EPIPHANY SUNDAY

No book in the whole world is as difficult to understand as the Bible. It is such a deep and rich mine of the most precious saving truths, that the wisest men on earth have searched in it day and night for 3,000 years without exhausting its riches or completely clarifying all its mysterious expressions. Over no other book have so many books of exegesis been written as over the Holy Scriptures. And yet all the many thousands of volumes are not adequate to explain it fully.

These depths of Holy Scripture are usually adduced in the Roman Church as reasons why not every lay person should read it in his mother tongue. They say

that the Scriptures are dark; they therefore cannot be properly understood by the laity if the church does not explain them. But in claiming that they merely hide their knavery. To maintain that the Scriptures are unsearchable mysteries and to maintain that they are dark are two different things. Would you say that the sun is dark because we perceive on its surface sunspots which no scientist has been able to explain? Certainly not. Just as little is Holy Writ dark. To be sure, because it is God's Word, it has many passages for whose meaning we must constantly search but the counsel of God for our salvation is revealed so clearly that even the most simple child can learn it. No, Scripture is not dark; it is the real sun of all people without which they could lie only in night and darkness. David therefore says of it, "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path." Ps 119:105. And Isaiah says, "Seek ye out of the book of the Lord, and read; no one of these shall fail."

Is 34:16. And Christ says to the people, "Search the Scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life; and they are they which testify of me." Jn 5: 39. The Bereans are chiefly praised because they searched the Scriptures, whether what Paul told was really there. If the Beareans are praised for comparing the teaching of the apostles with the Scriptures, how much more important it therefore is for every layman to examine every teaching of man according to God's Word! If he is to do that, we perceive that the Scriptures must not be dark but clear even for the most simple person. (That is why St. John writes in the last book of Holy Scripture, "Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein." Rev 1:3. For how could God command hearers to examine something on the basis of a text which they themselves would not understand?)

If there is any story in Holy Writ from which we can perceive, that the written Word is not dark but clear, yes, the bright pole-star for all who want to go the way to heaven, it is our today's text about the wise men from the east. First, they were awakened by a miraculous star, but it could not lead them to Christ; it soon disappeared again. It was the Word which did not forsake them but shined on brightly after the star had long since left them. This induces me today to recommend most strongly God's Word as our true guiding star to heaven.

The text. Matthew 2:1-12.

Under the guidance, etc.

GOD'S WORD THE ONLY TRUE GUIDING STAR ON THE WAY TO HEAVEN

I. Only the Word Lets us Find Christ.

II. Only Through the Word will we be Kept in Him.

I.

My friends, the star mentioned in our Gospel could not have been a natural phenomenon. It could not have been in the heavens like the others. For then it, would have been impossible for it to have stood directly over the house where the young child was, as Matthew reports. Stars are up so high that when we move from one place to another, we cannot perceive that they move in their orbits. In addition, Bethlehem lay south of Jerusalem. Since the star accompanied the wise men from Jerusalem to Bethlehem, it must have gone from north to south. All stars without exception travel to the east. This star was therefore something special. It was especially created by God and not high up in the sky but was placed within the atmosphere of our earth.

Although the wise men from the east most likely were learned men from Arabia, learned chiefly in astronomy and science, for in Greek they are called magi which indicated that they were learned, they could not have known the meaning of that star from their study of nature. God must therefore have revealed it to them directly.

It was not that silent star which showed them the way to Christ. Without the revelation of God's Word it would have remained a riddle even to the wise men. The Word, which they perhaps heard from God in a dream, that was the invisible guiding star which gave significance to the visible star. The Word drove the wise men to go into the land of the Jews and there seek for the new-born King of the Jews.

Since they as yet had no Word of God to show them where he was to be found, they went first of all to the capital of the country; there, where the temple with all its sacred things stood, there a king resided in his royal castle, and its Sanhedrin, the chief priest, and scribes had their headquarters; there, they supposed, and no where else the heir to the throne was to be sought.

However, only their own human thoughts had led the wise men here. In Jerusalem not only was nothing known about a new-born king but the whole city, instead of being filled with rejoicing, became, frightened when it heard the news. Herod, however, then commanded all the scribes and chief priests to assemble in order to give an answer from Scripture where, according to the prophets, the expected King would have to be born. . The answer was: in Bethlehem. For the Prophet Micah says, "And thou Bethlehem," etc., v.6. This prophetic word was the heavenly guiding star, which,.after the earthly one had left them, now arose again. The wise men turned the eye of faith only to this bright star of God's Word; they followed it without asking whether Herod and his officers would go with them. They paid attention to nothing else, not even the world's attitude toward the new-born King. Without delay they hurried to that Bethlehem which had been indicated through the Word. Joy bubbled over in their heart, when they again saw the star, and they were filled with joy and astonishment when they saw it remain standing over a small stall. Quickly they entered in and saw the little Child from whose face beamed an inexpressible mildness coupled with divine majesty.

