Getting to Know Jesus: an Introduction

Matthew 2:1-12

1 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from
the east came to Jerusalem 2 and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”

3 When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. 5 “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:

6 “‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’”

7 Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. 8 He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”

9 After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 11 On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. 12 And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.

 Getting to Know Jesus: An Introduction to the Saviour of the Nations

Imagine an empty stage in a dark theatre. When you walked in the lights were up, people were chatting, but now everyone is in their seats waiting silently for the first scene to begin.

A single spotlight shines on a lone figure in the middle of the stage. If you tried, you might be able to see the shadowy forms of the scenery in the darkness behind him, but the focus is crystal clear. All the director wants you to focus on is who this character is, and why you should care about him.

That’s really what the season of Epiphany is all about. It’s about shining a spotlight on Jesus and getting to know who this man is and what he came to do. And the festival of Epiphany, which we’re celebrating today, is like the opening scene of the first act. Here is your introduction to God’s Son who was revealed to the Magi by a star, who is revealed to the world in Scripture, and who is revealed to you as your Saviour.  

We just read the story of the Magi from Matthew’s gospel. He tells us that after Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”[1]

The Magi were a group of scholars and advisors to the king. We don’t know exactly where these Magi come from, but we have seen them in Scripture before. Daniel was one of the Magi back when the Israelites were in captivity in Babylon. Actually, Daniel wasn’t just one of the Magi, he was their leader. He was so wise that he was the lead advisor to the king in Babylon, which might help to explain why centuries later these foreigners would have any knowledge of or interest in the birth of the king of the Jews.

The star they saw wasn’t like the “Christmas star” we saw this year when Saturn and Jupiter converged. What the Magi saw wasn’t a planetary convergence, a comet, a meteor or anything else you could point a telescope at. It was miraculous.

It appeared out nowhere, disappeared for a while, and then reappeared sometime later. At first it moved from East to West but later it moved from North to South. It was even so precise that it could single out the exact house in Bethlehem where the baby Jesus was staying. No star, planet or anything in the night sky could do any of those things. This was entirely new and supernatural, but, more importantly, it came with a purpose – to point the Magi to the newborn King.

Now, there are still a lot of questions about this story. What did the star look like? How did they know what it meant? Why did nobody else follow it? God doesn’t answer those questions for us, because, frankly, they don’t matter. The star that brought the Magi to Jesus was like a spotlight that shines on a stage. You’re not supposed to wonder how many lumens are in that light or where it’s hanging or who is at the controls. It’s just a tool to focus your attention where it belongs – on the Christ promised in Scripture.

And that brings us to our second point. Jesus was revealed to the Magi by a star – this very special, supernatural, miraculous sign – but he was also revealed to the world by Scripture.

It seems that by the time the Magi got to Jerusalem, the star had disappeared. They couldn’t see it anymore. So, like sensible people, they stopped and asked for directions. That special, supernatural, once-in-a-lifetime, miraculous sign only got them so far. It wasn’t until they consulted other believers who pointed them to the pages of Scripture that they finally found their Saviour.

The chief priests and the teachers of the law answered their question: The one who was to be born king of the Jews was supposed to be born “in Bethlehem in Judea, for this is what the prophet has written: ‘But you Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’”[2]

When the Magi were lost they turned the pages of Scripture and there God’s promises gave them the answers they needed. Which is amazing, when you think about it, because these guys who had solved the riddle of the star – that no one else on earth was looking for – they didn’t know something as simple or commonplace as Micah’s prophecy, that the chief priests and the teachers of the law could rattle off from memory.

I guess it goes to show that you don’t need to know all of Scripture to put your hope and trust in God’s promises. At the same time, it also goes to show that even if you do know all of Scripture, knowledge is not the same thing as faith. None of the chief priests or teachers of law tagged along. They knew the promises of God, but they put didn’t put their hope in them. The Magi, on the other hand, who only knew a sliver of what Scripture had to say about the Saviour, they went right on their way.

