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“O
Little Town of Bethlehem,” the great Christmas hymn of Phillips Brook=
s,
has enshrined in our hearts the place where the Christ-child was born. The =
size
and simplicity of that “little town” stood in stark contrast to=
the
city of Jerusalem 5 miles to the north. In Jerusalem were the temple and
religious leaders of the Jews; the center of commerce for a broad area; and=
the
seat of government for the region of Judea --- which, in the time of Jesus,
meant the governing bureaucracy of the Roman occupation.
“Bethlehem”
means “house of bread,” a name likely given the town because of=
its
surrounding by fields of grain, and in its “dark streets” would
shine “the everlasting light” of one who came to be for all
humankind, the “bread of life.” Ephrathah, a name meaning
“fruitful,” distinguished the “little town” of our
story from another even littler one that included “Bethlehem” in
its name.
There
are many references in Hebrew prophecy to a promised ‘messiah’ =
who
would come in God’s good time to save his people and restore the whol=
e of
creation to its original intentions, but it was words from the fifth chapte=
r of
Micah that were thought to indicate where that event might take plac=
e.
Hence, from an insignificant town and an insignificant clan (as the world
measures things) would come forth the “anointed one” --- the “messiah” --- who would
“shepherd” or ̶=
0;rule” Israel “in the majesty of the name of the Lord.”
Nazareth
became the town that Jesus and his family called “home” during =
his
growing-up years, and Matthew’s account of how and why that happened
differs from Luke’s version. It was his birth in Bethlehem, however, =
that
those gospels agreed gave Jesus his identity within “the house and
lineage of David” --- the king who ruled Judah at the height of its
influence, and to whom the prophets said the ‘messiah’ would in
some later day be related.
Bethlehem
was where Jacob buried his beloved Rachel and built a memorial at her
graveside. Bethlehem was where Ruth was living when she married Boaz in that
wonderful story of love and commitment --- and ethnic diversity. Most relev=
ant
to today’s story, Bethlehem was the birthplace of David, from whom
Matthew traces the ‘messiah’ through 28 generations at the outs=
et
of his gospel before giving his brief account of what happened --- and
didn’t happen --- in the relationship of a young couple engaged to be
married, and the birth of a son that occurred before the ‘knot’
could be tied.
The
lead roles in today’s gospel story are not played by Mary, Joseph and=
the
baby. Joseph is not mentioned at all; Mary and Jesus play only minor parts.=
It
is the mysterious visitors from the East and the ruling king of Judea who a=
re
at the center of this drama which, along with Luke’s account of angels
and shepherds, provides the most memorable parts of what we think of as
‘the Christmas story.’
Magio<=
/span> is a =
Greek
word with more than one potential rendering. As used several times in the B=
ook
of Acts, it refers to a “magician” or “sorcerer” ---
one who appears to play tricks with physical reality and have the ability to
‘pull the wool over people’s eyes,’ so to speak. Jesus ---
the “lamb of God” ---was believed to be a magician by some skep=
tics
who saw or heard of his ‘miracles’ and attributed them to a les=
s-than-divine
source. Unlike the delightful young man who entertained capacity crowds her=
e in
our sanctuary on New Year’s Eve, magicians were not highly regarded in
biblical times, even thought to be charlatans. “Magician” is not
likely the intended interpretation for the travelers to Bethlehem.
The
ancient historian Herodotus claimed that the magi were a Median tribe of
priests in biblical times when Medes were part of the Persian empire. They
played a role similar to that of the Levites in Israel. They were teachers =
of
the Persian kings and other elites, respected for their wisdom and holiness.
Skilled in philosophy, medicine and natural science, they were known for
interpreting dreams and ‘saying soothes’ as well as being schol=
ars.
Given human nature, it’s possible that some of them ended up ‘t=
rying
to make a quick buck’ as fortune tellers, sorcerers and magicians. But
most were presumably honorable folk who spent their lives pursuing knowledge
and seeking after truth.
Astrology
would have been important to their study, for the stars represent that whic=
h is
beyond us and, perhaps, in control of our destinies. Those who read horosco=
pes
these days are not the first to believe that their fate may be directed by =
the
stars under which they were born. In the skies above, stars run their cours=
es
across the sky in pre-determined and consistent ways. Understanding the ord=
er
of the universe as observed in those heavenly bodies and their movement gave
the magi insight, they believed, concerning the fates which affect our ever=
yday
lives and determine the future.
One
can only imagine what meaning these astrologers might have derived from see=
ing
something unusual and unexpected disrupting what they considered the eternal
order of things. Surely the forces which set the stars in place were alerti=
ng
those below that something noteworthy was taking place --- perhaps the birt=
h of
someone destined to be great. We’re not given a clue as to why the
astrologers in this story concluded that the astral phenomenon they observed
was related to the birth of a new “king of the Jews.”
Jews
as well as others shared such beliefs, with some variations. We have an exa=
mple
in the text from Numbers 24:17, sung by our choir a few Sundays ago in a
beautiful setting by Felix Mendelssohn. The star which would come out of Ja=
cob
and the scepter which would rise out of Israel were considered prophetic
references to the coming messiah. Surely, a new or different appearance of a
star rising in the East and slowly making its way across the sky could be
interpreted by those who watch and study such things as announcing somethin=
g of
great importance, something they might even discover if they followed where=
the
star appeared to go.
