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Epiphany - How does God guide today?

Epiphany Matthew 2:1-12  January 2009

Introduction

Finding the right gift for the right person at Christmas is sometimes really difficult

In January the Charity shops can benefit from those less successful purchases.

One present that Russell really appreciates comes from my brother and family- a subscription to the National Geographic Magazine. Month by month he gets a magazine through the post containing articles about countries round the world, history, politics, the economy and so on.

Last year one of the issues had a feature on Herod the Great, the King on the throne of Judea at the time of Christ's birth. He was the current king of the Jews

 Three words can be used to describe this political king- cunning, capable and cruel:

 Cunning

 Herod reigned over Judea because the Roman Empire allowed him to. He spent his life and reign courting the favour of whichever Roman Emporer was in charge, changing his allegiance when it suited him.

 As well as keeping Rome happy enough to secure his reign as king, Herod had the problem of the Jews themselves, who might at any point rise up in insurrection against him.

 It was a delicate balance keeping both groups happy.

Capable

 Herod the great was known for his vast building programmes; they included :-

 a port at Ceasarea between Haifa and Jaffa;

 An amphitheatre and Hippodrome in Jeruaslem to celebrate one of the Emporer's anniversaries;

 enlarging the existing Jewish temple which would still be in progress during the life of Christ, and not completed until 7 years before it's destruction in AD70.

 A palace for himself outside Jericho that he named Herodium where in 2007 archaeologists believe they discovered his tomb

 As well as his building he did placate the Jews during a time of famine by selling some of his treasure to buy food.

Cruel

 Herod, particularly as he got older, was a very cruel king, partly due to the pain of various illnesses, but also his anxiety as to which of his sons, by his ten wives should succeed him.

 He changed his will at least three times, nominating different successors

 He killed two of his sons, one of his ten wives and a mother-in-law

It is not difficult to imagine that this same man would slaughter the infants of Bethlehem that he saw as a threat to his descendants remaining on the throne.

 Finally shortly after Jesus' birth Herod died and was succeeded by Archelaus, determining Joseph's decision to live in Nazareth in Galilee not in Judea.

 This is one kind of political king that Matthew draws our attention to- on the throne at Jesus birth,

getting there by his own cunning, sustained by his capabilities and trying to retain it for his future descendants using immense cruelty when necessary.

Lets' contrast that with another king that the whole of Matthew's gospel calls us to consider.

 Matthew's is the Gospel of the King, who He is , how we come to be part of that kingdom, how we should live in the kingdom and the return of that coming king in glory.

 In Chapter 1, the genealogy shows us a king to be born from the royal tribe of Judah

a direct descendent from of the royal line of David to Joseph

 So at this point in History, Herod on the throne, Jesus is born in Bethlehem, the result of a Roman census under the Roman Emporer Caesar Augustus which demanded that each family return to the place of their ancestry.

 Perhaps 1000 miles away to the east, Wise men, Gentiles not Jews,

no doubt wealthy in view of the gifts they would bring,

astronomers had been studying the heavens and discovered a new star.

What this star was is still being discussed 2000 years later, including a TV programme at Christmas. Theories involve the planet Jupiter, the red planet linked with kings, or possibly the convergence of two planets to give added brightness; another theory is of a supernova.

 Evidently this was a new occurrence; and on seeing it they somehow- and we don't know how- linked it to the birth of a new king of the Jews

 A new star..denoting a new king

Within them there was a desire to worship this new king, and to offer him gifts

So they made preparations for the long journey, carrying with them Gold, frankincense and myrrh.

 One can only assume that the Spirit of God was already active in their hearts, speaking to them in a way that they could understand- through the stars.

 Perhaps they set off some time before the birth of Jesus in view of Herod's questioning about when the star appeared ... and his later decision to kill all the boys two years and under.

 The star in the east led them westwards to the land of Judea, and they arrive in Jerusalem asking the whereabouts of this new-born king of the Jews.