And along the way, the star reappeared. Matthew says, “The star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.”[3]

You can see that these Wise Men were sincere in their desire to worship the newborn king. They were overjoyed. They bowed down to the ground. They gave him expensive gifts. This wasn’t just some intellectual pursuit; they were personally invested. Their journey wasn’t just informative; it was transformative. It changed their lives, and it’s a journey that can change your life too.

We just came out of a challenging year. The first week of January is already a normal time to think about the future. That’s why we make resolutions to eat better and exercise more and use our phones less. But this year feels a little different, doesn’t it? It’s not just about those personal goals. It’s also about wondering whether there’s reason for hope or optimism about the year ahead.

Sometimes it would be nice to have a star to guide your way, wouldn’t it? “God, just show me where to go; show me what lies ahead.” But not even this special, supernatural, once-in-a-lifetime, miraculous star got the Magi all the way to Jesus. They needed Scripture too.

And if there are lessons to be learned from the Magi, I think the first is that sometimes we need to stop and ask for directions. The Magi’s search for Jesus put them in contact with who knows how many people in Jerusalem who were waiting for the same thing. The Magi needed help and guidance themselves – and they got it when they were pointed to the pages of Scripture – but they also undoubtedly planted a seed of hope in others too. They were talking about the birth of the King of the Jews. That got people’s attention. And even if they didn’t follow the Magi to Bethlehem, I doubt they ever forgot the strangers they met in Jerusalem or the message of hope and optimism they gave them.

The community of believers is a benefit for everyone involved. That’s why we cherish these weekly get-togethers, even if they look a little different than they used to. That’s why, even for those of you who are worshiping from home, we want to stay in contact with you, because we have the opportunity to offer guidance and support to each other. We can be beacons of hope and shoulders to cry on for one another. But most importantly, we can point each other to Scripture.

That’s the second and maybe most important lesson to be learned from the Magi – we need Scripture to point us to our Saviour. That’s what God’s Word does! That’s the Bible’s purpose. And that’s why in the season of Epiphany we shine a spotlight on Jesus.

The Magi called him the King of the Jews. He’s your king too. He doesn’t hold local office. He sits on the throne of heaven and from there he rules over everything for your good.

The prophet Micah referred to him as a ruler who will shepherd his people. You are his people. He protects and provides for you every day, like a shepherd for his sheep. He calls you by name and cares for you body and soul.

That’s why he was born in Bethlehem in Judea, and why he died just a few miles down the road on hill outside of Jerusalem. Jesus came to be your king, yes, but to be a different kind of king – to save you from your sin, to die in your place on a cross, to give you eternal life and a home in heaven, to give you hope and a future.

At the beginning of this new year, with all the unknown possibilities and responsibilities that lie ahead, take a moment just look to Jesus. The future may be dark and indecipherable, but this one thing we do know – Christ came to be your King. God’s Son was born to be your Saviour. You have hope for this life and the next not because of who you are or what you can do in the next 12 months, but because of who he is and what he’s done for you. In Jesus, you have reason to be optimistic and rejoice, just like the Magi did.

May God fill you with their joy as you focus on his Son, revealed by a star, revealed in the pages of Scripture, revealed to be your Saviour. Amen.  

[1] Matthew 2:1,2

[2] Matthew 2:5,6

[3] Matthew 2:9-11

St. Pete's on Repeat RSS

Preserving the Joy of Christmas

Luke 2:25-40

Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He
was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him. 26 It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. 27 Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, 28 Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying:

29 “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised,
    you may now dismiss your servant in peace.
30 For my eyes have seen your salvation,
31     which you have prepared in the sight of all nations:
32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
    and the glory of your people Israel.”

33 The child’s father and mother marveled at what was said about him. 34 Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, 35 so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.”

36 There was also a prophet, Anna, the daughter of Penuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, 37 and then was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. 38 Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.

39 When Joseph and Mary had done everything required by the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee to their own town of Nazareth. 40 And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was on him.

