The Feast of the Epiphany, 2019
Pastor Gregory L. Jackson
Bethany Lutheran Worship, 10 AM Central Standard Time
The Confession of Sins
The Absolution
The Introit p. 16
The Gloria Patri
The Kyrie p. 17
The Gloria in Excelsis
The Salutation and Collect p. 19
The Epistle and Gradual
The Gospel
Glory be to Thee, O Lord!
Praise be to Thee, O Christ!
The Nicene Creed p. 22
The Sermon Hymn #128 Brightest and Best
The Absolution
The Introit p. 16
The Gloria Patri
The Kyrie p. 17
The Gloria in Excelsis
The Salutation and Collect p. 19
The Epistle and Gradual
The Gospel
Glory be to Thee, O Lord!
Praise be to Thee, O Christ!
The Nicene Creed p. 22
The Sermon Hymn #128 Brightest and Best
The Sanctus p. 26
The Lord's Prayer p. 27
The Words of Institution
The Agnus Dei p. 28
The Nunc Dimittis p. 29
The Benediction p. 31
The Hymn #646 Silent Night
The Lord's Prayer p. 27
The Words of Institution
The Agnus Dei p. 28
The Nunc Dimittis p. 29
The Benediction p. 31
The Hymn #646 Silent Night
EPIPHANY
Lord God, heavenly Father, who hast given us the light of Thy holy word, the guiding star, which leadeth us to the Christ-child: Send, we beseech Thee, Thy Holy Spirit into our hearts, that we may receive this light and make use of it unto our salvation, and that we, like the wise men, when they were seeking the star, may not be afraid because of any hardship or peril, but put all our trust in Thine only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord, as our only Savior; devote our earthly possessions to the advancement of Thy kingdom, and in all things serve Him, Thine only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, one true God, world without end. Amen.
Isaiah 60 Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee. 2 For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. 3 And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising. 4 Lift up thine eyes round about, and see: all they gather themselves together, they come to thee: thy sons shall come from far, and thy daughters shall be nursed at thy side. 5 Then thou shalt see, and flow together, and thine heart shall fear, and be enlarged; because the abundance of the sea shall be converted unto thee, the forces of the Gentiles shall come unto thee. 6 The multitude of camels shall cover thee, the dromedaries of Midian and Ephah; all they from Sheba shall come: they shall bring gold and incense; and they shall shew forth the praises of the Lord.
Matthew 2 Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, 2 Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him. 3 When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born. 5 And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet, 6 And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel. 7 Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, enquired of them diligently what time the star appeared. 8 And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search diligently for the young child; and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also. 9 When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was. 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. 11 And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense and myrrh. 12 And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way.
Background for Sermon
I posted a page of theories about the Star of Bethlehem. When Kepler presented it as historical fact, he was labeled a "mystic," which was the term the rationalists used for those who believed the Bible to be God's Word. Later the term Pietist was added, so the state churches of Europe were largely divided among the rationalists in control and the believers who chafed against the official, well paid clergy. They formed Bible study cell groups, which they considered the real church. America's Lutheran church bodies all came from this cell group Pietism. Because Pietism avoids doctrinal confessions, the loyalists move into rationalism easily, as they did at Halle University (Henry Muhlenberg, Adolph Hoenecke, and Walther's Bishop Martin Stephan, STD).
We are in a similar situation, where the official clergy are highly paid rationalists who trust surveys, data, trends, and man-made solutions versus the deplorables who argue for the inerrancy of the Bible and Justification by Faith. LCMS-WELS moved easily from their Pietistic origin into an age of rationalism and are now stuck there, nothing of value growing from their sterile weed seeds.
I am fascinated by the Star of Bethlehem for many reasons, including hearing it dismissed as a fable when I was growing up. I had a decades-long interest in astronomy until our neighbor's need for yard illumination ended the fun. My 7 foot tall telescope attracted a lot of attention.
