We Three Kings – The Other Wise Man

Carols ’21 – Epiphany Sunday

Carols Slide

Good morning and welcome to worship on this bitter cold morning! I am so glad you joined us today to worship together. You know, we almost didn’t have worship this week? Thursday morning, Mike found a gas leak and we had to get Atmos to shut the gas off, Heart of Texas up here to fix the leak, and then get the gas back on and all the heaters working… And we thought these weren’t working at first, but they finally kicked in! good thing with as cold as it is out there!

It is never a dull moment when you manage a 55,000 sqf facility.

Most of us think today, Christmas is over, we’ve had our Bowl Games, and we need a New Year’s Day sermon… and, that’s what we will have… But, the truth is Christmas isn’t over! Christmas Eve ended Advent, Christmas day started the season of Christmas which lasts 12 days and ends on January 6 with Epiphany. So, today is what we call Epiphany Sunday. It is the day we remember the 3 Wise Men. At one time, Christmas Day was the day you put up the tree, then, gifts were collected under the tree and in the branches of the tree until January 6, when the story of the Wise Men was read and the gifts given to Jesus were remembered… then… everyone was able to open their gifts. These days, if we remember Epiphany at all, it is only on the 2nd Sunday after Christmas.

So, Let’s read that passage together and remember the story of the Wise Men.

Matthew 2:1-2, 9-11

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 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.

-Prayer-

Sermon Slide

I don’t think there is a better song to tell this story than John Henry Hopkins song, We Three Kings… Except for the fact that they weren’t kings… it is a beautifully written song that the author wrote to inspire the children. He didn’t have children of his own, but he loved working with the children and trying to share the stories of the faith with them in new ways. Here, he set out and succeeded in sharing a song for the children as they celebrated Epiphany. Ace Collins put it this way, “Hopkin’s words dramatically embraced the rich fabric of the trip, the gifts, and the birth of a savior.” Even the rhythm of the song itself seems to depict the travel of these magi as they rode across the deserts on camels.

We know this story. We know the story of the Wise Men, but today, I want to do something a little different, something I don’t usually do. Today, I want to share an adaptation of what Henry Van Dyke wrote about the other wise man, the other Maji that didn’t arrive on Epiphany.

In the days when Augustus was Caesar and Herod reigned in Jerusalem, there lived in the mountains of Persia a certain man, a wise man named Artaban. Caspar, Melchoir, and Balthazar where his friends. They had seen a star in the distance, a sign of a coming Messiah in Israel. Artaban went back to Edbatana to share the news with other Maji and prepare for the journey. The other three waited and watched at the Temple in Babylon. They awaited their friends return so they could all travel together – there was safety in numbers.

Artaban spent the day telling the rest of the Magi of Persia about the King to be born, but none of them listened. They all made excuses, or called Artaban and his friends foolish. The day had been a waste it seemed, so early the next morning, before sunrise, Artaban mounted his swiftest horse, Vasda, and set out for Babylon to meet his friends. They were to leave at sunrise. Artaban carried in his tunic, close to his heart, his own tribute to the King – a sapphire, a ruby, and a pearl.

Artaban and Vasda entered the city through a grove a palm trees in the dim light of dawn. As they neared the far end of the grove, Vasda sensed danger and Artaban could feel her breath change as she shifted her pace. In the shadow of the last palm lay a figure. In the dim light of dawn, Artaban could see that it was a man laying across the road. He dismounted and approached the man with caution. He could see from the man’s appearance that he was one of the Hebrews that lived in Babylon since their great exile.

As he approached, it was obvious that the man suffered from the dreaded fever of the marsh lands in autumn. The chill of death was in the man’s hand, it was lifeless as he released it, and so he turned to return to Vasda. His heart nearly jumped from his chest as he felt the tug on the hem of his Majian robe… and he heard the faintest cry for help.

Artaban was at a loss, what could he do? If he tarried to help the man, his friends would begin the voyage to Israel to seek the King without him, thinking he had given up the journey. But, if he left, then the man would surely die. As he struggled with his decision, he prayed, “God of truth and purity, direct me in the holy path, the way of wisdom which You only know.”

As he turned back to the man, he knew what he must do. He gathered water, and gave him a drink. He took herbs from his bag and treated the illness, for the Magi were more than astrologers, there were also physicians. Hour by hour, Artaban helped the man drink the medicine and water, and slowly the color began to return to his lips, and his strength returned.

As the Hebrew sat up, he asked in the rude dialect of the Hebrew people, “Who are you? And why have you come to give me your medicine?”

