Matthew 2 1-12 2006

Matthew 2:1-12

Epiphany

January 8, 2006

Wise Man or “Wise Guy”?

After C. Luecks

Introduction: One bright day, four high school boys couldn’t resist the temptation to skip morning classes. After lunch they showed up at school and reported to their teacher that their car had a flat tire. Much to their relief she smiled and said, “Well, you missed a quiz this morning, so take your seats and get out a pencil and paper.” Still smiling, she waited as they settled down and got ready for her questions. Then she said, “First question—which tire was flat?”

            Wisdom. This teacher had it. She was able to outsmart the “wise guys” in her class. Today our text focuses on the visit of the Magi, or Wise Men—who were men of great wisdom. King Herod tried to outsmart them, but with the Lord’s help, they were not tricked by that “wise guy.”

This festival of the Epiphany celebrates the manifestation, the first revealing, of our Lord in his glory, even as an infant. We’ll see Christ revealed as we put ourselves in the place of the Wise Men—or of Herod. Let’s ask ourselves this qusetion,

Are We Wise Men or “Wise Guys”?

I

            At one time in our life, each of us probably has known someone who was a “smart aleck” or a “wise guy.” On more than one occasion, I can remember my family or friends using this description for me. Maybe you’ve been labeled one occasionally too. In our text the wise guy is Herod. He thinks he can outsmart the Magi with his cunning schemes and desires. He is troubled and disturbed at hearing the news of Jesus’ birth. Herod feared that he would be dethroned and the new king Would be installed. He thought His power was in jeopardy.

            To succeed with his Wise guy plans, Herod needed the help of the Magi. “Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, ‘Go and make a careful search for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him’” (vv 7–8). Herod’s reaction is typical, isn’t it? If I’m threatened, I’ll devise a plan to destroy my enemy, to get him out of the way. After all, Herod was a ruthless king. He murdered several of his own family members including his wife, his sons, and his in-laws.

Herod learned what he wanted to know without raising the Magi’s suspicions. In fact, he pretended to have the same religious interest in this king as the Wise Men had. Herod clothed his evil designs under the appearance of religion. He thought he was a wise guy.

            I see a little bit of Herod in each one of us. Not that we want to kill Jesus, but that from time to time we fake our adoration and praise. We come to church for the wrong reasons. Our bodies are here, but our minds are on something other then Jesus and what He has done for us. We fake our worship of Him when we are inconsistent in or worship attendance, only coming when it is convenient for us. We fake our worship and praise as we neglect the reading of God’s Word. We often play the wise guy, thinking God won’t really care if I do these things, miss worship, what’s one Sunday? I’ll read my Bible, tomorrow. We try to pull the wool over God’s eyes. We try to outsmart him. We do this away from church also. We let sin cloud our judgment in our everyday walk, convincing ourselves that God won’t mind if we do this or that, calling ourselves Christians, but behaving differently at home? at work? at school? Sometimes we play the Wise Guy.

II

We see the “wise guy” in Herod. But our text gives the example of another group, the Wise Men. “After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 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 and of incense and of myrrh” (vv 9–11).

Do you see the difference? The Wise Men come into this poor household and treat it as the grandest of palaces. They honor the Child as the most glorious King. This was no mere baby—this was the King of kings, the promised Messiah. They came to worship him and shower him with gifts.

            Their gifts were no match for the gift that was given them. The God of the universe bowed down from heaven and gave the gift of His only Son. He gives us His eternal love through Jesus Christ. Through Him God showers us with the gifts of forgiveness, life and salvation. These gifts are received through faith in Christ given to us through His Word and the waters of Holy Baptism.

In Bethlehem and Calvary we have the same story. Jesus’ birth and death are instruments of God’s love. Christ came not just to live, but to live and die so that you and I could live forever. He made the ultimate sacrifice for us all.

Perhaps you have heard the fable that makes this point: A pig and a hen walked past a church announcing a ham and egg breakfast. The hen remarked how nice the project was. The pig reacted, “That’s easy for you to say. For you it’s only a donation. For me, it’s a total sacrifice!”

            A sacrifice is total. It’s costly. Yet Jesus came to die as a sacrifice. He was the spotless Lamb of God. He shed his blood. He gave his life. We receive this sacrificial body and blood when we come to Holy Communion. This sacrifice cost the Father his only Son. This young Child the Wise Men worshiped would be sacrificed for us—the most costly sacrifice ever offered.

            Christ sacrificed himself in payment for our “wise guy” attitudes. As we continue into the new year, we sincerely resolve to leave behind bad habits, un-Christian behavior, sinful animosities, and our Herod like actions. Being truly sorry for the mistakes of the past, we look to the sin-atoning Christ for forgiveness, and we implore the help of his Spirit to depart from evil . . . and to be wise.

            The missionary J. Hudson Taylor once said: “I used to ask God if he would come and help me. Then I asked if I could come and help him. Finally, I asked God to do his own work through me.” We ask the Son for the wisdom to have his work done through us. We ask the Holy Spirit to guide our ways to be wise and lead a Christian life so others through our guided actions will be drawn to their Savior.

We are wise in knowing that Jesus is always with us. We are wise in trusting the Christ Child to gift us with his blessings. We are wise in knowing that God has secured our eternal future with him. Knowing Christ, trusting Christ, and acting our Christian faith, we are wise men and wise women and wise young people—and not “wise guys.”