The Star is a scandalon - a faith death trap - for many. One astronomer was angry that planetariums were using Star of Bethlehem programs to attract enormous crowds every December. He did not address its truthfulness, just that awful pandering to the public. The facts remain exactly as they are. By looking at ancient records, scientists can determine that various events would have riveted the attention of those living at that time, for several reasons.
One is simple - in the night sky of a desert country with no artificial illumination worth mentioning, every star, planet, moon, and sky event is looked upon with the greatest interest and general knowledge. I dare people to identify the most obvious stars and planets today, especially with city-glow, clouds, and general lack of interest. We are astronomy illiterate today, and less than Hottentots - in comparison to the ancients.
Secondly - the ancients saw the future in the night sky and they assumed God or gods at work. Are not our planets named after Greek/Roman gods? My favorite recent gardening book is The Sheer Ecstasy of Being a Luna-tic Farmer. We still say moonstruck and even have a popular Cher movie by that name. People are over the moon about grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
We experienced two times when people brought up sky events repeatedly. One was in Sturgis, Michigan (1970s), when Jupiter and Mars traveled in the night sky together for a long time. Everyone kept asking, "What is that?" as if Jupiter and Mars had been newly added. And "How do you know?" The other was the Hale-Bopp comet, which was impossible to miss (1997), which moved me to write a short story based on it. Everyone got wide-eyed and asked, "Did you see the comet?"
The Calvinists rely on human reason to prove the Bible is true. The consequence of trust in human wisdom is a loss of faith when the evidence is factual rather than Scriptural. That is why it is so difficult to discuss doctrine with those who are trained to be loyal to synodical stars rather than the Word, which is ignored for contradicting what sect's celebrities have claimed. No one seems to notice the parallel with Pharisaical dogma.
When we start with the Biblical concept of the Holy Spirit teaching us the mysteries of the Faith (Creation, the Trinity, the Virgin Birth, the Atonement, Resurrection, and Ascension) then we will find all kinds of corroboration in the Bible and in the world around us. For example, the Bible teaches a six-24 hour-day Creation and a day of rest. Various leaders have tried to lengthen the week by making it 10 days, but that has not worked. Why do we all use a seven-day week, world-wide?
America's laws are based upon "the laws of Nature and of Nature's God."
The Declaration of Independence of 1776 established the premise that in America a people might assume the station "to which the laws of Nature and Nature's God entitle them.." Herein lay the security for men's individual rights - an immutable code of law, sanctioned by the Creator of man's rights, and designed to promote, preserve, and protect him and his fellows in the enjoyment of their rights.
Matthew 2 Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, 2 Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.
Some odd assumptions need to be brushed aside. Wise Men from the East - that is not specific, so having them arrive years after the birth of Jesus is rather absurd. The ancients must have been better at higher math than most of us, because they could predict astronomical events. They combined knowledge of the sky with the concept of revelation. One theory is that they saw the conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn as predicting a king (Jupiter) in Judea (Saturn). The Wise Men had a clear idea of the message, and God moved them to go to the ruler who would be most jealous of this message.
The Wise Men would have known that Judea was no longer ruled by a descendant of David, so a clear marker was Herod on the throne, a king of the Jews and yet not a Jew.
Luther:
2. The Evangelist first refers to Herod the king, in order to recall the prophecy of Jacob the patriarch, who said: “The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the obedience of the peoples be.” Genesis 4:9-10.
From this prophecy is evident that Christ must come, when the kingdom or government of the Jews is taken from them, so that no other king or ruler from the house of Judah might sit on the throne. This was fulfilled now when Herod, who was not of the house of Judah, nor of Jewish descent but of Edom, hence a foreigner, was made king over the Jews by the Romans to the great dissatisfaction of the Jewish people. Hence for thirty years he warred with them before he finally silenced and subdued them.
So it is not enough to agree there was a Star of Bethlehem, but also to see that the scholars saw it as confirming the Genesis prediction. These events are in keeping with God's method of giving people a chance to believe in the Messiah. Some people grieve that not all are saved, but often the worst persecutors (in pagan lands and in denominations) are those with the greatest opportunity to hear the Gospel and believe.
