God Warned of This

Text: Matthew 2:1-12

Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

          This past week I watched a program about King Herod, ruler of Judea at the time of Jesus’ birth. The tagline to begin the show was, “While the Bible portrays him as a diabolical villain, history books refer to him as Herod the Great.” The program went on to tell of all the great things Herod accomplished in his lifetime, focusing specifically on the port city of Caesarea Maritima, where Herod built a fantastic sprawling metropolis with a palace for himself, a great harbor with a lighthouse, a theater to rival any in Rome at the time, and even a hippodrome to host horse and chariot races that could seat up to 30,000 people. At its height, an estimated quarter million people lived in Caesarea. All to honor and garner the favor of Caesar Augustus.

While Herod also oversaw the expansion of the second temple in Jerusalem in the decades before Jesus’ birth, he certainly can’t be called any type of friend of the Jews. And even though history seeks to repaint Herod as “not such a bad guy,” his actions immediately following the birth of our Savior should remind us that if not for the grace of God, the salvation we enjoy would have been put in extreme jeopardy. God inserted Himself into human history through the birth of His Son, but He also very clearly acted within that history to ensure that Jesus would have the ability to complete the mission He was sent to accomplish. Today’s Gospel reading reminds us that

GOD PROVIDES WARNINGS TO ENSURE THE SAFETY OF HIS CHILDREN.

          As we celebrate Epiphany, it’s totally appropriate to marvel at the journey of the wise men from the east to worship the baby Jesus. It’s an incredible account. From far and wide people knew that a Messiah was coming and God made it clear to these prominent figures, (wise men, kings, magi – whatever you might like to call them), that the Messiah had arrived. “And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh.” You can’t have the nativity scene without the wise men bringing their gifts and adoring the newborn king.

And yet, there’s a part of this account that often gets overlooked. And it’s just as important as the arrival of the wise men. The circumstances of their departure tells us just as much about God’s grace and favor toward His people as does their arrival and adoration. Remember how excited Herod seemed to hear that important people were seeking out this special baby? He even summons the wise men to him, gathers information about the timing of the star’s appearance, and sends them off to find Jesus with the instructions that “when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him.” It really seems like Herod is interested in participating in the worship of the One born King of the Jews.

But there’s a couple clues in our text that tell us that this isn’t really the case. The first is that “When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled…” That could certainly just mean that he didn’t know what to make of all the fanfare, or that the disorder in his part of the Roman Empire could reflect poorly on his leadership of the area. But the second clue makes it very clear that there’s more to it than that. “And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, [the wise men] departed to their own country by another way.”

The real problem for Herod lies in the question the wise men were asking when they entered into Jerusalem. “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews?” Which to us is just the simple question of an earnest group of seekers. But to Herod it was a punch in the gut. “Don’t you know that I’m the king of the Jews. Who does this baby think he is trying to take my title? And if these people think he can take my title, they might also think that he has some authority around here.” It makes a lot of sense that Herod would be offended and challenged by anyone who would take away any of his power or authority. And especially if word started to get back to Caesar that there was a challenge to his reign.

It’s not too flattering to be compared to Herod, but I think in this case we could say that there are times when we react exactly as he does. We think we’ve got it all together. We think we’re in control. We think we have the authority to determine what we’re going to do, when we’re going to do it, and how it’s going to get done. And then God says, “wait a second, you’re not really in control.” And we don’t like it one bit. We might not respond exactly like Herod does, but our sinful nature rebels against the Law God lays down just as vehemently. But really that Law is God’s gracious way of giving us His loving warning. Warning that while He is the God of love, he also demands our full devotion to Him. The consequences of failure in this are not ones we want to suffer. Which is why His Law, which keeps us on the path He has laid out, shows us our need for the Savior, and guides us in the way we should go, is a loving warning to all people. It’s also why the only loving thing for His people to do when we see others straying from God’s path is to, in great love for our neighbor, not allow them to walk down the wide path to destruction without repeating the warnings God has given.

The wise men were extremely blessed that God decided to warn them “in a dream not to return to Herod.” Had they gone back that way they would have been faced with a terrible dilemma. Reveal the location of the Christ Child or face the wrath of King Herod. God spared them from having to make that decision. Which is what God’s continued warnings to His people do. They spare us. It’s what the warning Joseph had in a dream shortly after the visit of the wise men did. It spared baby Jesus from the wrath of a frightened and merciless Herod who would order the murder of “all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time he had ascertained from the wise men.”

I’ve never had a vision like that of the wise men or of Joseph, but I do know that God continues to warn His people about those who would lead them astray. About the dangers of following any path other than the one He lays out for us. And I know that sounds pretty restrictive but following God’s path doesn’t mean we don’t have choices or freedom in life. In fact, there’s a reason God created us with such diverse gifts, talents, interests, and personalities. So that we can use them all to His glory. My path isn’t going to be exactly the same as yours. Your life won’t look exactly like your neighbor’s. But the boundaries God has put in place – the warnings He so graciously gives – are designed to ensure that whatever path we walk as believers leads to the only destination worth striving for.

So, God warns us about those, who like Herod, at first seem like they’re preaching the right message. Like they’re following the same roadmap that we are. When in reality they’re only wolves in sheep’s clothing. Telling us what we want to hear so that their own purposes might be served. Unfortunately, we have these people within the church as abundantly as we have them outside it. And it’s nothing new to the church. Paul warns of false preachers leading the faithful astray even in the first century church. Sometimes they’re hard to spot. Their message sounds good to our itching ears.

But thanks be to God that He’s given us a warning just as good as any that came in a vision to the wise men or Joseph. He’s given us His Word. In the Bible which guides our thinking and our actions. And in the Word made flesh – Jesus Christ Himself. The One who came to walk the perfect path, so that even when we don’t heed God’s warnings, we know that His sacrifice covers over our failures.

I pray that as you enjoy this celebration of Epiphany you would be like the wise men. Earnestly seeking the King of the Jews – the King of Kings – so that you might come and worship Him. And don’t let the world or anyone in it lead you astray by trying to rewrite history as it has with Herod. God warns us against those who oppose Him. Or only seem to follow Him but really only want what’s best for themselves. What’s best for all of us is to follow the One whose star the wise men followed so that they might worship and adore the newborn King. Amen.

The peace of God which surpasses all understanding guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.