SermonCONCEPT
Sermon
These are written periodically for personal study. Conventionally, the
‘Text’ is taken from the relevant readings for the Japanese Holy Communion
Services. These sermons are written in Japanese and English, one of which
can be found in each language elsewhere on this web site
CHURCH OF IRELAND (TRADITIONAL RITE)
Epiphany
Reverend Ivan Cosvy
Epistle: Ephesians 3:1-12; Gospel: Mt. 2:1-12.
Text：And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary
his mother, and fell down and worshipped him, and they presented unto him
gifts: gold frankincense and myrrh. [Mt.2: 11]
Introduction:
Epiphany is the time of year when the Church reflects on the manifestation
of the Personhood of the Second Person of the Trinity, who came amongst
us in his Human Nature, in other words the Messiah, or the Christ to use
the Greek term. The essential point that St Matthew is making in his account
of the Magi's search for the young child is that they considered him somebody
that was worthy of being worshipped.
Thereby, they were recognizing his divinity. This extraordinary account
reaches its climatic high point with the statement: They saw the young child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshipped him [v.11b]. Note the preciseness of the text. The Magi had come to worship 'Him.' Mary and Joseph are not included together with the subject of the Magi’s worship. The implication is that the Magi were recognizing the baby exclusively as being distinctively other. It was not just his human babyhood.
St Matthew is making the further point that the sovereign Lord, who is
the subject of the Magi’s' worship, is of a divine order of kingship, such
that temporal kings and leaders were compelled to worship him, too. Hence,
he includes Herod the Great's instruction to the Wise Men: And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search diligently for the
young child; and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may
come and worship him also. [v.8]
More than that, the Magi incident draws attention to the universality of what is taking place. It is a working out of the 'Covenant Promise' given to Abraham: And I will make thee [Abraham] exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee. [Gen.17: 6]
To justify and support this claim the evangelist, St Matthew, is relying on fact. He is recording events because they had actually happened. There is no speculation, whether philosophical or religious, or even the fashionable 'kosher' thinking of his day. The paragraphs below will demonstrate the extent to which the Evangelist relies on historical fact to make his point.
It is also worth noting in passing that St Matthew describes the Magi as
coming into the 'House.' It indicates that they arrived on the scene sometime
after the Shepherds, since Mary and Joseph had, by now, had time to relocate
into more suitable accommodation.
A World that is Confusing Fact and Fiction
We are living in an age, particularly in Western Europe, which for the
last couple of centuries has enjoyed the status of being at the forefront
of what people fondly consider to be the 'Leading Modern Enlightened Civilisation
of the World.' Over time, this civilisation has substantially undermined
itself by replaced Christianity, its foundational infrastructure of moral
order and belief, in favour of the religion of Humanism.
The people of this culture dismiss St Mathew's account of the Magi as myth,
as they do much of the rest of the New Testament, let alone the record
of events in the Old Testament.
The fact is that the modern world, defined by scientific development, had its origins, not in a so called 'Renaissance' inspired by classical civilization, as the great 'Enlightenment' historian Edward Gibbon would have us believe, but by a change of priority in the way we think.
It is about being concerned with, and distinguishing reality from fiction.
Simply put, it is about looking at the world as it actually is. This requires
an absolute concern with 'facts' and 'truth.' From where did this preoccupation
with reality come, seeing the world as it actually is, distinguishing fact
from fiction?
With some justification, reference can be made to the influence of Aristotle's
empiricism, but the overwhelming reason for the paradigm shift was the
widespread serious reading of the Bible, made possible by its translation
into vulgar languages, enabling a whole society to imbibe its mind-set.
It is this change of mind-set, which distinguishes the Modern from the
Medieval world. Men, for instance, no longer studied Astrology believing
it to be on a par with Astronomy.
The GOD of the Bible and the history of the Old Testament are primarily
about distinguishing reality and fact from fiction, and truth from make-belief.
Abraham learned this lesson c.1,500 years before Aristotle came on the
scene. The Old Testament is concerned with history and what actually happened,
and with the cause and effect of these happenings. To be able to do that,
one has to be capable of distinguishing reality from fiction. As we shall
see below, other 'Civilisations' have been concerned with fact far longer
than has 'Modern Western Civilisation.' Alarmingly, modern secular society
is slipping back into a medieval mind-set as it loses the capacity to see
the world as it actually is, distinguishing between fact and make belief.