The Star could have led the Wise Men for a long time, if they came from a distance, before Jesus was born. Or, they might have come a short distance just as the event was fixing everyone's attention on the sky. It would have been the talk of all those who saw, because no one could miss the unusual event. They knew it meant something. And it confirmed the experience of the shepherds as well. So the Gospel was revealed to the Jews first - the shepherds - and then to the Gentiles - the Wise Men.
These sages came "to worship him," a concept that would have been an immediate crisis for Herod. In Alexander's time, he wanted to be treated as a god, with people kneeling and blowing kisses to him. To tell Herod that his replacement was already born - that would terrify him. If anyone worshiped Herod, it was not willingly.
3 When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born.
"And all Jerusalem with him." Messianic expectations were high, so much that they risked war with the Roman Empire roughly 70 years later. Herod believed enough in the Scriptures to ask when this blessed event would happen. It is good to remember that the Greek Septuagint (Old Testament), any person educated in Greek could know what God promised. Now we have that in our own language and many ignore the Old Testament as full of Law and condemnations, forgetting all the Messianic Promises and blessings.
Troubled means shaken to such an extent that an answer must be provided. For the entire city and kingdom, a revolt was entirely possible. As they said at the trial of Jesus, the soldiers will come in and take everything away from us.
4 And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born. 5 And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet, 6 And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel.
Lenski, Matthew, p. 63:
Yet we note the hand of God in the providence which has put the Sanhedrin of the Jews, its highest religious authority, back of the Scriptural finding that the Messiah must be born in Bethlehem, and that the Old Testament so declares in Micah 5:2. The very great value of this providence Matthew felt when he wrote this Gospel for Jewish readers. Every Jew down to this day is faced by Micah 5:2 and the Sanhedrin's answer to Herod. The Messiah is an individual not the Jewish nation itself. His birth must occur in Bethlehem and nowhere else. If Jesus is not this Messiah, then let the Jew tell us what Micah 5:2 means and let him contradict both this prophet and his own Sanhedrin if he will.
So we can see in this passage from Micah that Bethlehem and the Messiah were connected for centuries. Thus the birth in Bethlehem was not a surprise but a long-awaited event, with the Star as an additional witness.
When people want to argue how many Wise Men arrived or exactly when they arrived or where they came from, the argumentative are avoiding the message in the Word of God. God reveals with certainty that everything has been planned in advance; therefore, we must trust God's wisdom and guidance, seeing how perfectly He manages the world - as He has for thousands of years.
While one verse or incident in the Bible may seem to trip us up and fall away from faith, hundreds of verses in harmony accomplish the opposite. All support one another, so we can see how they weave together like a mesh. That is why it is so important to see the Scriptures as one Truth from God, teaching faith in the Savior, not as an interesting historical book with poems, stories, and parables.
My online class had a question about What Would Jesus Do? - which is a fad that comes and goes from time to time. I pointed out that Jesus is our Example in everything, but if we concentrate on doing alone, we become legalistic. Some simply divorce faith from action and say, "It does not matter what we believe; we can all work together."
Emphasizing faith in the Savior first and foremost, our actions are guided and energized by the Gospel Word.
7 Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, enquired of them diligently what time the star appeared. 8 And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search diligently for the young child; and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also.
Herod is like many hypocrites, who want to use believers to get their way. Thus many rulers and rich people have used the Church as a shield for the evil. Herod only wants to stop this newborn king from taking over his throne. That was the political fear of the Roman rulers. However, the Jewish leaders opposed the religious claims of Jesus and in the Gospel of John accused Him of calling Himself the Son of God.
9 When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was. 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.
Rationalists make fun of this description, and some attribute it to a conjunction of the planets that came together, drifted apart, and came together again. Planet is from Greek, which means wanderer, since they wander in the sky compared to stars. We see in the text that this Star - no Mapquest, no directions, no help from locals, no GPS - took them to where Jesus was. Yes, this was just as miraculous as the pillar of fire and smoke that guided Israel.
