What Each Sees/Based on Matthew
2:13-23 and Hebrews 2:10-18/Delivered on December 29, 2019 at CCH
Songs: We Three Kings, There’s
Something About That Name, I Then Shall Live
Matthew 2
2:1 After Jesus was born in
Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to
Jerusalem
2:2 and asked, “Where is the
one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have
come to worship him.”
2:3 When King Herod heard
this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him.
2:4 When he had called
together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them
where the Messiah was to be born.
2:5 “In Bethlehem in Judea,”
they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:
2:6 “ ‘But you, Bethlehem, in
the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of
you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’ ”
2:7 Then Herod called the
Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared.
2:8 He sent them to Bethlehem
and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him,
report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”
2:9 After they had heard the
king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went
ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was.
2:10 When they saw the star,
they were overjoyed.
2:11 On coming to the house,
they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him.
Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold,
frankincense and myrrh.
2:12 And having been warned
in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another
route.
2:13 When they had gone, an
angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up,” he said, “take the
child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for
Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.”
2:14 So he got up, took the
child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt,
2:15 where he stayed until
the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the
prophet: “Out of Egypt I called my son.”
2:16 When Herod realized that
he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill
all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in
accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi.
2:17 Then what was said
through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled:
2:18 “A voice is heard in
Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing
to be comforted, because they are no more.”
2:19 After Herod died, an
angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt
2:20 and said, “Get up, take
the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who were
trying to take the child’s life are dead.”
2:21 So he got up, took the
child and his mother and went to the land of Israel.
2:22 But when he heard that
Archelaus was reigning in Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to
go there. Having been warned in a dream, he withdrew to the district of
Galilee,
2:23 and he went and lived in
a town called Nazareth. So was fulfilled what was said through the prophets,
that he would be called a Nazarene.
Good morning and Happy Sunday
on this first post-Christmas Sunday! I
am Darci Strutt McQuiston, a Lay Servant of the United Methodist Church up on
the hill from here. It is my joy to be
with you all today! I’m “cheating” with
the reading from Matthew this morning.
The lectionary has the assigned reading after the Magi has left, but I want
to contrast the Magi with Herod so decided to read the full story. I’m going to be pulling from the book of Hebrews
that was also assigned this Sunday. I’ll
read that a little later in the message.
The readings made me think of
these three ideas:
How the Wise Men saw the baby
How Herod saw the baby
How we see the baby
How the Wise Men saw the baby
The version I picked of the
Matthew passage called them Magi but we also know them as the three kings or wise
men. I like the term “wise men” because
their focus was gathering information. They
saw an unusual star. Something in their
own literature told them it meant a king was born. That was their hypothesis so to speak. They traveled for two years to find proof
they were correct. They were so intent
in finding the answer to the puzzle of the star that they stopped to ask
directions!
2:1 After Jesus was born in
Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to
Jerusalem
2:2 and asked, “Where is the
one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have
come to worship him.”
After gaining knowledge from
the literature in Jerusalem they found Jesus.
2:10 When they saw the star,
they were overjoyed.
2:11 On coming to the house,
they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him.
Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold,
frankincense and myrrh.
It was seeing the star fixed
in position that made them overjoyed. Yes,
they worshiped and gave Jesus gifts worthy of a king, but I can’t help feeling
their focus was on solving a puzzle and proving their hypothesis. They learned what they wanted to know, the
star really had meant a king was born, and then they went back home.
How Herod saw the baby
Herod, on the other hand,
took the information about a king being born and was struck with fear.
2:3 When King Herod heard
this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him.
Herod wanted to be the only
king in the land and saw this baby as a threat.
He obviously believed the wise men and his own priests and
teachers.
2:7 Then Herod called the
Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared.
The threat needed to be
removed so he took drastic actions.
2:16 When Herod realized that
he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill
all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in
accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi.
The Magi saw Jesus and then
left. Herod wanted Jesus to be the one
removed. The obedience of the Magi and
of Jesus earthly father, Joseph, saved Jesus life.
How we see the baby
Christians have a different
view of this baby boy. Here is the passage
from Hebrews.
Hebrews 2:10-18
2:10 It was fitting that God,
for whom and through whom all things exist, in bringing many children to glory,
should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through sufferings.
2:11 For the one who
sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one Father. For this reason
Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters,
2:12 saying, "I will
proclaim your name to my brothers and sisters, in the midst of the congregation
I will praise you."
2:13 And again, "I will
put my trust in him." And again, "Here am I and the children whom God
has given me."
2:14 Since, therefore, the
children share flesh and blood, he himself likewise shared the same things, so
that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that
is, the devil,
2:15 and free those who all
their lives were held in slavery by the fear of death.
2:16 For it is clear that he
did not come to help angels, but the descendants of Abraham.
2:17 Therefore he had to
become like his brothers and sisters in every respect, so that he might be a
merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make a sacrifice of
atonement for the sins of the people.
2:18 Because he himself was
tested by what he suffered; he is able to help those who are being tested.
Jesus came to create a
pathway from death to eternal life. Jesus
suffered so He could most fully lead us down that path. We correctly call Jesus God’s son. We forget sometimes that He taught us we are
also God’s children. We are siblings!
Jesus is our brother. We shouldn’t visit and leave like the wise
men did. Jesus isn’t someone to think
about intellectually like a puzzle to be solved. Our world may change because of our
relationship with Jesus but it will change for the better and is no cause for
fear. Herod was correct in Jesus being
King of kings. The last time I was here leading
the service was Christ the King Sunday when we focused on Jesus being above all
earthly rulers. We see that as a
blessing, not as a threat. Kings and
earthly kingdoms will all pass away.
We worship Jesus as King and as
our brother. That is the gift of this
baby boy. God took on flesh and lived
with us. Emmanuel means – God is with
us. Jesus means - to deliver; to rescue.
That’s why I chose “There’s Something About That Name” as our second hymn. There is power in that name.
2:14 Since, therefore, the
children share flesh and blood, he himself likewise shared the same things, so
that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that
is, the devil,
2:15 and free those who all
their lives were held in slavery by the fear of death.
Enter this new year knowing you are so loved that God sent His
Son to rescue you. You are freed. Love others because He first loved you. Love is the gift God gave us at Christmas. It is a gift to be shared. May we see that.
Amen
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