Who can describe their joy? There they heard from Mary what already had happened to this Child, how the angel announced his birth and given him the name Jesus, how the angel appeared to shepherds and the heavenly host sang their song of praise; when they heard that, they fell on their face and worshiped the wonderful Child.

There we have a wonderful example for those who want to find the true way to heaven and Christ Jesus in his manger. We men are all by nature just like the wise men; first of all, we live on earth in Arabia, that is, we seek our happiness in this world; like the wise men we search through the world and do not find the true treasure; we look up. to heaven and do not find the true star; we continue securely on our way and do not know what belongs to our peace; no one seeks the one thing which is necessary, and so our heart clings to the things, joys, cares, and honor of this world.

When we meet great trouble in this world, when God's Law is preached in its sharpness and with its threats, that is done that we learn to understand God's grace: true happiness is not to be found in this world; we perceive that we are poor sinners who do not have a gracious God in heaven and in our present condition we cannot be saved. When we arrive at that point, God will cause his star to shine in the east so that we can no longer find rest in the world, go out with the wise men and call, "Where is he that is born," etc. Oh, happy is

the person who by God's grace has arrived at the point where the world no longer satisfies his heart! Blessed is he whom the gold, frankincense, and myrrh of this earthly Arabia no longer chains! Blessed is he in whom sin finally awakens so that his heart yearns for comfort, forgiveness of sins, and God's grace!

But what do most do in this condition of unrest? They go with the wise men to Jerusalem, try to help themselves, go all sorts of ways by themselves, try to calm themselves, seek to gain God's grace, whose lack they feel, by wrestling for it with their own works. They pray, they sigh, they struggle against sin, they want first to be free of them and pure before they dare come to God and comfort themselves with his grace.

But what happens then? They fall only the deeper into misery, grab hold of a thousand good intentions, and cannot keep them; thus as the wise men they lose also this star which awakened them from sleep and are recaptured by darkness. What is wrong? They do not have the correct guiding star. This is God's Word and particularly the Gospel. Many indeed find it as did the chief priests and scribes and hear it indeed as did Herod, but they do not cling to it with their heart, simply do not believe it, do not rely upon it completely; they sit indeed in the temple of the "Lord, where the Gospel is preached, have Bethlehem right at their doors, but do not enter in.

Oh, my dear people, you who want to be saved, do not let Satan deceive you in regard to your salvation! Verily, it is not enough just to begin to leave your sinful life and the world; verily, it is not enough just to engage every day in pious exercises, in prayer and Bible reading; verily, it is not enough just to feel your sinful misery and to complain about it; if you have come no further, if you have not yet arrived in Bethlehem, if you are first with the wise men in Jerusalem, then the most important step still remains. Do you not: see the bright star of the Gospel? does not every ray point only to Christ in Bethlehem? See, the most important thing is that you hear the certain and true the precious and dear Word: Jesus Christ has come into the world!

If you seek in the least little thing another foundation for your soul, if you wish to add the least little thing to make yourselves certain, you go astray, you remain uncertain, you do not find Christ, you are lost. If the. wise men had not wanted to go to Bethlehem according to Micah's word and though they had searched all the lands and seas, they would have searched in vain for the new-born King of the Jews, they would not have found him. And so it is to this very day. Though a person could shed all the tears of repentant sinners, though he could discover all the regret of all frightened sinners in the world, do all the holy works of all the saints, he would not come one step closer to eternal life if he would not consider all this as nothing and place his trust alone upon the Word of the Gospel which promises grace to sinners.

Yes, when a sinner has tired himself in running, tired himself doing his own works, tired himself by praying and wrestling, when finally he sees that all things just do not help nor are able to save him, when finally he stops, will no longer work by himself, despairs completely of himself, gives himself up to God's mercy and appeals alone to God's Word, in which grace is preached to all sinners, then the blessed moment comes when the sinner finally arrives in Bethlehem and falls down before the manger of his Jesus, wets the friendly Child with tears of joy, takes him into the arms of faith, and covers him with the kisses of his love.

Oh, how blessed is he who lets the Word be his guiding star; he most certainly finds Christ!

My friends, not only does the Word, the true guiding star on the way to

heaven, let us find Christ, but also by the Word are we kept with him, and may I speak of that now.

II.