The miraculous means outside of the normal laws of physics and nature. If we do not believe in the miraculous, then we must jettison angels, who intervene (not just in movies), the Feeding of the Multitude, the Real Presence, prayer, and forgiveness. Once man leans on his own understanding, he abandons the basics of the Christian Faith, something we see in all religious apostates, from the current Pope on up.
When an astronomer says "The conjunction of planets fits this description," we cannot rest our faith on his assurance, but on the plain meaning of the text. If he wants to think so, fine, but the Bible judges all books - the books do not judge the Bible.
11 And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense and myrrh.
There is no claim that they were still in the stable, because some time could have passed, for the purification rites, for example. Nevertheless, they found Him with His mother in a room in a rented house. This continues to grieve the great, wealthy, and wise, that anything good could come from such simple circumstances. They work in Purple Palaces and live like royalty while denying the Chief Article of Christianity - Justification by Faith. It delights God to use the least to deal with His Word and see his miraculous abundance in the treasure of His grace.
For example, I set up a Facebook Page to let more people know about the Lutheran Library Publishing Ministry - all the books being free ebooks and public domain (no copyright restrictions or lawsuits). From that came almost 100 people interested in Classic Lutheran Books. Someone from Denmark pointed out a linking error, and I asked, "Do you know of French Lutheran books?" He said, "Here is one link," which was full of Luther's works in French, ideal for French Africa and French Lutherans.
Thus in less than a day, we opened up the distribution of free Lutheran works to a large part of the world's missions. More is developing as books get translated into native languages.
The Wise Men worshipped Jesus as God and presented their gifts as a group (not likely one each from three men). They did not give gifts to Herod, but saved royal gifts for the royal Infant. Giving gifts like this showed honor, respect, and devotion.
12 And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way.
God warned them so they could take the Gospel back to their land, and this also protected the Family from the wrath of Herod.
This lesson begins a number of texts which deal with God revealing the divine power of Jesus in His public ministry. This is how God made sure that everyone knew Jesus as His Son, as the Savior.
Human reason and so-called proofs do not convert people to faith in Jesus. The Gospel alone does that.
Luther explains this best, which must be the emphasis
39. It is therefore not possible for human doctrines not to lead away from the truth, as Paul says. For one of two things must take place, viz.; They will either be despised and rejected when it is understood that they will not make us holy nor save us; or they will ensnare and deaden conscience and conviction if it is believed that they do make us holy and must therefore be kept. In this case faith is destroyed and the soul must perish. There is no help nor rescue. For true faith cannot exist nor can it tolerate that anyone should conscientiously hold something else to be necessary to become holy and be saved than faith in Christ alone. Therefore, whoever has this faith can not trust in human teachings, but observes them when and wherever he pleases, being lord over them. But he who follows human doctrines without having faith, can never apprehend faith, remains forever a slave of human commandments and will never do a really good work, as St. Paul says, Titus 1:16. For this reason we must hold fast to the plain teaching of Scripture which presents Christ only, and that by faith in him we become true Christians and then freely do all kinds of good works to the good of our neighbor, as has often been said.
Background for Sermon
I posted a page of theories about the Star of Bethlehem. When Kepler presented it as historical fact, he was labeled a "mystic," which was the term the rationalists used for those who believed the Bible to be God's Word. Later the term Pietist was added, so the state churches of Europe were largely divided among the rationalists in control and the believers who chafed against the official, well paid clergy. They formed Bible study cell groups, which they considered the real church. America's Lutheran church bodies all came from this cell group Pietism. Because Pietism avoids doctrinal confessions, the loyalists move into rationalism easily, as they did at Halle University (Henry Muhlenberg, Adolph Hoenecke, and Walther's Bishop Martin Stephan, STD).
