Where is the King?

Epiphany, January 6, 2013　
　

The Gospel According to Matthew
MT 2:1 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 in the east and have come to worship him."
MT 2:3 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 Christ was to be born. 5 "In Bethlehem in Judea," they replied, "for this is what the prophet has written:
MT 2:6 " `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 be the shepherd of my people Israel.' "
MT 2:7 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 make a careful search for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him."
MT 2:9 After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east 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 and of incense and of myrrh. 12 And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.
MT 2:13 When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. "Get up," he said, "take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him."
MT 2:14 So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, 15 where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: "Out of Egypt I called my son."
MT 2:16 When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi. 17 Then what was said through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled:
MT 2:18 "A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more."
MT 2:19 After Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt 20 and said, "Get up, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who were trying to take the child's life are dead."
MT 2:21 So he got up, took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel. 22 But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning in Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. Having been warned in a dream, he withdrew to the district of Galilee, 23 and he went and lived in a town called Nazareth. So was fulfilled what was said through the prophets: "He will be called a Nazarene."


Where is the King? "Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him." Where is the King?

Of course the official King of Judah at that time was Herod. He was not born in the line of King David, but the Roman Senate had given him the title of “king.” Naturally, when the Wisemen came, Herod first thought of himself or his children or grandchildren. But there were no little children in the household of Herod. Was there a mistake? No one doubted the Wisemen because they were “Magi,” astrologers. People respected astrologers in those days. And these astrologers had been given a revelation by God that the King of the Jews had been born. So where is the king? Then Herod realized that if it was not a member of his family, then it must be the Messiah, the Christ, sent by God. Then he called upon those who studied the Bible and asked them where the Christ was to be born.

The Chief Priests and Teachers of the Law did not trust stars. But they trusted the Word of God. And they answered Herod according to the Word of the Bible.

"In Bethlehem in Judea," they replied, "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 be the shepherd of my people Israel.' "

And so the Magi went to Bethlehem where they saw the star again. They found where the Christ Child was. They worshiped him and gave their gifts of gold, incense and myrrh. Later, King Herod tried to destroy the child by killing all the little boys in Bethlehem two years old and under. But it was not yet time for the Christ to die, so God sent Jesus to Egypt to be safe.

Later, King Herod tried to destroy the child by killing all the little boys in Bethlehem two years old and under. But it was not yet time for the Christ to die, so God sent Jesus to Egypt to be safe.

Where is the King? The Wisemen asked it, King Herod asked it, and so do we. But maybe our quest is more like that of Herod. We think that we ourselves are kings and queens. In our own little world at home or at work, it maybe so. We want to control things, or at least know what is going on. And like Herod, it is hard for us to give up control. It is hard to share power with anyone else. We understand Herod very well. We may not like the murderous king, we may not be like him, but we understand why he wanted to destroy the Christ. Sinful people do not want competition from God. Sinful people want to destroy Christ. Sinful people want to crucify him. And so we are more successful than Herod was. In our sin and pride, we crucified Jesus. We nailed him to the cross and put up the sign above his head, “This is he King of the Jews.”

Where is the King? We have found him! He is on the cross. The Good News is that Jesus did not flee again to Egypt for safety, but rather suffered and died for us. At that time he served us as our King. He took upon himself the sin of the world, the responsibility for the sin of the world, and so died. But in that death, he began to rule as King over hell and sin and death.

Where is the King? On the third day he rose again. He ascended into heaven where he reigns as King of kings and Lord of lords.

Where is the King? Herod could not find him, but we can. Jesus is in our hearts and lives. He is in the Bible. He is in Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. He is in our prayers and the prayers of others who pray for us. We do not have to follow a star and go to Bethlehem. Jesus comes to us. In faith we find him. In faith we offer to him our treasures, we offer our very lives to him.

Amen.

Michael Nearhood, Pastor
Okinawa Lutheran Church


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