Like
those who search for Noah’s ark, seeking empirical evidence to
substantiate the historicity and details of biblical stories, people have
always inquired as to whether independent sources can attest to anything
unusual which might have happened in the skies over Bethlehem around the ti=
me
of Jesus’ birth that would give credence to the journey of “the=
wise
men.” There are, in fact, several possibilities to which scholars oft=
en
allude: Halley’s comet passed over in October of 12 B.C. and there wa=
s a
close conjunction of the planets Jupiter and Saturn which would have been s=
een
on three occasions during the year 7 B.C.&=
nbsp;
As a matter of historical fact, we know that Herod --- the king and =
ogre
in this story --- died in 4 BC, hence Jesus was born earlier than either the
Julian or the later Gregorian calendar acknowledge.
Take
to heart, however, the admonition of biblical commentator Douglas Hare in
reference to this passage: “Matthew’s sublime story of the
adoration of the Magi has often been better understood by poets and artists
than by scholars, whose microscopic analysis has missed its essence.”=
Our
challenge, he says, is “to seek a deeper understanding of the story
through study of its narrative details without losing our wonderment at the
story as a whole.”
Later
legends made the astrologers into “kings,” assumed there were t=
hree
of them according to the number of gifts mentioned, and even gave them name=
s.
But if they were not kings, they were at least the teachers of kings and
enjoyed the respect and honor given the elite among their people. Prophecie=
s in
the Hebrew scriptures --- and passages such as our Psalm for today ---
concerning kings and nations coming to bow down before God’s
‘messiah’ and recognize the universality of his kingdom played a
large role, of course, in the development of Christian tradition concerning=
the
identity of those who presented the Christ child with gifts revealing the
new-born to be a king. At the beginning of Matthew’s gospel, barriers=
of
race, religion and culture which divide humankind were removed and, consist=
ent
with that, his account of the ‘good news’ ends with the discipl=
es
being instructed to “go into =
all
the world” --- and they did.
The
visitors from the East share the lead role in this drama with another, more
sinister, character: Herod. In recognition of his military conquests on beh=
alf
of the Empire, the Roman Senate appointed Herod to be ‘King of the
Jews’ in 37 BC. He would become known as “Herod the Great”
and would rule Judea until his death in 4 BC. He was half-Jew himself, and =
was
sometimes generous to the people he ruled. During his reign peace prevailed=
in
Palestine --- which we have been tragically reminded in recent days is no s=
mall
feat. Among the many extravagant building projects undertaken during his
administration was the renovation and enlargement of the Temple in Jerusale=
m.
He
had a well-noted character flaw, however: a paranoid fear of any around him=
who
might usurp his power. It developed into something more than a ‘list =
of
enemies’ such as Richard Nixon is reported to have kept. Herod had the
power, after all, to have potential rivals “disappeared” --- as
today’s euphemism would put it ---, and over the course of time the
victims included three of his sons, his wife and his mother-in-law (donR=
17;t
smile)! His response, therefore, to hearing news of a new ‘King of the
Jews’ being born was quite in character. Even today those who control=
the
reigns of power do not look neutrally at others who might take it from them=
; in
some parts of the world, political assassinations are not just a thing of t=
he
past. Indeed, the ultimate meaning of today’s story may well be found=
in
the rivalry of two kings and two kingdoms that continues down to the present
day.
Matthew
makes great use of dreams in the early chapters of his gospel as a mode of
communication between the divine and human. I’ve had several distinct
“warning dreams” in my lifetime which make quite credible to me=
the
reason given in this story for the “wise men” skipping Jerusale=
m on
their way home. The passages
immediately following today’s reading make clear the necessity of
shielding Jesus from murderers in high places until he was ready, near the =
end
of his earthly ministry, to directly challenge those who love power,
confronting them with the power of love.
You
and I are called to do the same. We are called to follow the one to whom the
wise men journeyed while following a star. We are to take the hand of him
before whom the ‘wise men,’ the Babylonian astrologers, the
‘three kings’ bowed down to worship, and we are to follow hi=
m
where he leads. We are called to hold hands with one another to confront wi=
th
the power of love those earthly powers which bring death and destruction up=
on
so many with whom we share the human journey.
I
close this meditation with verse written by Marvin Ludwig for the Christmas
card he and Ruth sent out this year. Many of you join me, I know, in
appreciating Marv’s spiritual insights and his ability to articulate
them. So I asked permission to use his words this morning because th=
ey
speak eloquently of the journey we are all called to make on behalf =
of
that child born in the “little town of Bethlehem” while a unique
star lingered overhead:
Christ=
mas is
the birth of a new and ever renewing promise.
Christ
comes, He calls and He holds firm to you and me.
Christ=
’s
bidding is: “Take my hand for I have come
to lift you out of harm’s way.
Take M=
y hand
for I will shed My love and peace upon you and yours.
Take m=
y hand
and I will lead the way to where you must serve.”
Serve =
by
teaching those eager to learn and you will learn from them.
Serve =
those
who stand waiting on red burning sands,
starving in need =
of
food and drink.
Serve =
those
who feel pain, see no more, hear nothing
and
are silent in their suffering, but are wanting.
Serve =
those
near and far; those who know war
and
those who labor tirelessly for goodwill and peace.
Serve =
even
those who hide from truth and who know only darkness.
Serve =
for
the joy of serving.
Take
Christ’s hand and he will lift you to new heights
so that you might see, hear and
understand His charge.
Take
Christ’s hand as your Christmas gift of love.
He has=
come
anew but we are no longer strangers.
We are pa= rtners in a service of love and peace.