Camels with Mustaches

Scripture

Matthew 2:1–12 NRSV

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.

Introduction

Hope everyone had a happy new year, we certainly did. Today we start a new series for the season of epiphany. Epiphany has to do with light or better revelation of God coMing into the world. During this time we will take a close look at miracles.

Miracle comes from the latin word miraculum (which literally means “wonder”). The word is used to describe a special supernatural intervention in the natural world. It covers any supernatural activity of God including divine revelation and answers to prayer, healings, exorcisms, nature miracles, incarnation and resurrection.

Of course many people doubted these occurrences, especially during the enlightenment. They argued that God couldn't or wouldn't break his own natural laws. However, if we have a holistic understanding of salvation, that is God is concerned with the physical as well as the spiritual, it becomes more difficult to limit God’s activity.

Also, Biblically, a miracle is more than viewing it simply as a violation of the rules of natural order since the concept of nature and natural laws is foreign to the religious literature of the Bible. Instead of this concept, the Bible speaks rather of the creation. Miracle as the continuing creativity of God. OT understanding, no word for miracle in Hebrew in the Bible since the concept of nature and natural laws is foreign to the religious literature of the Bible. Instead of this concept, the Bible speaks rather of the creation. Miracle as the continuing creativity of God. OT understanding, no word for miracle in Hebrew in the Bible

We will get more into this as we move along. The purpose of this series is not to argue whether the miracle really happened but to understand the purpose of the miracle in relation to the gospel message of Jesus Christ. In other words, what does the miracle teach us? So with that in mind let’s look at the miracles in this story.

Video

Exegesis

Here’s what I don’t to get hung up on this morning some things you need to forget and some thing to reconsider:

There weren’t three kings, and the camels didn’t have mustaches!

They weren’t kings and there were not three of them. We don’t know how many they were. There were 3 gifts, which by the way, have no symbolic meanings, except that they were gifts fit for a King. The were astrologers or magicians or both. The greek word magi describes a person of occult learning from the east Persia or Babylon.

And we all know that this was at least 2 years after Jesus was born. In Matthew Jospeh in Mary were from Bethlehem and then went to Egypt to live to save baby Jesus from Herod’s slaughter of the innocents.

Now with that said, let’s examine this text a closer with an eye and an ear toward miracle.

Now, when you clean all the tradition off of it, and read this story without the traditional filters, it seems very strange. It is difficult to see how this story could possibly have any bearing on our faith or the growth of our faith. There is no reaction from Mary in this story as there is with Luke’s visit of the shepherds and Joseph isn’t even present. So I think we need to ask ourselves why was this strange story of Jesus birth is important enough for Matthew to include in his gospel? What kind of point was Matthew trying to make?

Maybe it is the fact of the miraculous star that led the Magi. However, we have other ancient birth stories of great people where there were mysterious signs in the cosmos, or the planets became aligned in a certain way on their birth. Therefore, although the star is miraculous, to the people reading this story they would see nothing unusual in it. They had heard or read stories like this before. In fact, many people believed the stars themselves to be divine beings. (Angels, remember the beginning of “Its a wonderful life?”) So it would not be unusual for these “divine beings” to mark the birth of an extraordinary person. If you really think about it and read this story closely the Magi are not looking for a star either. If they knew fully what the star meant they wouldn’t have had to stopped and asked directions!

Today is Epiphany Sunday. We understand Epiphany to be an enlightenment or as Webster’s puts it: a sudden, intuitive perception of or insight into reality or the essential meaning of something, often initiated by some simple, commonplace occurrence. But this kind of Epiphany is not what the church means. The kind of epiphany we have here is the manifestation of God. In other words the incarnation, also a miracle. During the time of epiphany we celebrate the incarnation of God, or of light coming into a darkened world. Neither Herod nor the Magi were seeking this light. Herod wanted nothing to do with the light and the Magi were seeking a King, not the manifestation of God.

We have these two groups of people today. Those that don’t want Jesus to mess up their lifestyle and those that are seeking something but are not really sure what that something is. And isn’t it interesting, that the first group Matthew has being the religious leaders who hear but do not act. It is the second group, the pagans who act, but are not so sure of what they have heard!