Preserving the Joy of Christmas

What does the day after Christmas look like in your house? We do so much to prepare for Christmas. We decorate. We buy and wrap presents. We make special meals. We get dressed up. We listen to Christmas music. We eat Christmas cookies. But how long after Christmas day does the Christmas spirit last?

Do you still feel festive today? Will you still be full of holiday cheer next week? Or the week after? How about a month after Christmas, long after the tree has come down and your new gifts have lost their new gift smell – will it still feel like Christmas to you then?

That’s about where we pick up the story of Mary and Joseph and the baby today. It’s about a month after Jesus’ birth. Leading up to that night, it must have been so surreal for both of them to have been visited by the angel Gabriel who announced that Mary would give birth to the Messiah. It must have been insane for 9 months to see Mary’s belly grow and know who was inside. It must have been so exciting to finally meet him and hold him in their arms. That’s why Mary treasured up all the events of that night and pondered them in her heart.

But how many dirty diapers do you suppose it took to bring Mary and Joseph crashing back to reality? How many sleepless nights of feeding a growing baby before they forgot that first night? At some point, we just move on and we go on with life. Christmas is over. It’s time for the next thing.

But that’s why I appreciate the story of Simeon and Anna. For them, what we read in Luke 2 today was Christmas. They weren’t there on that first Christmas night. They hadn’t seen the baby Jesus wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger. This was their first crack at the Christ, their first sight of their Saviour. And for a Mary and Joseph who were almost surely in full parent mode, it must have been a wonderful reminder and a beautiful way to keep their Christmas spirit bright.

Simeon is introduced to us as a righteous and devout man who was waiting for the consolation of Israel. Anna is introduced to us as a very old, widowed, prophetess – somebody who knew God’s Word well and was willing to share it with others – who was looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem. Both are faithful believers, and so it comes as little surprise to find them both frequenting the temple courts on this random day when Jesus, Mary and Joseph arrive.

Now, I think that’s an important point to note. Simeon and Anna were both faithful church-goers. They had heard the promises of God from childhood and they treasured them so much that they wanted to hear them over and over again. We don’t actually know how old Simeon was, but we do know that Anna was at least 84 and Luke says that “she never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying.”[1] (Now, this is probably hyperbole; Anna almost certainly had a home of her own and a place where she would go to sleep and eat, but the point is that she was in the temple a lot.)

Simeon and Anna didn’t lose their excitement about the consolation of Israel or the redemption of Jerusalem in the days, weeks, months, or even years after they had first heard about them. Their eagerness and anticipation built in them an insatiable hunger for more of God’s Word, even if they had heard it before.

Sometimes we experience those lulls in enthusiasm in our lives. It’s easy to get up for Christmas. It’s easy to get excited for the carols and the candles. It’s not always as easy to get up for worship the next Sunday or the Sunday after that. We can feel “churched-out” or we can tune out when we hear something that sounds like something we’ve heard before. We can lose our excitement over incredible promises from God.

Simeon was waiting for the consolation of Israel. To console someone means to comfort them. The Israelites need consolation. They had once been God’s Chosen People. When King David sat on the throne – and Solomon after him – they had been the envy of the Middle East. Kings and dignitaries would travel from around the world just to come and see the glory of Israel.

But now, in these last days of Simeon’s life, Israel was a shadow of its former self. The Romans were ruthless overlords who awarded the kingdom of Israel to the highest bidder. Solomon’s golden and glorious Temple had long since been destroyed and divvied up for its cash value. 10 of the 12 tribes of Israel had been scattered to the winds and lost to history, and there was little hope that anything would ever get better.

But that’s what Simeon was waiting for day after day in the temple courts. Like we heard in our First Lesson for today: “All the descendants of Israel will find deliverance in the Lord.”[2] God had promised deliverance which would be a comfort and consolation to faithful believers like Simeon.

