Matthew 2.1-12

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."

In today's gospel from Matthew 2, we have one of the best known and loved of all the biblical stories: the visit of the wise men to the baby Jesus. And what a story it is---exotic visitors from the mysterious East who are guided by a star, an jealous king who brooks no rivals, a prophetic text that is fulfilled after 700 years of waiting, and three costly gifts that have stirred the imagination of poets and theologians---all revolving around a Jewish boy not more that one year old. No wonder Christians celebrated this story in a feast called Epiphany on 6 January, many years before they began observing Jesus' birth on 25 December.

Yet in recent times, you will find Christian people who raise questions about the visit of the wise men. Why is it mentioned nowhere else in the New Testament? Isn't it a lot like legends from the births of other notable ancient figures? Did it really happen, or did someone make it up? Even Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury, suggested recently that the wise men may not be historical figures. Perhaps some of you have similar doubts about the wise men and their visit to the baby Jesus.

This morning I want you all to know that I believe in the wise men. I believe their visit to Jesus was an historical event that has important implications for our Christian faith. I believe it is just as much a fact as the virgin birth of Jesus, even though it is not mentioned in the creeds of the Church. So today I want to talk about two things: why I believe in the wise men, and why their visit to Jesus is important for us.

WHY I BELIEVE IN THE WISE MEN

Why do I believe in the wise men? Two weeks ago when I preached on why I believe in the virgin birth, I talked about the three sources of authority in Anglican theology: holy scripture, human reason, and church tradition. As far as I am concerned, all three of these point in the same direction when it comes to the wise men.

I believe in the wise men because the biblical story rings true to me. There really were people called wise men in ancient Persia and Arabia and Edom, all to the east of Judea. They were royal advisors skilled in astronomy and anatomy and natural sciences, much like the Old Testament figure Daniel. There really was a king named Herod who ruled over Judea at that time. He was a crafty and cruel ruler, who had killed his three sons and favorite wife and mother because he suspected them of plotting against him. He would have been insanely suspicious of any new "king of the Jews." And there really was a star whose appearance could well have portended a royal birth in Judea sometime in the year 3/2 BC. That star was most likely the planet Jupiter, appearing unusually bright in conjunction with other planets and the star Regulus, all in the constellation Leo (see Ernest L. Martin, "The Celestial Pageantry Dating Christ's Bith" in Christianity Today, 3 December 1976). One commentator, writing about the visit of the wise men, has this observation: "This story has often been dismissed as legendary, partly because of parallels in other literature and partly because of the unusual features involved. But it seems that Matthew is treating it as factual and it would not be surprising that, if Jesus was God incarnate, his infancy as well as his birth and ministry should have been attended by remarkable phenomena" ( R.E. Nixon, "Matthew" in The New Bible Commentary: Revised, InterVarsity Press, 1970).

I suspect one of the reasons for doubting the wise men is that Christians have believed more about them than the Bible actually says about them. They were not kings, even though we sing "We three kings of Orient are..." We don't know how many there were---three is just a guess from the number of gifts---nor do we know their names or any details about them. The earliest church tradition actually says there were twelve wise men, to match the later number of apostles. They did not visit Jesus on the night of his birth, but months later. In Matthew 2, Jesus is a baby living in a house, not an infant in a manger. When you remove all these later additions to the story, it sounds to me like something that could and did happen just the way the gospel reports it. And that is what just about all the great Christian leaders and theologians for the past 2000 years have believed and taught, Catholic and Orthodox and Protestant and Pentecostal. Along with them I believe in the wise men and their visit to Jesus.

WHY THE WISE MEN ARE IMPORTANT

Why are the wise men important to our Christian faith? In and of themselves, they aren't important for us. Perhaps that is why we know so little about them. Their importance comes for what they reveal to us about our Lord Jesus Christ.

First, the story of the wise men shows us that Jesus is king of all peoples, not just king of the Jews. They themselves are the very first gentiles to believe in him---a sign that one day a great multitude of people "from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages" will stand before his throne and worship him as Lord (Revelation 5.9). I believe that when that day comes, those wise men will be in the front row of that multitude, right where they belong.

Second, the story of the wise men shows us that Jesus will always be opposed by those who want to remain their own kings. Herod is merely the first of many who want to do away with Jesus because they know he will remove them from the throne. That throne may not be a nation---it could be my own home where I am king, or my own business where I am the boss, or my own plans where I know best. Jesus is either Lord of all, or he is not Lord at all. We either kneel down before him as our king, or we will try to do away with him in our own way because we want to remain in control.

And third, the story of the wise men shows us that true worship of Jesus involves giving to him that which is precious to us. So much worship today is human centered---what I get out of it, how I feel about it, where it benefits me. The wise men knelt down before Jesus, worshipped him, and opened their treasure chests to him. We need to do the same when we worship here at St. Dunstan's week after week, and at home day by day. In offering to Jesus that which is precious to us, we create room in our hearts and lives so that we can receive the real treasures he wants to give us----his love, his forgiveness, his eternal life, his presence in bread and wine, his Spirit with us always.

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." I believe in those wise men and their visit to the baby Jesus. Why? Scripture, reason, and tradition. And, I think their story is important to our Christian faith. Why? Because of all that it shows us about our Lord Jesus Christ. I pray that you share this believe with me as we worship him today on the feast of the Epiphany.