Rather, there is a tendency to believe that something is true because one
wants it to be so, usually, to conform to some philosophical premise.
The following are typical examples of living in a world of fiction: the
refusal to believe that men and women are qualitatively different, and
they need to be treated as such; believing abortion is something other
than murder; believing in Gaya and psychic forces; confusing reality with
the celluloid world; confusing news and fake news; confusing the sexes,
refusing to comprehend that homosexuality is abnormal; believing that there
are more than two sexes; that Matter, Animal and Human are not absolutely
different; that Christianity cannot be uniquely true, because there are
other religions making the same claim, etc.
St Matthew's Reliance on Reality & Facts to Authenticate the Divinity of Christ
Scripture:
It would seem that St Matthew wrote his Gospel primarily with Jews in
mind. Important for them was evidence of the fulfilment of Scripture, that
is to say, evidence that what the prophets of old had foretold, had actually
come to pass as a historical fact.
In addition, St Matthew is drawing our attention to the fact that Christ
is universally Sovereign, that is to say, He is the ultimate Ruler not
just of the Jewish nation, but also of the whole of Creation.
In this context, chapters one and two are in deliberate juxtaposition. In chapter 1, St Matthew accurately delineates the genealogical ancestry of Joseph's earthly family back to King David's family and beyond. He begins the genealogy thus: the book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of
Abraham, the latter being the Father of the Jewish nation.
It is that period of the genealogy with which St Matthew is primarily concerned,
although he does take it back to Adam to emphasize the universality of
Christ's sovereignty. Not only was Abraham the Father or ruler of the Israelite
nation, but also this would, in time, have universal application: Seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and
all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? [Gen. 18:18]
About 1 in 9 of the world population's acknowledges Christ as their Saviour.
The Kingship of David was the role model of temporal kingship favoured
by the Biblical GOD of Creation, who is over and above his Creation.
And when thy days be fulfilled and thou (David) shall sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom. And he shall build an house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom for ever [2 Sam. 7:12,13]
Subsequent kings were evaluated in how they matched up to the Kingship
of David. For example, the kingship of King Josiah was summed up as follows:
And he did that which was right in the sight of the LORD, and walked all
the way of David his Father, and turned not aside to the right hand or
to the left. [2 Ki.22: 2.]
King David himself referred to the divinity of this Son of David when he affirmed: The LORD (Jehovah) said unto my Lord, sit thou at my right hand, (which is a position of equality,
as opposed to the left hand, which a position of subordination,) until
I make thine enemies thy footstool. [Ps.110: 1]
It is worth comparing what St Luke records the Angel Gabriel saying to Mary: He (Jesus) shall be great, and called the Son of the Highest, and the Lord GOD shall
give unto him the throne of his father David. And He shall reign over the
House of Jacob forever and of His Kingdom, there shall be no end. [Lu.1 32,33]
Towards the end of his ministry, Christ challenged the Pharisees as to
whom they thought was Christ's father, to which they replied King David.
Whereupon Christ quoted the above Psalm 110 to illustrate the point that
King David was subordinate to his descendent the Christ/GOD, to which the
Pharisees had no answer. [See: Mt. 22:41-44.]
St. Matthew also draws attention to a predetermined orderliness in the genealogy, which reflects major events in the historical relationship between GOD and his Chosen Nation, with particular regard to the kingship or heads of the Nation.
He notes that from Abraham to King David there were 14 generations, as
there where between King David and the Captivity in Babylon, when the nation
was subject to punishment under Babylonian rule. The next 14 generations
conclude with Joseph. The genealogy ends thus: And Jacob begat Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ. [Mt. 1:16]
St Matthew is clearly stating that Jesus is born of Mary and that Joseph
did not beget Him, the terminology used for all Joseph's predecessors.
St Matthew then goes on to explain the distinction by describing the historicity
of events preceding Christ's birth and in particular why Joseph being a
just man was minded to put Mary away privily.