Anna was waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem. The city that had once housed faithful David’s palace and wise Solomon’s temple had lost its way. It, and the people who lived in it, were now corrupt and couldn’t care less what God had to say. Jerusalem, and all the people in it, needed to be redeemed, purified, forgiven.

And God had promised that too: “Turn to me and be saved, all you ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other.”[3] “There is no God apart from me, a righteous God and a Saviour.”[4]

Simeon and Anna were waiting for God to keep his promises, so they kept coming to hear his Word and be reminded and comforted by his love. And then one day God’s love walked through the door.

Luke doesn’t tell us how they possibly knew who Jesus really was, but there’s only one answer. The Holy Spirit must have revealed it to them, and they responded accordingly. Simeon cradles Jesus in the crook of his arm and sings a song to God. Anna saw her infant Saviour and instantly gave thanks to God and spread the word to everyone who listen that this child was the fulfillment of God’s promises.

For Simeon and Anna, this was their Christmas day. For Mary and Joseph, it must have been a precious moment that brought them back to the day he was born. For you and me, Simeon and Anna are a wonderful reminder that every day is Christmas day. Every day we have the opportunity to gather around God’s Word, just like Simeon and Anna did, and hear his promises of consolation and redemption.

What consolation are you waiting for? What comfort do you need? There are a lot of hurts and pains in this world, and not even a holiday like Christmas can cover them all up. Sometimes these holidays make those pains even more poignant. Whatever your pain, Jesus is your consolation.

Now, it’s worth pointing out that Jesus did not restore the kingdom to Israel. He did not throw off the yoke of Roman oppression, the way that many in Israel wanted him to. He didn’t bring back the 10 lost tribes of Israel or rebuild Solomon’s Temple in all its glory. But Jesus did give comfort and consolation to souls that were suffering.

To people who were yearning for something more and for something better, Jesus painted a picture of perfection. He promised them, and us, the holy halls of heaven, where there is no pain or heartache or sorrow or frustration or disappointment or depression. He promised us the home of God, away from this sin-sick world, away from the problems that we face here. That’s the same consolation that God promises you, through the same redemption that Anna was waiting for.

What redemption do you need? Where have you gone astray? Are you quick to lose the joy of Christmas? Are you quick to quit hearing God’s promises? Have you lost your love for being in the earthly house of God or for listening to his holy Word? If you have, then you’re not alone, but our comfort doesn’t come from having company; it comes from knowing our Christ.

And I think that’s the amazing thing about Simeon and Anna. They saw that tiny little 6lb 8oz baby Jesus and they saw their Saviour. They met him at the beginning of his life, likely before he could hold his own head up straight, and they saw the man who would wear a crown of thorns on that same scalp; they saw the man who would live and die and give his life for sinners like you and me who need forgiveness, who need redemption and consolation. And in Jesus we find both. Jesus gives us both peace and pardon, and that’s a message, I pray, that we never grow tired of hearing.

May we be like Simeon and Anna and cling to those promises with a joy that no amount of time can diminish. The holiday may be over. You may have to go back to work tomorrow. Maybe you never got off of work for Christmas, but the spirit and joy of Christmas doesn’t reside in the smell of freshly baked cookies, festively decorated houses or brightly packaged presents. The spirit of Christmas lives in the message of Jesus – our consolation and our redemption. And that’s a message that 84 years of never leaving the temple of God is not enough to exhaust.  

May you be like Simeon and Anna and hold the infant Jesus dear at Christmas and every day of the year. May every day that you set aside to hear the promises of God be to you a new Christmas day, when God fills you with joy at the sight of your Saviour, your consolation and your redemption. Christmas may be over, but our joy is just beginning, through Jesus Christ our newborn king. Amen.

Let us pray: Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you may now dismiss your servants in peace. For our eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all nations: a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel. Amen.   

[1] Luke 2:37

[2] Isaiah 45:25

[3] Isaiah 45:22

[4] Isaiah 45:21

St. Pete's on Repeat RSS