“And His Name Shall Be
Called: King of Kings”
In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy
Spirit. Amen. This morning we are observing the culmination of the Christmas season.
The traditional “12 Days of Christmas” begins with the festival of the Nativity
of Our Lord, on Christmas Day, December 25th, and ends with the festival of the
Epiphany of Our Lord, 12 days later on January 6th, which was actually
yesterday. The word “Epiphany” comes from a Greek word which means “to appear, to
reveal.” The Christian festival of Epiphany celebrates the appearing of
Jesus Christ, especially the revealing of his glory to the Gentiles, the
non-Jews, represented the Wise Men, who were the first Gentiles to worship the
newborn King, as recorded in today’s Gospel Reading. We are told this event also took place in Bethlehem, where Jesus was
born. But, although we know the WHO, WHAT, and WHERE of the Epiphany
story, we don’t know exactly WHEN the Wise Men came. Our common custom of including the Wise Men with the nativity scene at
the stable probably isn’t exactly accurate, because the text says that they came
not to a stable but to a “house . . . where the young Child was.” So, it
seems the visit of the Wise Men happened sometime after the blessed birth, and
by then Joseph had moved his family from the stable where Jesus was born into a
house. Also, the word used to describe Jesus, which is translated “young
Child,” could mean an age anywhere from a newborn up to the two years old, which
Herod later estimates when he orders the boys up to that age in Bethlehem to be
killed. Perhaps, instead of traveling with a newborn and returning
immediately to their hometown of Nazareth, the Holy Family stayed for a while
with their relatives in Bethlehem. “Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in
the days of Herod the king.” Herod was in a precarious position. Although he had managed to
get himself appointed king of the Jews by the Roman emperor, he was not really
Jewish, but of the neighboring Idumean tribe. He was only a pretender to
the throne, and resented by his Jewish subjects, who longed for the promised
Messiah, the King of Kings. “Behold, Wise Men from the East came to Jerusalem.” These Wise Men were the scientists of their day, an elite group of the
best and brightest, highly educated in the wisdom of the ancient world.
They were probably not kings themselves, but they were advisors to kings, and in
this case acting as royal ambassadors to welcome the newborn King. “Wise Men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying,
‘Where is he who has been born King of the Jews?’” That was the last thing Herod wanted to hear. The British royal
family recently announced that Prince Charles and Prince William will be taking
over some of the Queen’s duties. But, Herod would have none of that.
He was so insanely paranoid about anyone trying to usurp his position as king of
the Jews that he had recently executed three of his own sons, who he thought
were plotting against him. Now, these royal ambassadors come, bringing
news of another rival to his throne. “Where is he who has been born King of the Jews?
For we have seen his star in the East.” There is much debate about what the “star” which they saw in the East
actually was. Some suggest a supernova, a comet, an eclipse, or an unusual
conjunction of the stars or planets. Later, the star is definitely a
unique, miraculous occurrence, which could have no natural explanation.
For, we are told that it “went before them, till it came and stood over where
the young Child was,” and a supernova, comet, eclipse, or conjunction could not
do that. However, the original “star” that they saw in the East could have been
any of these astronomical occurrences. Because, the Wise Men of the
ancient world were first and foremost astronomers, who intently studied the
skies. They could have interpreted a supernova, a comet, an eclipse, or an
unusual conjunction of the stars or planets as a sign that a great King was
being born. But, why come to Jerusalem, seeking the newborn King of the Jews?
Nearly 600 years earlier, when Jerusalem had been conquered by the Babylonians,
the book of Daniel recounts how Daniel and the other leading young men of the
Hebrews were taken off to Babylon and added to the ranks of their Wise Men. Eventually, Daniel actually became the chief of all the Wise Men.
In that position, he imparted to the Wise Men of the East the wisdom of the
Hebrews, especially the greatest treasure of Hebrew wisdom, the ancient promise
that one day the Messiah would be born from the Hebrew people, the divine King
of Kings, God come down from heaven and made man. Ever since, down through
generations of the Wise Men of the East this promise and prophecy of the Messiah
had been passed. So, whatever it was they saw in the East—supernova,
comet, eclipse, unusual conjunction—when they observed this extraordinary
astronomical phenomenon they knew it could only mean one thing: “Where is he who has been born King of the Jews?
