisdom; certainly not wisdom as exemplified by the “wise men” of Matthew two. They recognized the end -- the goal -- of their search. When they found Jesus, it was sufficient -- enough. The truly wise -- men and women -- recognize Jesus as the fulfillment of all human longings and searches.

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