Epiphany (Observed) (2024)

Matthew 2:1-12

My Brothers and Sisters in Christ, we are now in the season of Epiphany, and technically it was yesterday, but we are observing it today as the Lessons connect with our Advent Series all on the Wise men, there is so much to glean from this passage, and now that we have covered in the Advent Series what each of these gifts represent, and how they are connected with Christ’s purpose here on earth. There is still more that we can learn from this brief passage as they bring these gifts to Christ.

The Gifts of the Magi

These gifts are the best of their homeland.

When you were bringing gifts to the king the people would offer up what the treasures of their homeland. For you don’t bring less than the best that you have to offer up to a king.

They, the gifts, are for the King of the Jews.

They are foreigners who rejoice at the birth of this king and travel to see Jesus. Israel has not been known for some time for their power, or might on the world stage, they are under the thumb of Rome at this point with Herod as a gentile ruler.

Isaiah foretold this 700 years earlier.

He spoke these words to a nation that was in turmoil and looking for a good king who would rescue the people of God. For the nation had abandoned the way of God and turned their back on him. It was Israel that was trying to secure peace through offerings that fell through, and the Northern Kingdom was taken away into slavery.

These were offerings from Gentiles.

It was a reversal of what had been happening in the days of Isaiah, and now instead of coming to take Israel away into slavery, for their idolatry, the Gentiles come offering gifts to the true King.

Why were these gifts needed?

Jesus is God.

He is the one through whom and for whom all things were made in heaven, and earth, and under the earth. All things were made through Him, for He is the Word made flesh, which means he has all power and glory and might.

The Psalms tell us everything belongs to Him.

The Scriptures tell us that the cattle on a 1000 hills belong to him, and that is an expression that means, all cattle, just because a cow is found on hill 1001 it isn’t outside of God’s domain. So why bring him gold, frankincense, and myrrh? When he already has all things?

Why travel or offer anything?

Couldn’t they have just celebrated the birth of this king in their own land? Did they really need to offer up gifts to this baby who already owned everything in all of Creation, what was the point? Why did God prophecy that this would come to pass and lead these men here with these gifts? Why not just have the gifts come into existence?

God works through means.

This is a consistent throughout the Scriptures, God works through the Word and through Physical objects. There have been those throughout the history of the church that have tried to say that anything physical is inherently evil, and should be avoided, but we see how God uses this world to accomplish His plan.

God Works Through Creation

God promised a savior through Eve.

That there would be an offspring, a seed, in the hebrew that would save mankind. The Old Testament follows that seed throughout history until finally it is conceived in the womb of Mary, in whose flesh was fulfilled the prophecies given.

He even worked through Caesar and herod.

To bring about the prophecies that had been foretold. Two godless men who sought their own glory over the worship and praise of God. Caesar August proclaimed himself to be the son of a god, Julius Caesar, and Herod was bloodthirsty in ways that are shameful. Yet by Caesar’s decree, Mary and Joseph went to Bethlehem that Jesus might be born there, and Herod’s rage urged Mary and Joseph to go to Egypt that another prophecy might be fulfilled.

It’s messy, but God doesn’t ignore creation.

Rather God uses it to accomplish his plans and his purposes. We want things to be nice and neat and simple and easy for us to follow and see. But God isn’t simple, He’s the creator of all things, and knowledge is beyond ours, and so it shouldn’t be surprising that his way of doing things is not our way.

Restoring Creation

This is why Jesus came in the flesh.

The creation which had been made good, had been corrupted by the sin of Adam through the flesh of Adam for the flesh of adam came from the dust of the earth, and by his sin the creation fell. To restore us, He had to come in our flesh.

It would be by Jesus’ blood, that our sins would be forgiven.

For the life of the creation is in the blood, and what blood could be offered up to cover the sins of the whole world, to make atonement for a world decaying and being lost? The life that God has is eternal, and being eternal it would be able to make atonement for the sins of the entire world.

Jesus bound the Word to water, bread, and wine.

So that you might know where to find the forgiveness of sins, the restoration of His kingdom, and the hope that you will be saved not based upon what you have done, but by what God has done for you.

These things are extra nos, outside of us.

This is important because you will hear people say they want to be spiritual but not religious and what ends up happening is that they look for spirituality inside of themselves, and they think that because they are walking a self-chosen spirituality that they are better for it, but they are walking towards death.

Why Does Christ Use Them, the sacraments?

Our sins are great, and forgiveness is difficult to believe.

As long as we see our sins as small things, it’s easy to say oh yes Jesus forgave this. What about when you betray a friend? What happens when your greed or stupidity brings suffering on others? What about harm that you wrought on your family through divorce or an affair? Is your mind pure, you lips free from blasphemy, if someone were treat your forgiveness in the same way that you treat God’s, what would you say? Should you be forgiven? Are you?

Jesus used physical things because we are of the flesh.

So that it might depend upon His work, and not upon our own strength or merit. It’s why Luther urged christians to make the sign of the cross in the morning and at night to remind them of their baptism, when God forgave them, and cleansed them of their sins.

That’s why the sacraments are a comfort.

WHen you receive the body and blood of Christ at the altar, what does it give to those who are properly prepared, forgiveness, eternal life, and salvation. For it is Christ’s body and blood that were shed for you.

They are how your king comes to you.

Gives to us the treasures of heaven, Jesus strengthens us so that we might be strong against the world, our sin, and the devil himself, that we might resist those temptations that would have us turn our back on God. This is why we gather together to rejoice and worship him, and bring

Offerings of Thanksgiving

We are the gentiles whom Jesus saved.

Like the magi that traveled to worship him, you have come to give glory to the Christ the Son of the Living God who by His death and resurrection paid the debt of our sins that we might have forgiveness and everlasting life and we receive these things through the ministry done here.

God entrusts us to provide for the ministry.

Each and every one of us is called to offer up out of what God has given us, the treasures that we have to support this work, that the Kingdom of God may continue to be shared, and sinners receive the forgiveness of sins.

God works through you.

Each of us are given different gifts in this life, but God uses each of us to share the Gospel. That’s why we have all the different offices that we elect, for the Church needs help in all these different fields and if we can be of service, then we ought to use what God has given us.

Like the Magi, we offer our treasures.

Those treasures may not be literal gold, frankincense and myrrh. But out of what we have been given, each of us work together for the benefit of the body of Christ. There are some that have gold, there are others that can offer up prayers as incense, and there are those who live lives of sacrifice for the sake of the Kingdom. Let each of us serve as God has called us.

So my brothers and sisters in Christ, the Wise man traveled to hail He who was born King of the Jews, and today that same King comes to you, in, with, and under the bread and the wine to Give you His body and blood for the forgiveness of sins. May we make use of the good gifts that He has given us to resist sin, and to sustain the ministry that more people may continue to hear of all that Jesus has done for us. In jesus’ name. Amen.