For we have seen his star in the East and have come to worship him.” Obviously, he is much more than just another king, like Herod or the
kings they serve. For they come to “worship him.” He is the
long-awaited Messiah, born from the Hebrew people, God come down from heaven and
made man, the divine King of Kings, not only of the Jews, but of the whole
world, of the whole universe. “When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled,
and all Jerusalem with him.” The New King James Version translates the reaction to this news as
“troubled,” which Herod certainly was. But, it could also be translated
“stirred up” or “excited.” It means that there was an absolute frenzy in
Jerusalem. It would be like the media frenzy that builds up in our culture
over various events and celebrities, like the recent royal engagement and
upcoming wedding in Great Britain. On the Internet it’s called “going
viral,” when some news, or information, or a video, or a rumor, spreads quickly
and widely. That’s the kind of frenzy Jerusalem was in over the news, “We have seen
his star in the East and have come to worship him.” Many in Jerusalem were
excited and joyful at this news, like Anna and Simeon, who welcomed the infant
King when he was presented at the Temple in Jerusalem, and proclaimed him to be
the promised Messiah. As we sing in the words of Simeon after Communion,
“Lord, now let your servant depart in peace, according to your word; for my eyes
have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all people, a
light to enlighten the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel.” But, while many were like Anna and Simeon, excited and joyful at this
news that the long-awaited Messiah had come, there were others in Jerusalem like
Herod, who was “troubled” at this news, because he was fearful of this rival to
his throne. It’s interesting that the birth of Christ still causes such a negative
reaction among some in our world today. There’s a group of atheists that
every year sues cities for the right to put up a large banner next to the
cities’ outdoor nativity displays. This year they brought suits in Florida,
Connecticut, and Texas. The big sign they put up, right next to the nativity
says: “There are no gods, no devils, no angels, no heaven or hell. . . Religion
is just myth and superstition.” What motivates them to do that? Why do they think that’s necessary?
It seems that like Herod they still fear this little Babe. They’ve
exaggerated human reason into false god, and like Herod they fear this little
Babe as a rival, who will dethrone their false god Reason. They fear the
power this little Babe still has to win over human hearts. That’s also the reason why each year there are so many terror attacks
that take place around the world at Christmastime. It’s like Herod,
slaughtering the boys of Bethlehem in a vain attempt to kill the Christ.
These acts of terror are perpetrated at Christmastime as a statement against
Christ and Christianity. Because, like Herod, they too still fear this
little Babe; they fear him a rival to THEIR false god, Allah; THEY fear the
power he still has to win over human hearts. “Where is he who has been born King of the Jews?
For we have seen 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.” The first news of Christ’s birth caused a frenzy in Jerusalem, and some
2,000 years later our commemoration of this event still causes a frenzy each
year, in our world, and in our lives. Shopping, decorating, traveling,
celebrating; all the frenzy of Christmas can smother the real meaning of
Christmas. “Where is he who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen his star in the East and have come to worship him.” That’s what it’s really all about. He is the King of Kings, the
promised Messiah, who for us and our salvation came to earth and was made man.
As Martin Luther says in the Small Catechism, “I believe that Jesus Christ, true
God, begotten of the Father from eternity, and also true man, born of the Virgin
Mary, is my Lord, who has redeemed me, a lost and condemned creature, purchased
and won me from all sins, from death, and from the power of the devil; not with
gold or silver, but with His holy, precious blood and with His innocent
suffering and death.” “Where is he who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen his star in the East and have come to worship him.” That’s what it’s really all about. He is your King, your Savior,
your Lord. Like the Wise Men, “Worship Christ the newborn King!” “When they heard the king, they departed; and
behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came
and stood over where the young Child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced
with exceedingly great joy. And when they had come into the house, they saw the
young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they
had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and
myrrh.” The gifts of the Wise Men to the Babe of Bethlehem are not just any
gifts, but they form a confession of the Wise Men’s faith in who this Babe is.
Gold, a gift fit for a king, is their confession that he the King of Kings.
Incense, the spice burned in ancient temples to represent prayers ascending to
God, is their confession that he is more than human, but is God and man, God
born in the flesh. And myrrh, the spice of bitterness, used in ancient
burials, indicate this Child’s bitter life and ultimate death. Epiphany reminds us again of the real meaning of Christmas. The
celebrations are over; the decorations are coming down. Maybe we didn’t
get quite what we wanted for Christmas; maybe the Christmas presents that
brought us so much satisfaction just a week or two ago are already losing their
luster. But the real gift and treasure of Christmas is the Holy Child of
Bethlehem, the King of Kings. Return to Top | Return to Sermons | Home | Email Church Office
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