The passage begins thus: Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise [Mt. 1:18] Joseph's natural reaction, being a man of the world, and knowing that he was not the father, was minded to put her way privily. In other words, he knew that Mary, too, was innocent. He was concerned to protect her good reputation. Twice Joseph is told that Mary's conception is of a divine order.
In the first instance, note that The Holy Ghost conceived Christ before,
not after Mary and Joseph came together, i.e. were espoused, that is to
say had contracted to marry: before they came together, she (Mary) was found with child of the Holy Ghost. [Mt. 1:18c.] While Joseph was pondering on what to do, the dream he had
of the angel put him at ease: Thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary, thy wife for that which
is in her is of the Holy Ghost. [Mt.1: 20b]
Furthermore, when the son is born, Joseph who is responsible for the well being of this earthly family is told: "thou shalt call his name Jesus (i.e. 'Saviour'); for he shall save HIS people from their sins. [Mt.1: 21] Then, St Matthew quoted an Old Testament prophecy to demonstrate
the veracity of Old Testament prophecy as worked out in historical events:
Behold a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son and they
shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.
[Mt. 22,23, referring to: Isaiah 7:14]
The Historical Fact of Christ's Birth in Bethlehem.
The well informed Jewish world knew that the Messiah would be born in
Bethlehem, not least because they knew and acknowledged in the first place
that the line of David was of Bethlehem. Furthermore, the Prophet Micah
specifically said the Christ would come from Bethlehem: But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands
of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler
in Israel; whose goings forth hath been from old, from everlasting. [Mic.5: 2]
Incidentally, St. John records later that when Christ was attending the
Feast of Tabernacles, the crowds were musing whether or not He might actually
be the Messiah. Many hesitated, because they mistakenly thought that our
LORD originally was of Nazareth. They did not realize, as St Matthew knew,
and St Luke found out the reason why, that in fact Christ was born in Bethlehem,
into a family that was of the House of David, which was also of Bethlehem.
Hath not the Scripture said that Christ cometh from the seed of David, and out of the town of Bethlehem, where David was? [Jn.7: 42.] So, when the Magi called on Herod the Great, asking, where is he that is born King of the Jews that we may come and worship
Him, Herod did not seem to know, possibly because he was an Edomite. He was
obliged to consult all the Chief Priests and Scribes, who came up with
the answer: Bethlehem, quoting the above prophecy of Micah.
The Fact of the Star:
What are called the 'wise men' in the Authorised Version, were in the
Greek texts called Magi (pl. of Magos.) The word Magos is of Persian origin
and has the meaning of 'Great Person.' The word survives into English in
such words as 'magisterial,' 'magnify,' 'magnanimous' and 'majesty,' hence
the notion in the western world that the Magi may have been kings, a sense,
which the original Magos probably does not support. Nevertheless, they
were 'truly great' in the sense of being well-qualified astronomers, respected
in the way that Einstein or Stephen Hawkins are revered today.
King Herod and the Jewish Sanhedrin, to which St Matthew was probably referring,
took seriously, what the Magi had concluded from their astronomical observations.
The only other information we have of the Magi is that they were from the
East. This somewhat imprecise reference could extend from Persia to as
far as China.
In the Christian era, we do know that two Urumchi (Sinkiang) Christians,
Rabban Sâwmâ and Mâr Yahbh-Allâhâ1 were granted the equivalent of passports
by the Chinese Emperor to visit Jerusalem. Mâr Yahbh-Allâh subsequently
became the Patriarch of the East, whose authority extended from the modern
Iraq to China.
It is not inconceivable that the Magi could have come from China. Rabban
Sâwmâ got as far West as Gascony where he met with King Edward I (c.1287.)
From wherever in the East the Magi came, what was it they saw that had
inspired them to travel westward?
It is known that Chinese astronomy, at the period of the Magi, was far in advance of anything in the western world. The Astronomical Records of the Book of the Han Dynasty (206 BC. - 220 AD) 2has an accurate record of what the Magi also saw, as described by St Matthew, wherever they happened to have been when they saw it. The relevant sighting was made during the reign of the Emperor of Xiao Ai, during the second year of the period of his reign known as Jian Ping (7-1 BC) In other words in 5 BC. The citation in question reads as follows in English:
In the 2nd month of the second year, the comet was out of Altai for more
than 70 days. It is said ' Comets appear to signify the old being replaced
by the new.' Altair3, the sun the moon and the five stars are in movement
to signify the beginning of a new epoch, the beginning of a new year, a
new month, and new day. The appearance of this comet undoubtedly symbolizes
change. The extended appearance of this comet indicates that this is of
great importance.
