The Epiphany – A Tale of Two Responses to the Lorship of Christ

This week, as part of my men’s group Bible Study, I was contemplating the story of the Epiphany, or the revelation of Christ to the Three Wise Men.  As I read, I could not but help to think about the two responses to the coming of Christ that are juxtaposed against one another in the narrative.  As I thought about this, I could not but help to be convicted by the two examples set before us in Matthew’s Gospel. 

Matthew narrates the story of the Epiphany as follows:

“Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, ‘Where is He who has been born King of the Jews?  For we saw his star in the east and have come to worship Him.’  When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.  Gathering together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born.  They said to him, ‘In Bethlehem of Judea; for this is what has been written by the prophet:

‘And you, Bethlehem, Land of Judah, are by no means least among the leaders of Judah; for out of you shall come forth a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’

Then Herod secretly called the magi and determined from them the exact time the star appeared.  And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, ‘Go and search carefully for the Child; and when you have found Him, report to me, so that I too may come and worship Him.’  After hearing the king, they went their way; and the star, which they had seen in the east, went on before them until it came and stood over the place where the Child was.  When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.  After coming into the house, they saw the Child with Mary, His mother; and they fell to the ground and worshipped Him.  Then, opening their treasures, they presented to Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.  And having been warned by God in a dream not to return to Herod, the magi left for their own country by another way.”

Here we have these two glaring responses to the revelation of Jesus Christ, the King. 

The Magi, or Three Wise Men, saw his star in the east.  Matthew doesn’t tell us much about them personally.  We don’t know if they are Jews who might be familiar with the scriptures, or if they were Gentiles.  Maybe they knew of Micah’s proclamation that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem.  But then again, maybe they didn’t.  What we do know is that God called them through the appearing of His star in the East to come and see this King of the Jews and they knew they had to experience Him for themselves, and to fall down in joy and worship Him.  Out of their own treasures, they laid down an offering for their King.  This was their faith in action, the response to grace.

On the other hand, there was Herod’s response. 

King Herod was declared king of Judea for over forty years maintaining his power through the support of the Roman Empire.  Although he was the King of Judea, Herod himself was not a Jew.  He was an Idumaean by birth (an Edomite in Old Testament terms).  This wasn’t the only problem for Herod though.  The Jews had been promised since the time of Isaiah, roughly seven hundred and fifty years before Christ, that a Messiah would come, a shoot from the branch of Jesse (the House of David).  This Messiah would rule on David’s throne forever in righteousness and truth. 

Herod knew that there can be only one king.  He knew that the true king had come.  Herod knew that he was a pretender to the throne.  He chose to try to usurp the throne that wasn’t rightfully his.  Herod’s response, just as the Pharisees, Sadducees, Chief Priests, and Romans would do thirty years later, would be to try to kill this king.  We are told by Matthew, that even after being foiled by the Three Wise Men who refused to divulge the location of the Christ child, Herod gathered his troops and killed all the children in Bethlehem aged two and under.  This is what the world untouched by grace does.  It tries to kill the king and rule from his throne.

And so, these are the two responses to the coming of Christ.  Bow down in faith and worship the king, or kill the rightful king and take his throne. 

When I look at these responses, it convicts me to the core.  I would like to think my response is like the Wise Men, to rejoice in the kingship and lordship of Christ in faith, and to worship Him as they did.  But if I am honest with myself, my response is often much closer to Herod’s. 

I think about the words that I speak to others.  How often do I speak crassly, or unlovingly?  Who is this Jesus to tell me what to speak?  At these times, am I not like Herod, refusing to bend the knee to the true king?

I think about those times I am presented with opportunities to love my neighbor, and I fail to do so.  Who is this Christ, to tell me how to live?  At these times, am I not like Herod, refusing to give over the throne?

I think about those times I do what I know I should not do.  Who is this King to tell me what to do?  Am I not like Herod, attempting to kill the king who should be ruler of my life?

The earliest creed of the Church captures this theme of Epiphany.  We find this creed in Paul’s first epistle to the Corinthians (1 Corinthians 12:3):  Jesus is Lord. 

My question though, is do we live like Jesus is Lord?  Do we love him in faith?  Do we act as though he is our king?  Does Jesus determine how we think, how we speak, how we act, even down to how we spend our money?  Shamefully, I see that the spirit of Herod lives within me and I cannot of myself live in the posture of worship of the Three Wise Men. 

Paul puts it far better than I can.  In his epistle to the church at Ephesus Paul tells us:  “And you were dead in the trespasses and sins, in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience – among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.”  He shows us the spirit of Herod in which we all were born, rebelling against the righteous rule of the King of the Jews.

But the good news is this, Christ died for me.  And in dying for me, he died, that the spirit of Herod within me would die with Him, and be raised anew in the spirit of the Magi. 

“But God, being rich in mercy because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ – by grace you have been saved – and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.  For by grace you have been saved through faith.  And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”

Through our baptism, we are called by God, just as surely as the star sent by God called the Wise Men.  Through the proclamation of the gospel of Christ, and the work of the Holy Spirit within us, we are shown the Herod within us, and brought to repentance.  Through Jesus death, our sinful flesh is killed, and through his resurrection, we have been raised with him.  Through the sacrament of Holy Communion we receive assurance that Jesus died for our sin.

And now, having been raised anew by the grace of God in the spirit of the Wise Men, we joyfully bow the knee to our savior and worship him for what he is to us.  He is our King.  He is our ruler.  This Jesus is Lord.  He restores us to fellowship with Him, that we might live in worship, just as the Wise Men presented their treasures before the Christ child.  As Paul continues, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”

This is the promise that we carry with us in Epiphany.

God, as you have promised through your son, kill the Spirit of Herod within me.  Let me rejoice as the Three Wise Men did in the salvation and Lordship of your Son this Epiphany.  Let me live in faith, and let me not withhold my time, talent, and treasure in worship and service to you.  Amen.