Three Men and a Baby
Text: Matthew 2:1-12
Title: Three Men and a Baby
Thesis: We all react to the news of Jesus’ birth and that he is to be our shepherd ruler.
Time: Epiphany of the Lord, A
Back in 1991, Channelview was viewed on TV channels nationwide. If you recall, Channelview, Texas was the sight of one of the most bizarre murder plots in history. A mother by the name of Wanda Webb Holloway was upset that her daughter, Shanna, had failed for two consecutive years to make the junior high cheerleading squad. Why did her daughter fail to make the squad? Mrs. Holloway didn’t believe that it had anything to do with her daughter’s poor performances in tryouts. No, she believed it was the fault of Mrs. Heath, who did everything she could to make sure that her daughter Amber performed very well in the tryouts. So what was Mrs. Holloway’s solution? It wasn’t to encourage Shanna to try harder the next year, or even to take extra private lessons. Wanda Holloway’s solution was asking her former brother-in-law to find a hit man to murder Mrs. Heath, hoping that Mrs. Heath’s daughter Amber would be distraught and perform poorly in tryouts, which would in turn help Shanna to make the squad. Sadly, jealousy and the need for power can cause people to act irrationally, even to the point of murder to help determine who makes the cheerleading squad.
We can add King Herod’s name to the list of the most bizarre murder plots in history. This King Herod we read about in Matthew 2 is none other than the terrifying Herod the Great, who reigned over Palestine from 37 B.C. until his death in 4 B.C. Because Herod’s territory included the homeland of the Jews, the Roman government gave Herod the title, “The King of the Jews.” One would think that with such a title, would come great respect and admiration on the part of the Jews towards Herod. But King Herod, the Roman Empire appointed King of the Jews, was never liked by the Jews. They especially disliked him because he eliminated the Jewish Hasmonean dynasty that had for some 125 years served as Judea’s religious priests and political rulers. Anyone that Herod believed was a threat to his power he had either killed or reduced to nothing. Two ways to describe the reign of Herod the Great are great cruelty and great bloodshed. Even the emperor of the Roman Empire, Augustus, said of Herod, “I would rather be a sow than his son.” Herod, power hungry and insanely jealous, would do whatever was necessary to keep all attention on himself. The last thing Herod wanted to have happen was for a traveling group Magi to show up and ask the question, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him,” Matthew 2:1.
There are still people today who react with hatred and indignation towards Jesus Christ, the divine appointed King of the Jews. Unfortunately, they react to the news by attacking Christians, Jesus’ loyal followers. Some people are so hostile towards Jesus that they go to the insane degree of even murdering Christians.
After the ousting of Saddam Hussein from Iraqi power in 2003, a Chaldean Catholic priest by the name of Ragheed Aziz Ganni returned to his homeland in Iraq. Despite his own fear of death and knowing that terrorist groups were targeting known Christians, Father Ganni returned. He returned, even with the knowledge that Christians were being kidnapped and their houses and sanctuaries were being burned and bombed. As an ordained priest, called to shepherd God’s people, he did not believe that it was right for him to live in the safety of another country, while Christian children and families braved persecution and danger on a daily basis in Iraq. His return home brought much hope to Christians of Iraq and he led them bravely, despite the growing hostility they faced. Sadly, less than a year ago, on June 3, 2007, this faithful priest was murdered as he was departing from a worship service at the largest Christian church in Iraq, Mosul’s Holy Spirit Chaldean Church. The Vatican responded to the death of Father Ganni by calling his killing a “senseless killing.” Reacting with hatred and indignation, even to the point of carrying out senseless, insane murders, is how some people even today deal with the news that Jesus Christ, the God’s chosen King of the Jews, has been born.
Some people react to the news of Jesus’ birth with indifference. Indifference may seem less sinister than murder, but indifference is a negative reaction nonetheless. This is the reaction of the chief priests and teachers of the law in Matthew 2:4 who tell Herod the birthplace of Jesus. The religious leaders well versed about his birth, quoting from the Pentateuch and the book of Psalms, as we find in Matthew 2:6. As the Magi come to Jerusalem asking, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews?” do they rally with great excitement? No. Do the priests and teachers tag along with the Magi’s festive caravan, following the star that leads to his cradle? No. The response of the chief priests and teachers of the law is one of total indifference. They don’t care he has been born. They are fine and happy with how things are. No need for a new King of the Jews for them, life is nice, they’ve got all the respect and power they could ever want.
I would categorize our society as one of large indifference towards Jesus Christ. That Jesus Christ has been born makes little to any difference to most people in our society. A lot of peole will not accept Jesus as their Lord because they are content with how things are. It’s either that or they don’t want to make any radical changes in their life and they don’t want to have to start living like religious folk like us. Much less than making a several-month journey that covered many a mile like these Magi from the East, many people today won’t even travel five minutes or five miles to worship Jesus Christ. A few weeks ago I read the church newsletter of one my former churches in Mississippi County Arkansas. The church is asking themselves, where are all the people? Why aren’t people in church? They know there are people in their community: they see them at work and in the neighborhood park playing with their children and walking their dogs. They see people in the grocery stores and at the high school ball games. But come Sunday morning, where are all the people? The church worked with a church consultant and did some digging, looking at demographic data. What the church discovered was true not only for their city, but for their entire county -80% of people in Mississippi County, Arkansas do not attend church. That’s mind boggling to me that in grassroots, traditional, conservative, Bible belt Mississippi County, 4 out of 5 people do not attend church. That Jesus Christ has come to be our Lord has absolutely no impact on their lives; their response is one of total indifference.
But there is yet another way people can respond to the news that Jesus, the King of the Jews has been born. It’s the reaction displayed by the Magi; it’s the reaction of adoring worship. Be it either the three wise men we often portray in our Christmas pageants and nativity scenes or a group of twelve wise men from the East handed down by church tradition, imagine the scene of the Magi falling down before the baby Jesus. The word used in Matthew 2:11 for “knelt down” is really the Greek word meaning “fall down.” This Greek word means to be flat on one’s face, usually the result of accidently tripping to the floor. But the Magi fall down before him in humility and adoring worship. Imagine the Magi, with the dozens or maybe hundreds of people who attended them following their lead. After the long journey to find this newborn king, the large caravan of Magi, and probably their wives, and, and body guards, and servants, and camel drivers fall before this small child they call the newborn king. What a scene that must have been as they were overwhelmed with joy, we are told in Matthew 2:10.
It can be the same for us as we gather together for worship. As we make the five minute or ten minute or however long minute journey to worship, it’s an opportunity for us to fall down before the King of the Jews, our King of Kings, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ to express to him our reaction of being overcome with joy.
We who are gathered here today didn’t come here with hatred and indignation towards Jesus. We didn’t come here with indifference towards Jesus. We who are gathered here today have come in adoring worship and great joy.
And just as those Magi offered their gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh, we can give our gifts to Jesus today. And even more precious than these gifts given to royalty, Jesus welcomes the gift of our worship and service to his kingdom. So may we be undeterred in our living as Jesus’ disciples. Despite that hatred and indignation that some display towards us for living as Jesus’ disciples, let us remain loyal to our king. Despite the complete indifference that the majority of people in our society have towards Jesus, let us remain loyal to our king. Like them, we might be tempted to be content and happy with the way things are, or tempted to be less than fully committed to Jesus. We might be tempted to be one of the 4 in 5 who wave to the dressed-up Christians as they drive down the road on Sunday mornings to go to worship. This morning, let us give our complete allegiance of worship to our King and our complete allegiance of service to his Kingdom. And as we do so, may God continue to bless us with a joy that is overwhelming.
This I share with you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.