I wonder how many times I have been a Herod. Have you ever thought about that? I wonder how many times people have come to me seeking something and I have directed them to Jesus yet I have not acted on the very directions I have given them? I wonder how many times someone has crossed paths with me seeking direction and I was so caught up in my own world that they were an interruption of something more important I was doing so I blew them off? As Christians we should be a light, a beacon to direct others to the source of light, Jesus Christ. Don’t you see that the Magi were not looking for a Star, but for salvation? Why else would they want to “worship” this baby King? Why would they have come so far just to give their gifts and return home. They had to have been looking for something far more than just the King of the Jews. How often do people stop and ask us directions and we only listen for where they want to go, not for what they are looking for? The star, like all miracles, points to the Christ who is a toddler at this time.

My parent’s used to own a house in Panama City, FL and after Sherry and I were married we would take off on a Friday night after work and spend the weekend there. I remember one Friday night that on the road we always traveled that they highway department had installed these bright reflectors on the centerline. They were so bright that they seemed to be more than reflectors, they seemed to have a source of light all their own. Those lights guided us all the way into Panama City. It is funny, now that I think about this. We weren’t looking for those lights to guide us, but they were there and a pleasant surprise that made our journey much easier and stress free. It seemed like those lights knew what we were really looking for, which was not a house on the beach, but a safe, stress free relaxing weekend.

You and I are to be those guiding lights, those miracle lights, on people’s journey toward the light. Often times they do not know what they are looking for they are only looking. However, if we do our jobs, we will not be guilty of Herod’s sin. No, we will be like the star that knew where they Magi needed to go and led them to the savior, not to the house.

You know when Columbus discovered the new world he thought he had found Japan. Columbus was looking for one thing and found another. He had found something far greater than what he was looking for. This is called serendipity. Finding something better than what you were looking for. Most of us were looking for something far different when we found Jesus. Just like the Magi. I am sure we all encountered Herod’s on the way that had ulterior motives in their directions. But then there were those stars, those other points of light that guided us down the highway like those lights on the highway that Sherry and I experienced.

In reality all of us are Magi in search of a savior. Not here in this room, I mean all of us, human kind. We might have been side tracked by “Herods” from time to time but there have been those guiding lights that have gotten us back on track toward that source of real light.

Here’s and example of what I am talking about from acts:

Acts 8:26–36 NRSV

Then an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Get up and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” (This is a wilderness road.) So he got up and went. Now there was an Ethiopian eunuch, a court official of the Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, in charge of her entire treasury. He had come to Jerusalem to worship and was returning home; seated in his chariot, he was reading the prophet Isaiah. Then the Spirit said to Philip, “Go over to this chariot and join it.” So Philip ran up to it and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah. He asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?” He replied, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to get in and sit beside him. Now the passage of the scripture that he was reading was this: “Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter, and like a lamb silent before its shearer, so he does not open his mouth. In his humiliation justice was denied him. Who can describe his generation? For his life is taken away from the earth.” The eunuch asked Philip, “About whom, may I ask you, does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else?” Then Philip began to speak, and starting with this scripture, he proclaimed to him the good news about Jesus. As they were going along the road, they came to some water; and the eunuch said, “Look, here is water! What is to prevent me from being baptized?”

Another miracle, and Angel sends Philip to the eunuch. The Eunuch had no idea what he was looking for. He was a pagan too, just like the magi. It was Philip who became a guiding light to lead him to the source of light. And like the Magi, whom it says that their course was rerouted, the Eunuch’s life became rerouted as well. He was baptized and had found what he was looking for. What he was really looking for. Philip was the star. We are all to be that star to each other and to those that are seeking.

Acts *:26-36

The Eunuch had no idea what he was looking for. He was a pagan too, just like the magi. It was Philip who became a guiding light to lead him to the source of light. And like the Magi, whom it says that their course was rerouted, the Eunuch’s life became rerouted as well. He was baptized and had found what he was looking for. What he was really looking for. Philip was the star. We are all to be that star to each other and to those that are seeking.

The Eunuch had no idea what he was looking for. He was a pagan too, just like the magi. It was Philip who became a guiding light to lead him to the source of light. And like the Magi, whom it says that their course was rerouted, the Eunuch’s life became rerouted as well. He was baptized and had found what he was looking for. What he was really looking for. Philip was the star. We are all to be that star to each other and to those that are seeking.

They weren’t Kings. There were not three of them. I am not so sure they were really wise. I think I can say that their camels really did not have mustaches. I don’t know this for sure though. But this I do know, we are all Magi. All on the road seeking something when we may not fully understand what we seek. But praise God that he provides the miraculous stars to lead us to what we really need, the real source of light in the darkness. And, most of all I thank God for those guiding lights he has put in my path, don’t you? Don’t you want to be one of those lights?