We are in a similar situation, where the official clergy are highly paid rationalists who trust surveys, data, trends, and man-made solutions versus the deplorables who argue for the inerrancy of the Bible and Justification by Faith. LCMS-WELS moved easily from their Pietistic origin into an age of rationalism and are now stuck there, nothing of value growing from their sterile weed seeds.
I am fascinated by the Star of Bethlehem for many reasons, including hearing it dismissed as a fable when I was growing up. I had a decades-long interest in astronomy until our neighbor's need for yard illumination ended the fun. My 7 foot tall telescope attracted a lot of attention.
The Star is a scandalon - a faith death trap - for many. One astronomer was angry that planetariums were using Star of Bethlehem programs to attract enormous crowds every December. He did not address its truthfulness, just that awful pandering to the public. The facts remain exactly as they are. By looking at ancient records, scientists can determine that various events would have riveted the attention of those living at that time, for several reasons.
One is simple - in the night sky of a desert country with no artificial illumination worth mentioning, every star, planet, moon, and sky event is looked upon with the greatest interest and general knowledge. I dare people to identify the most obvious stars and planets today, especially with city-glow, clouds, and general lack of interest. We are astronomy illiterate today, and less than Hottentots - in comparison to the ancients.
Secondly - the ancients saw the future in the night sky and they assumed God or gods at work. Are not our planets named after Greek/Roman gods? My favorite recent gardening book is The Sheer Ecstasy of Being a Luna-tic Farmer. We still say moonstruck and even have a popular Cher movie by that name. People are over the moon about grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
We experienced two times when people brought up sky events repeatedly. One was in Sturgis, Michigan (1970s), when Jupiter and Mars traveled in the night sky together for a long time. Everyone kept asking, "What is that?" as if Jupiter and Mars had been newly added. And "How do you know?" The other was the Hale-Bopp comet, which was impossible to miss (1997), which moved me to write a short story based on it. Everyone got wide-eyed and asked, "Did you see the comet?"
The Calvinists rely on human reason to prove the Bible is true. The consequence of trust in human wisdom is a loss of faith when the evidence is factual rather than Scriptural. That is why it is so difficult to discuss doctrine with those who are trained to be loyal to synodical stars rather than the Word, which is ignored for contradicting what sect's celebrities have claimed. No one seems to notice the parallel with Pharisaical dogma.
When we start with the Biblical concept of the Holy Spirit teaching us the mysteries of the Faith (Creation, the Trinity, the Virgin Birth, the Atonement, Resurrection, and Ascension) then we will find all kinds of corroboration in the Bible and in the world around us. For example, the Bible teaches a six-24 hour-day Creation and a day of rest. Various leaders have tried to lengthen the week by making it 10 days, but that has not worked. Why do we all use a seven-day week, world-wide?
America's laws are based upon "the laws of Nature and of Nature's God."
The Declaration of Independence of 1776 established the premise that in America a people might assume the station "to which the laws of Nature and Nature's God entitle them.." Herein lay the security for men's individual rights - an immutable code of law, sanctioned by the Creator of man's rights, and designed to promote, preserve, and protect him and his fellows in the enjoyment of their rights.
The Star of Bethlehem
Matthew 2 Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, 2 Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.
Some odd assumptions need to be brushed aside. Wise Men from the East - that is not specific, so having them arrive years after the birth of Jesus is rather absurd. The ancients must have been better at higher math than most of us, because they could predict astronomical events. They combined knowledge of the sky with the concept of revelation. One theory is that they saw the conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn as predicting a king (Jupiter) in Judea (Saturn). The Wise Men had a clear idea of the message, and God moved them to go to the ruler who would be most jealous of this message.
The Wise Men would have known that Judea was no longer ruled by a descendant of David, so a clear marker was Herod on the throne, a king of the Jews and yet not a Jew.
Luther:
2. The Evangelist first refers to Herod the king, in order to recall the prophecy of Jacob the patriarch, who said: “The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the obedience of the peoples be.” Genesis 4:9-10.