The comet in question appeared between 9th March and 6th April in 5 B.C. and was visible for 70 days. The arrival of the Magi, and their concern with astronomical observations as a sign of the coming Messiah, seems to have taken the great and powerful in Jerusalem by surprise. They would have known from the writings of the Prophet Daniel, to expect the Messiah sometime soon. From their knowledge of the Scriptures, the Scribes would have known that there is indeed reference to a star in the Old Testament:
I shall see him but not now. I shall behold him, but not nigh: There shall
come a star out of Jacob, and a sceptre shall rise out of Israel and shall
smite the corners of Moab, and destroy all the children of Seth.... Out
of Jacob shall come he that shall have dominion, and shall destroy him
that remaineth in the city. [Nu.24: 17,19]
Although it is difficult to determine whether the reference to a star in
this passage is to be understood in a literary or literal sense, the meaning
is clear. It is not surprising; therefore, that St Mathew describes Herod
and all Jerusalem as being troubled, particularly by the astronomers’ conclusion
that what they had observed indicated the birth of the King of the Jews.
It is not known how the Magi made the connection with Jerusalem and the
Messianic King of the Jews. Many Jews of the Exile period, whether Daniel,
Ezekiel, Nehemiah and possibly Mordecai, had achieved prominent positions
in Babylon and Persia. One possibility is that the Magi may have known
of such people, and a study of their writings may have led the Magi to
discover the Old Testament and its historical prophecies.
St Matthew records,
Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men enquired of them diligently
what time the star appeared [v.7]. From this, and from what follows, we know that by the time the Magi
reached Jerusalem, the comet they had been watching had now disappeared.
It is understandable that it could have taken the Magi more than 70 days
to reach Jerusalem.
Nevertheless, the Magi would have given Herod and presumably the Sanhedrin
the time and dates of the appearance and a description of what they had
seen and where. St Mathew then tells us, ...When they (the Magi) had heard the King, they departed and, lo, the star which they saw in the
East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child
was. [v. 9.] In other words, the star re-appeared. St Matthew's description suggests that there was, at least, a degree of movement in the star they were watching.
Chinese records, also, corroborate this second sighting. In the History
of the former Han Dynasty, the Chronicles of the Emperor Ai record what
is called a Bei Star (Comet without a tail), which appeared in the same
constellation 'Altair' on the day of 'Ji You,' in the third month of the
third year Jian Ping, i.e. 24th April in 4BC. 4 Significantly, the elapsed
time between the two sightings was 13 months. Hence, we can understand
why King Herod ordered specifically the murder of all children that were
two years and under. He himself died towards the end of the year.
It is important to keep in mind that the Chinese astronomers would have had no knowledge whatever of the events that were coincidentally taking place in Jerusalem and Bethlehem, so there could have been no collusion or motivation to corroborate what they had observed astronomically with the events taking place in Bethlehem.
It does indicate that St Matthew is telling the truth. There are three
attitudes to Truth. There are those, like the Magi, who are seekers after
truth, and as the foregoing has also demonstrated, so was the Evangelist
of St Matthew's Gospel. There are those like King Herod who do not want
to hear the truth and are threatened by it, and there are those like the
people of Jerusalem and Bethlehem who are indifferent to the truth, because
they have no idea as to what is happening and care less.
1.See: E.A Wallis Budge, The Monks of Kûblâi Khân, Emperor of China, (1928)
2.See: Chang Kei-Thong, Faith of our Fathers, (2007) § 'Star in the East' p.310ff for details of Chinese sightings, and subsequent comments.
3.Altair is one of the 15 brightest stars, the brightest star in the constellation
Aquila (Eagle.) Its Chinese name is 'Qian Niu' (Cow Herd, Walking a Bull)
4.There is another brief record of the sighting in Zi Zhi Jiun, vol 34, Chronicles of Han Dynasty, No 26.
- January
- 2026