He said, “I am Artaban the Majian, and I am on a journey to Jerusalem to find the one who is to be born King of the Jews… and I must not tarry any longer or I will miss the chance with my friends. Here is all I have of bread and wine, and here is the healing potion for you. As you gather your strength, you will find your people living among the houses of Babylon.”

The Hebrew man lifted his weak arm toward Artaban and said, “May the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob bless you and your journey. I have nothing to give you, but this. I can tell you where the Messiah is to be born. Our prophets have told us he will be born in Bethlehem of Judah.”

Artaban left them man and mounted Vasda and rode as fast as he could to the temple to meet his friends, but when he arrived, they had gone. On the ground, he could see a note under a rock. He recovered the note and read, “We waited past midnight and could wait no longer. We have gone to find the King. Follow us across the desert.”

But Artaban knew he could not follow them without provisions, so, he rode Vasda back, and prepared to gather a train of camels and the supplies needed for a journey across the desert… the only way to purchase such is with the Sapphire that was promised to the King. So, to make the journey, he exchanged the sapphire – and he thought, “I may never overtake my friends, only the God the merciful knows if I will ever see the King because I tarried in order to show mercy.”

Artaban travelled for days toward the star, seeking first his friends and then the new born King. He finally arrived in Bethlehem to find the town quiet and lonely. As he walked along the streets, he came across a home with the door open, He could here the sound of a lady singing softly, so he peaked in to inquire of the child born King of the Jews and saw a mother gently rocking and singing to her baby. The lady in the home was startled at the guest, but quickly welcomed him. She told him how “there had been three like him, Wise Men from the East, who came to visit a child. They had just left a day or so ago, and the mother, father, and child left as quickly as the 3 visitors.” At almost a whisper, she said, “it is rumored that they fled to Egypt.”

She laid her child to bed and began ministering to the needs of her guest, telling him how it seemed as though a spell had been cast over the entire city since they left. There was talk that Soldiers were on the way and that Herod was imposing a new tax. The men had taken the sheep into the hills to protect the livelihood of the families.

About that time Artaban could hear noises in the streets, women were screaming and he could hear the sound of Soldiers. He heard a woman scream – “Help, the soldiers are coming and they are killing our children.” Artaban told the woman to hide with her child and he stepped to the door of the home. He was met by an angry Captain of the band of soldiers, with blood dripping from his sword. The soldier snarled, “get out of my way.” But Artaban did not move… instead, he calmly spoke to the Captain and said, “I am all alone in this place, and I am looking to give this jewel to the prudent Captain who will hear my words” as he pulled the red ruby from inside his tunic. The greedy Captain looked at the red ruby as it glistened in the palm of the Maji. He took it and barked at the other soldier, “There’s no one here, move on.”

As Artaban reentered the home, he turned to the East and prayed, “God of truth, forgive me, I have lied to save the life of a child and now 2 of my gifts for the King are gone. Shall I ever be worthy to see the face of the King?”

But in the middle of his prayer, the young mother came running to him, clutching her child to her chest, she took his hand and said, “because you have saved my little one and done this for me, May the Lord bless you and keep you, the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you, may He lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.”

Afterwards, Artaban continued his journey to Egypt, seeking the child. He searched all through the deserts and cities looking for the household of Hebrews who came from Bethlehem. Eventually, his search led him to the home of a Hebrew Rabbi. The old man, bending over parchment on which the prophecies of Israel were written, read the words which foretold the sufferings of the promised Messiah. “And remember, my son,” he said fixing his eyes upon the face of Artaban, “what you seek is not to be found in a palace, nor among the rich and powerful. The light for which the world is waiting is a new light, the glory that will rise out of patient and triumphant suffering. The kingdom which is to be established forever is a new kingdom, the royalty of unconquerable love. I do not know how this will come to pass. But this I do know: Those who seek Him will do well to look among the poor and the oppressed.”

Artaban left the rabbi and continued his journey. He traveled from place to place, country to country seeking the new King. He traveled through countries destitute with famine and helped the people begging for bread. He made his dwelling in plague-stricken cities where the sick were languishing for help. He visited the oppressed and the afflicted… helping them along his way. Yet, in all this world of anguish, he found none to worship, he found only many more to help. He fed the hungry, clothed the naked, healed the sick, and comforted the captive. His years passed quickly, so much so that it seemed he had almost forgotten his quest.

33 years of the life of Artaban had passed since he began his journey. His hair, once black, was now as white as the snow of the mountains. Worn and weary, and ready to die, but still looking for the King, he had come once again to Jerusalem one last time. He had visited the city often, but never found a trace of the family that fled Bethlehem so long ago. Yet, this visit seemed different. In his heart he felt that he might succeed this time. He might find the King he sought.