From this prophecy is evident that Christ must come, when the kingdom or government of the Jews is taken from them, so that no other king or ruler from the house of Judah might sit on the throne. This was fulfilled now when Herod, who was not of the house of Judah, nor of Jewish descent but of Edom, hence a foreigner, was made king over the Jews by the Romans to the great dissatisfaction of the Jewish people. Hence for thirty years he warred with them before he finally silenced and subdued them.
So it is not enough to agree there was a Star of Bethlehem, but also to see that the scholars saw it as confirming the Genesis prediction. These events are in keeping with God's method of giving people a chance to believe in the Messiah. Some people grieve that not all are saved, but often the worst persecutors (in pagan lands and in denominations) are those with the greatest opportunity to hear the Gospel and believe.
The Star could have led the Wise Men for a long time, if they came from a distance, before Jesus was born. Or, they might have come a short distance just as the event was fixing everyone's attention on the sky. It would have been the talk of all those who saw, because no one could miss the unusual event. They knew it meant something. And it confirmed the experience of the shepherds as well. So the Gospel was revealed to the Jews first - the shepherds - and then to the Gentiles - the Wise Men.
These sages came "to worship him," a concept that would have been an immediate crisis for Herod. In Alexander's time, he wanted to be treated as a god, with people kneeling and blowing kisses to him. To tell Herod that his replacement was already born - that would terrify him. If anyone worshiped Herod, it was not willingly.
3 When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born.
"And all Jerusalem with him." Messianic expectations were high, so much that they risked war with the Roman Empire roughly 70 years later. Herod believed enough in the Scriptures to ask when this blessed event would happen. It is good to remember that the Greek Septuagint (Old Testament), any person educated in Greek could know what God promised. Now we have that in our own language and many ignore the Old Testament as full of Law and condemnations, forgetting all the Messianic Promises and blessings.
Troubled means shaken to such an extent that an answer must be provided. For the entire city and kingdom, a revolt was entirely possible. As they said at the trial of Jesus, the soldiers will come in and take everything away from us.
4 And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born. 5 And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet, 6 And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel.
Lenski, Matthew, p. 63:
Yet we note the hand of God in the providence which has put the Sanhedrin of the Jews, its highest religious authority, back of the Scriptural finding that the Messiah must be born in Bethlehem, and that the Old Testament so declares in Micah 5:2. The very great value of this providence Matthew felt when he wrote this Gospel for Jewish readers. Every Jew down to this day is faced by Micah 5:2 and the Sanhedrin's answer to Herod. The Messiah is an individual not the Jewish nation itself. His birth must occur in Bethlehem and nowhere else. If Jesus is not this Messiah, then let the Jew tell us what Micah 5:2 means and let him contradict both this prophet and his own Sanhedrin if he will.
So we can see in this passage from Micah that Bethlehem and the Messiah were connected for centuries. Thus the birth in Bethlehem was not a surprise but a long-awaited event, with the Star as an additional witness.
When people want to argue how many Wise Men arrived or exactly when they arrived or where they came from, the argumentative are avoiding the message in the Word of God. God reveals with certainty that everything has been planned in advance; therefore, we must trust God's wisdom and guidance, seeing how perfectly He manages the world - as He has for thousands of years.
While one verse or incident in the Bible may seem to trip us up and fall away from faith, hundreds of verses in harmony accomplish the opposite. All support one another, so we can see how they weave together like a mesh. That is why it is so important to see the Scriptures as one Truth from God, teaching faith in the Savior, not as an interesting historical book with poems, stories, and parables.
My online class had a question about What Would Jesus Do? - which is a fad that comes and goes from time to time. I pointed out that Jesus is our Example in everything, but if we concentrate on doing alone, we become legalistic. Some simply divorce faith from action and say, "It does not matter what we believe; we can all work together."
Emphasizing faith in the Savior first and foremost, our actions are guided and energized by the Gospel Word.
