They Opened Their Treasures
Matthew 2:1-12
by Jim Westmoreland
Soren Kierkegaard, the famed Danish theologian and philosopher, has a fable
of a king who fell in love with a maid. When asked, "How shall I declare my
love?" his counselors answered, "Your majesty has only to appear in all the
glory of your royal raiment's before the maid's humble dwelling, and she will instantly
fall at your feet and be yours."
But, it was precisely that which troubled the king. In return for his love he wanted her
love, freely given. It was then that the king realized love's truth: Freedom for the
beloved demanded equality with the beloved. So late one night, after all the
counselors of the palace had retired, he slipped out a side door and appeared before the
maid's cottage dressed as a servant. -God's Gift, James T. Garrett,
C.S.S. Publishing Company, 1991.
God does not want us to submit to his power and overwhelming majesty, but He wants a
relationship with us. He wants us to respond to His love for us with our own love for Him.
Our text today is about the visit of the Magi. January 6 is the day the church celebrates
as the feast of the Epiphany, and this remembering of the magi is frequently a part our
worship at this time.
What is it that we remember about the Magi? Keeping all the elements of the Christmas
story straight is kind of hard sometimes. As a child, everything kind of mixed in
together, like a good stew. In my imagination I envisioned the manger in Bethlehem with
Mary, Joseph and the baby, Jesus. There were the three shepherds that were tending their
sheep, the three wise men from the East, the "We three kings of Orient are," the
innkeeper, his wife and three kids, at least three guests from the inn, and at least three
dozen people from Bethlehem that saw all the strangers gathering at the stable by the inn
and went to see what was going on. It would definitely take a cast of over 50 to do the
manger scene right based on what I imagined.
The scripture we read in Matthew tells us about the wise men from the East, but not about
the shepherds. Luke's account tells us about the shepherds, but mentions nothing about the
wise men. And, neither Mark and John mention anything at all about Jesus' birth, much less
who came to visit him in Bethlehem.
So, what do we remember about the Magi, the wise men from the East? Matthew tells us that
they appeared in Jerusalem asking, "Where is He who has been born King of the Jews?
For we saw His star in the east, and have come to worship Him." In this brief story
we see that God gave them something to respond to. We see that they were open to receiving
God's sign. And, we see what they did when they acted on God's leading and discovered
God's gift to them.
The sign that God gave them was a star. They saw the star in the east. The magi believed
that a star could be the angel of a great man. Jews often identified the star out of Jacob
with the anticipated Messiah. There were Jewish stories being told about the time of
Christ that said that Isaac and Moses' births were announced by stars. The point is that
the ancients did not stay inside and watch TV, they watched the sky. And, unusual stars
meant something special. It is in this context that the wise men see something special in
the sky and come to Jerusalem seeking the One born to be the King of the Jews.
Encountering this mystery in a star, these wise men were open to receiving from it a kind
of message and direction from God. Whenever we encounter God, there is a mystery that we
don't fully understand, and we must decide how we will receive His message to us and
direction for us. Will we stay where we are? Will we be changed because of it, or will we
be unmoved and unchanged in the way we look at our lives and what we do with them?
The magi were moved to act because of this sign. They came to Jerusalem seeking. God could
overpower us and dazzle us with his awesome power such that we could not say no to Him.
But, instead, he safeguards our freedom. He gives us a sign, and we may stay put or begin
a journey with Him. Other people don't get what we are doing. They may have seen the sign,
but ignored it, weren't open to receiving any direction from God, and went on with their
lives un-phased. So, they look at us trying to follow the journey with God, and it makes
no sense to them. To them, what we are doing is against common sense. There is always a
"Herod mentality" out there that is threatened by the changes that this baby
from Bethlehem makes in people's lives. We face their pressure every day. We can continue
the journey with the wise men, or we can give in to the jeers and skepticism and
worldliness of others and just resume our lives with no star, no journey and no real
worship. What will we do?
In v. 11 and 12 we read about the end of the magi's journey and their response when they
got to the Christ-child. In this scene these two verses let us know that the wise men
found God, and themselves, when they worshiped the Gift that God had made to us all. We
know the account says that they gave gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. The hymn,
"We Three Kings of Orient Are," is based on a legend that is based on the story
of the magi. In the legend the magi were kings of the east. Caspar gave the gift of gold,
which can stand for all of our gifts of substance. Melchior gave frankincense, a fragrance
that can represent our inner treasure of thoughts and influence. And Balthazzar gave
myrrh, which was considered a precious gift fit for a king. The point of the legend is
that they all gave their best.
What does this say to us? I am struck by the simple phrase as they fell down and worshiped
the Christ-child. The scripture says, "They opened their
treasures." This is where true worship takes us. True worship is not like
taking a "religious aspirin"--take one and you'll feel better. Worship is not
about feeling better! The world is full of people who are trying to feel better by buying
more things, by drinking or taking drugs, by satisfying their cravings for sex, winning or
any number of other things. True worship occurs when our inner nature is changed from the
inside out and we respond to God's love and grace by opening our treasures to Him.
What do you think that opening our treasures to God means? I can't answer
what that might mean specifically for you, but I do think that it means that living as a
child of God is different than living like everyone else. I do think that it means that
God shows His love for others through us. When Jesus said we are to be the light of the
world and the salt of the earth, he meant that we make a difference. That we make things
better, not worse. That others come to know justice and mercy in a personal way because,
as we lived, we opened our treasures to God!
Robert Fulghum, a thoughtful American writer and humorist of recent years, was once at a
meeting where he couldn't pass up the opportunity to ask a question and so he asked,
"What is the meaning of life?"
He said the usual laughter followed, and people stirred to go. But then, the organizer Dr.
Alexander Papaderos held up his hand and stilled the room and looked at Mr. Fulghum for a
long time, asking with his eyes if he was serious and seeing from his eyes that he was
said, "I will answer your question.'"
"Taking his wallet out of his hip pocket, he fished into a leather billfold and
brought out a very small, round mirror, about the size of a quarter. And what he said went
like this:
"When I was a small child, during the war, we were very poor and we lived in a remote
village. One day, on the road, I found the broken pieces of a mirror. A German motorcycle
had been wrecked in that place.
"I tried to find all the pieces and put them together, but it was not possible, so I
kept only the largest piece. This one. And, by scratching it on a stone, I made it round.
I began to play with it as a toy and became fascinated by the fact that I could reflect
light into dark places where the sun would never shine - in deep holes and crevices and
dark closets. It became a game for me to get light into the most inaccessible places I
could find.
"I kept the little mirror, and as I went about my growing up, I would take it out in
idle moments and continue the challenge of the game. As I became a man, I grew to
understand that this was not just a child's game but a metaphor for what I might do with
my life. I came to understand that I am not the light or the source of the light. But
light - truth, understanding, knowledge - is there, and it will only shine in dark places
if I reflect it.
"I am a fragment of a mirror whose whole design and shape I do not know.
Nevertheless, with what I have, I can reflect light into the dark places of this world -
into the black places in the hearts of men - and change some things in some people.
Perhaps others may see and do likewise. That is what I am about. This is the meaning of my
life."
Isn't this what Jesus asks of every Christian, that we give our lives to Him, that we
offer ourselves as a living sacrifice to serve Him and share His love with others. To
become like a mirror and reflect His light and love to others is to open our
treasures. That's when we really come to Him. That's when we really worship and
serve Him. Instead of cautiously holding on to what we have, out of our own insecurity, we
gladly give all that we have and are. That's when we open our treasures to
Him.