Arduous, Happy Journey

Sermon manuscript for Green Lake Church

for Sabbath, December 27, 2014.

Matthew 2:1-11

They were rich and happy. That they were rich was obvious. You could tell from all the silver on the harness on their camels. You could tell from their clothes. You could tell from the size of their caravan.

They were happy, but we'll get to that later.

According to legend, there were three of them. Their names: Balthasar, Melchior, and Caspar. The Bible calls them Magi which probably means they were wealthy, religious philosophers from Persia. They are the three men on camels you see in nativity scenes.

They are sitting in an caravansary, an inn, in Jerusalem, the fabled City of the God. Most people who travel in the Middle East have stories to tell, and 2000 ago, travelers had even more stories to tell. Still, it was these three noble men, kings perhaps, tribal leaders, Magi, who were the center of attention. All the other stories and story-tellers had been eclipsed.

Balthasar is telling how their journey began:

I was up on the roof looking at the stars just like I do every night. Suddenly, as I was looking toward the southwest, a new star appeared. Just like that. Out of nowhere. I couldn’t believe it. I rubbed my eyes. Shut them. And looked again. It was still there. It was brighter than Venus. And besides Venus was a morning star at that time.

You ask me, could it have been a star I hadn’t noticed before? No. I’ve spent forty years studying the stars. I know what’s up there and this star had never been there before. And no, it was no shooting star. It stayed in the sky.

I sent servants running to all over the city to tell my friends—other philosophers and scientists—to go outside and look to the southwest. I wanted to make sure I wasn’t going crazy. But they saw it, too. By ten o’clock my house was full of people talking about the star.

It was a wild night. I mean it’s not every night that a new star appears.

We talked until nearly dawn. By the time everyone had left I knew that I had to go. This star was a summons. This is what I have lived for.

At this point Melchior picked up the story.

How did we know what the star meant? How did we know we were supposed come to Jerusalem and find a king?

Well that’s actually two different questions. How did we know what the star meant?

For over a thousand years our people have handed down a prophecy by a man named Balaam. His prophecy is also in the Hebrew Scriptures. Here’s what he said:

This is the prophecy of Balaam the son of Beor, the man whose eyes are open, who heard the words of God, who knew the knowledge of the most High, who saw the vision of the Almighty: I shall see him, but not now: I shall behold him, but not near. There shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Scepter shall rise out of Israel, and shall smite the corners of Moab. . . Edom shall become his possession, . . . and Israel shall do valiantly. Out of Jacob shall come he who will have dominion. Numbers 24:15-17

This prophecy is just one piece in a network of prophecies that that center on the idea of a Messiah, a king who will be the sum of the best virtues of all kings. A king who whose reign will be so glorious that forever will be too short a time for its unfolding.

The Jewish prophet, Daniel, who lived in Babylon about 500 years ago predicted a succession of empires that led up to the Roman empire. Daniel ended his prophecy with these words:

At the time of those rulers the God of heaven will establish a kingdom that will never end. It will never be conquered, but will completely destroy all those empires and then last forever. Daniel 2:44

Before Daniel, the Jewish prophet Isaiah who lived right here in this city, had written:

Unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government shall be upon his shoulders. His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end. He will establish David’s throne on a foundation of justice and rule justly forever. Isaiah 9:6

Another prophet wrote:

Many nations will come and say,

“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,

to the Temple of the God of Jacob,

so that he can teach us his ways,

and we can obey his teachings.”

His teachings will go out from Jerusalem,

the word of the Lord from that city.

The Lord will judge many nations;

He will make decisions about strong nations that are far way.

They will hammer their swords into plow blades

and their spears into pruning hooks.

Nations will no longer raise swords against other nations;

they will not train for war anymore.

Everyone will sit under his own vine and fig tree,

and no one will make them afraid

because the Lord All-Powerful has said it.

Micah 4:2-4

Other prophecies among our people back in Persia confirm these glorious vision. Even Roman poets have pictured a glorious future, a golden age, when peace and justice will be the norm.

I’ve been studying this stuff for most of my life. When I saw that star, I knew in my gut that this was the announcement of the birth of the king. And I knew I was going to attempt to find this royal child and pay my respects. My friends thought I was crazy. But Balthasar and Caspar had the same conviction. So we put together the expedition, and here we are. And we are going to stay here until we find the king.”

The group broke up and everyone headed to bed. The next morning the Magi ate early and headed out into the city to continue looking for the king. Around noon as they were talking with a shop keeper, a messenger approached and said King Herod requested them to come to his palace for an interview.

The messenger led them into the palace by an obscure rear entrance and ushered them into the king’s audience chamber. He greeted them warmly and inquired about their trip. He quizzed them about the economies in Damascus and Babylon, then asked them whether they had had any success in their search for the child king. He told them he had heard about the new king and that he had inquired of the Jewish scholars at the temple. According to these experts, the new king was not to be born in Jerusalem but in Bethlehem just a few miles distant.

The exact words of the prophecy were:

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 be the shepherd of my people Israel.

Matthew 2:6 quoting from Micah 5:2

“Listen,” Herod said, “it would be one of the high points of my reign if I could pay respects to this Great King. Go to Bethlehem and search diligently for the child. When you find him, send me word so that I, too, may go and worship him. And gentlemen, I would count it a favor if you would treat our conversation as confidential.”

The Magi were led back out the hidden entrance and into a busy street.

It was dusk before they were ready to leave. No one in those days traveled at night, but the Magi set out headed south toward Bethlehem. As the sun set there was the star, apparently directly over the town of Bethlehem. They were overjoyed. It was a clear sign that they were on the right track.

They reached Bethlehem and found an inn for the night. In response to their queries, the innkeeper immediately told them about a couple named Mary and Joseph.

The next morning the Wise Men, the Magi, visited the house of Mary and Joseph. They listened to the stories of the visit of the shepherds, the curious blessing of the aged priest Simeon in the temple. The rich old men presented their gifts. They bowed and paid obeisance to the infant Jesus. Then headed home, avoiding Jerusalem because God had warned them in a dream not to go back to Herod.

And for 1500 miles Balthasar, Melchior and Caspar rode in the deep satisfaction of that visit. Mission accomplished. They had seen the Messiah. They had worshiped. They were happy.

How do I know they were happy? Because they poured everything they had into a grand venture, a venture that summoned them. They had been beckoned, enticed, and had said, yes.

This is one of the essential elements of authentic Christianity—enticement.

The Gospel of Matthew pictures this over and over. Crowds were drawn to listen to Jesus' teaching, to be touched by Jesus' healing.

Our calling as a church is to entice one another ever farther, ever deeper into the journey of following Jesus. Like most journeys, this journey may have surprises, shocks even. Still, our greatest joy will be found in pressing on, assured by the words of the Bible and the testimony of the church, that this is a good journey and that when we see the Christ we will be fully satisfied.