7 Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, enquired of them diligently what time the star appeared. 8 And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search diligently for the young child; and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also.
Herod is like many hypocrites, who want to use believers to get their way. Thus many rulers and rich people have used the Church as a shield for the evil. Herod only wants to stop this newborn king from taking over his throne. That was the political fear of the Roman rulers. However, the Jewish leaders opposed the religious claims of Jesus and in the Gospel of John accused Him of calling Himself the Son of God.
9 When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was. 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.
Rationalists make fun of this description, and some attribute it to a conjunction of the planets that came together, drifted apart, and came together again. Planet is from Greek, which means wanderer, since they wander in the sky compared to stars. We see in the text that this Star - no Mapquest, no directions, no help from locals, no GPS - took them to where Jesus was. Yes, this was just as miraculous as the pillar of fire and smoke that guided Israel.
The miraculous means outside of the normal laws of physics and nature. If we do not believe in the miraculous, then we must jettison angels, who intervene (not just in movies), the Feeding of the Multitude, the Real Presence, prayer, and forgiveness. Once man leans on his own understanding, he abandons the basics of the Christian Faith, something we see in all religious apostates, from the current Pope on up.
When an astronomer says "The conjunction of planets fits this description," we cannot rest our faith on his assurance, but on the plain meaning of the text. If he wants to think so, fine, but the Bible judges all books - the books do not judge the Bible.
11 And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense and myrrh.
There is no claim that they were still in the stable, because some time could have passed, for the purification rites, for example. Nevertheless, they found Him with His mother in a room in a rented house. This continues to grieve the great, wealthy, and wise, that anything good could come from such simple circumstances. They work in Purple Palaces and live like royalty while denying the Chief Article of Christianity - Justification by Faith. It delights God to use the least to deal with His Word and see his miraculous abundance in the treasure of His grace.
For example, I set up a Facebook Page to let more people know about the Lutheran Library Publishing Ministry - all the books being free ebooks and public domain (no copyright restrictions or lawsuits). From that came almost 100 people interested in Classic Lutheran Books. Someone from Denmark pointed out a linking error, and I asked, "Do you know of French Lutheran books?" He said, "Here is one link," which was full of Luther's works in French, ideal for French Africa and French Lutherans.
Thus in less than a day, we opened up the distribution of free Lutheran works to a large part of the world's missions. More is developing as books get translated into native languages.
The Wise Men worshipped Jesus as God and presented their gifts as a group (not likely one each from three men). They did not give gifts to Herod, but saved royal gifts for the royal Infant. Giving gifts like this showed honor, respect, and devotion.
12 And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way.
God warned them so they could take the Gospel back to their land, and this also protected the Family from the wrath of Herod.
This lesson begins a number of texts which deal with God revealing the divine power of Jesus in His public ministry. This is how God made sure that everyone knew Jesus as His Son, as the Savior.
Human reason and so-called proofs do not convert people to faith in Jesus. The Gospel alone does that.
Luther explains this best, which must be the emphasis
39. It is therefore not possible for human doctrines not to lead away from the truth, as Paul says. For one of two things must take place, viz.; They will either be despised and rejected when it is understood that they will not make us holy nor save us; or they will ensnare and deaden conscience and conviction if it is believed that they do make us holy and must therefore be kept. In this case faith is destroyed and the soul must perish. There is no help nor rescue. For true faith cannot exist nor can it tolerate that anyone should conscientiously hold something else to be necessary to become holy and be saved than faith in Christ alone. Therefore, whoever has this faith can not trust in human teachings, but observes them when and wherever he pleases, being lord over them. But he who follows human doctrines without having faith, can never apprehend faith, remains forever a slave of human commandments and will never do a really good work, as St. Paul says, Titus 1:16. For this reason we must hold fast to the plain teaching of Scripture which presents Christ only, and that by faith in him we become true Christians and then freely do all kinds of good works to the good of our neighbor, as has often been said.