The city was bustling. The Israelites who had lived in many places had returned for a festival, but things seemed different. A portentous gloom seemed to blanket the city. Artaban joined a group of his own people, Parthian Jews who had returned to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover and asked them about the tumult in the land and where they were going?

They said, “We are going to the place called Golgotha, outside the city walls, where there is to be an execution. Have you not heard? Two famous robbers are to be crucified and with them a third they call Jesus of Nazareth. He had done many wonderful works among the people, and they loved Him greatly. But the priests and elders said He must die because He called Himself the Son of God. And Pilate has sent Him to the cross because He said He was the King of the Jews.”

How strangely these familiar words fell upon Artaban’s tired heart! They had led him for a lifetime over land and sea. And now they came to him like a message of despair. The King had arisen, but he had been denied and cast out. He was about to perish. Could this be the same King who had been born 33 years before, at whose birth the star appeared, and of whose coming the prophets had spoken? Artaban’s heart beat unsteadily. But he said within himself:

“God’s ways are not our ways, maybe I shall come in time to offer my pearl for His ransom.”

So, the Old Maji followed the crowd toward Golgotha. But, near the Damascus Gate, a troop of Macedonian Soldiers came dragging a young girl. As Artaban paused to look at her with compassion, she broke from her captors and ran to him. She spoke his language and his dialect. She told him that she was a daughter of the true religion that the Maji taught, and begged that he save her for the sake of the God of Purity. She told how her father was a Parthian merchant but he had died. Now they were taking her to be sold as a slave to pay his debts.

It was the great conflict of his soul… Just as when he had paused to help a sick man and had to spend the sapphire to begin his journey alone… and when he traded his ruby for the life of a child… now again, was he to ignore the needs of this young lady and ransom her with his last gift to the King, or would he keep the pearl and hope to ransom the King? Only one thing was sure to his divided heart – to rescue this helpless girl would be a true deed of love. So, he reached toward his heart, inside his tunic and pulled the pearl. Never had it seemed so precious as now, and he placed it in the girl’s hand and said, “This is thy ransom, daughter! It is the last of my treasures which I kept for the King!”

As he spoke, the sky grew dark and the earth began to shake. The walls of houses shook and stones crashed into the streets. Dust filled the air and soldiers fled in terror. But, Artaban and the girl crouched helpless beneath the wall of the Pretoria. What had he to fear, what had he to hope? He had given away the last remnant of his tribute for the King. His quest was over, it had failed. But he was at peace. He had done the best he could do.

The ground shook once more. A heavy tile, shaken from the roof fell and struck the old Maji on the head. He lay breathless and pale, his grey head resting in the arms of the young girl, blood trickling from the wound.

As she bent over him, fearing he was dead there came a still small voice through the twilight, like music sounding from a distance. The girl turned to see if someone had spoken from the window above them, but she saw no one. Then the old man’s lips began to move, as if in answer, and she heard him say in the Parthian tongue, “Not so, my Lord! For when did I see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty, and give you a drink? When did I see you a stranger, and take you in? Or naked, and clothe you? Three and thirty years have I looked for you; but I have never seen your face, nor ministered to you, my King.”

And again the maid heard the sweet voice, very faint and far away. But now it seemed as though she understood the words: “Truly I tell you. Inasmuch as you have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, you have done it unto me.”

A calm radiance of wonder and joy lighted Artaban’s pale face like the first ray of dawn on a snowy mountain peak. A long breath of relief exhaled gently from his lips. His journey was ended. His treasures were accepted. The Other Wise Man had found the King.

That, my friends, is the story of the other wise man.

Maybe you are seeking the King. Maybe you have spent your life seeking the God that you imagined… only to realize that God has been with you all along.

(Band Come up)

As we dive into 2022, It is my prayer for you and for me, to see God in the world around us.

May we see God in the hungry that we feed, in the thirsty that we give a drink.

May we see God in the face of the afflicted and the captive as we offer healing and hope.

I am not going to lie to you and promise that 2022 is our year and everything is going to be awesome… the truth is, we will continue to face adversity. We will continue to face hardship.

But we do so knowing that God is with us! That was the story of Christmas – Emmanuel, God is with us.

We may face difficulty, but we will also face amazing opportunities.

We will see miracles take place in our lives and the lives of those around us.

We will see lives changed as God moves in our midst.

My prayer for 2022, for myself and for you, is that we will begin a journey seeking the King. That we will take what God has given us and share it with others that they may find the hope and peace that only comes from the Baby, born to be King, who grew to be a man who gave his life for you and me!

Will you join me in this journey? Let us pray!