 News of the visitors and their enquiry reaches Herod, and he is sent into a spin- agitated! This could threaten all that he had achieved.

Note It seems to be Herod who connects the possible new king of the Jews with the Jewish prophecies concerning a Messiah- the Christ.

So Herod summons the Jewish Priests and teachers of the Law ( some suggest the whole Sanhedrin) to ask what the scriptures say about where this Messiah/ Christ will be born.

The answer comes back : In Bethlehem according to the prophet Micah

“Bethlehem..in the land of Judah..by no means least among the rulers of Judah..

for out of you shall come forth a ruler.. who will be the Shepherd of my people Israel

This king was not there by his own efforts or political intrigue, but was Divinely ordained by God

to rule and to shepherd, not in a political sense, but over a spiritual kingdom.

God's appointed king for God's people.

Herod calls the Wise men for a secret interview in which he pretends that he wants to worship the child too, so that when they have found him they should return and let Herod know his whereabouts.

 As the wise men leave their hearts are overjoyed to see the star again- a sort of reappearance, and from now on instead of going East to West, it travels North to South, from Jerusalem to Bethlehem stopping right over the place where the child was.

 This gave them amazing reassurance for the purpose of their journey, and it remained with them for the final leg of it.

As one of our Carols put it

“and there it did both stop and stay right over the place where Jesus lay..”

 This is Epiphany, the revelation or manifestation of Christ to the Gentiles, of which the wise men were representative.

 The earlier visitors had been the Jewish Shepherds; now God's salvation extended to the Gentiles in fulfilment of the prohecy that Christ would also be a “Light to the Gentiles”

 After they had seen Jesus they were warned in a dream not to return to Herod.

Guidance

 God used three different things to guide these Gentile worshippers to the Christ-child, and safely home again:

 The STAR... which took them to Judea..and eventually to Bethlehem
identifying the house in which the family were now located (no longer the temporary stable of His birth)

 The Jewish SCRIPTURES which identified Bethlehem

 A DREAM to get them safely home without revisiting Herod

How does God guide us ?

 If we are seeking to worship Christ?

If we are seeking to acknowledge his divine authority in our lives?

If we are making crucial decisions which will determine our future- courses of study, jobs, life partners; major purchases; some aspect of Christian service?

 It is unlikely to be by Stars..but could very well be through our reading and hearing God's Word.

 It is important to have a regular routine of reading God's word ourselves, and of listening to it through Sunday services or mid-week Bible study groups or bigger venues like Spring Harvest or other Conferences.

 IF we have this regular on-going pattern, then when a major decision comes along and we want to place ourselves under Christ's kingly authority we shall be more familiar with hearing His voice.

 Add to that the advice of Christians that we know and trust to be listening to God and having our best interest as heart. Develop some friendships with leaders or trusted friends that will seek to listen to God and offer advice, and whose advice you respect.

 Circumstances when God opens some doors and closes others, or places in our path a chain of events we can add this to the other forms of guidance when seeking to discover God's will.

 Dreams? I personally believe that God can still speak to people through dreams; and Russ Parker has written a good book on understanding dreams. But these are probably the exception rather than the rule and need to be understood in conjunction with all the other means of listening to God.

What guidance is not.. making up your own mind and asking God to bless it

Many of us can testify to having made really bad decisions – sometimes crucial ones- which have not been in the will of God.

Guidance is like lining up the lights as a ship approaches the harbour.. or when an aircraft approaches a runway.. When all the lights are lined up then it is safe to for the vessel to enter or the plane to land. With God' s guidance it will not be contadictory- all means will "line up" saying the same thing and safely guiding us forward.

» left by Marijo Phelps from mountain meadow (2 years 28 days ago.)

Anne, this is one of your very best! Almost too much to digest in one sitting so might have to go over this several times! Thanks for posting such an insightful piece! Marijo

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