The moment the wise men believed the word of the Prophet Micah, they had already found Christ, even though physically they were not yet in Bethlehem. The moment they found Christ, they also experienced not a few offences by which they could easily have again lost Christ. They had come from afar; they expected to find a happy excitement in Jerusalem and lo! everyone was quiet. No one knew about the King, and when they bring news of him, everyone is dismayed. Indeed, they told them that the promised King of salvation would be born in Bethlehem but no one accompanied them.

What a struggle must have arisen in their hearts! Must not the thought have arisen, Perhaps we are deceived; would it be possible that the promised eternal King of the Jews would be born without his chosen people knowing something about it? above all, without those who are the priests of his temple and learned in the Holy Scriptures and their appointed exegetes having known him long ago and sworn allegiance to him? But how could they have averted these offences? Only by the Word. This was more certain to them than all of man's testimony; they clung to that even though they saw that everything else was fighting against it.

That, however, was not their last offence. Undoubtedly, they expected to see that the heir to the throne was a king's son, surrounded with all the splendor of an oriental price, and yet they did not see that at all but only poverty and humility. A person could scarcely be found in more miserable, humble circumstances than the Child Jesus. What raised them above all these doubts? what could have moved them to fall down before this poverty-stricken Child and worship it? Verily, nothing else but God's Word, which they locked securely in their hearts. Ever since this star had arisen in their hearts, all. their wisdom became darkness; in the glory of this star the hut seemed to be the most splendid castle in the world. In its light they perceive in the lowly child the Lord of salvation.

My friends, as the wise men once came, face to face with all kinds of offences the moment they found Christ, so even today do. all sinners who seize Christ. They hear from God's Word that Christ is the Lord of all lords, the King of kings; yet what do they notice when they look about in the world? Simply that the mightiest, wisest, most important, greatest, and wealthiest of this world despise Christ, and that only a small, despised, and rejected flock of poor sinners confess him to be their Lord and King. Oh, how many have taken offence at the authority of Christ's foes, and thought, If the Gospel were true, the most learned would certainly perceive that and joyfully accept it. But we simple people, who are opposed to the great of this world and contradict all their wisdom, should we be able to say that we alone have the truth?

Now my dear sir, if you do not want these things to shipwreck your faith, then do as the wise men from the east did. Look away from all men for they are nothing before God, full of error and foolishness, and in God's eyes all their wisdom is nothing but folly. Look alone to the true star of heaven, God's precious Word which says to you, "For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called; but God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; and base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to naught things that are, that no flesh

should glory in his presence." 1 Cor 1:26-29. Therefore cling to Christ and pay no attention to the fact that you are despised in the world if you confess Christ. Don't pay any attention when you see that the little flock of believers is small; it must be that way that the Scriptures may be fulfilled. Let the chief priests and scribes, yes, all the wise of the world, reject the despised Savior of the world, but you humbly pray to him, throw yourself down before him, offer him the gold of faith, the frankincense of prayer, the bitter but precious myrrh of the tears of repentance; then you will also see him upon the throne of his eternal glory.

However, as with the wise men, so also with us, the greatest offence is not that so many reject Christ. Much greater and more difficult to conquer is the fact that Christ reveals himself to us as being so poor and weak. If we found Christ the first time, if we have arrived at the certainty: we also are his redeemed and chosen people, then in the beginning inexpressible joy streams through our heart which is supported by grace. We think that as long as we have Christ in our hearts, we will also enjoy the sweetest peace and the most active joy in the Holy Ghost.

But that is not so. The longer a person continues in faith in God's Word, the oftener he experiences how Christ, as it were, hides from him and appears to be weak and wretched. Then it often seems to Christians as though they did not stand in a covenant relation with the Lord of glory, as though they like the wise men stood doubtfully before a wretched hut in which lay a poor miserable Child who could not give them conquering power. In short, Christians often lose the feeling of divine grace, feel themselves so dead, weak, and wretched that to describe it is beyond their power.

How do they conquer this temptation? It is by the certain and sure Word, the Word of the God of heaven and earth which promises them salvation. This Word is more certain than all the feelings of their heart; this with its comfort remains unchangeable even though the star of their earthly fortune does change; that is always their light no matter how dark it is in their souls; their faith therefore says, Though it may be dark within me, I look to the shining star of the Word which does not mislead us; though I may think I am weak, yes, dead, I grasp the Word which is alive and powerful; it brings Christ to my heart and no devil will take it away from me.

Oh, then, all of you learn this main skill of true Christians to cling alone to the Word. This is a lamp to our feet and the only true light on our way to heaven. We have a sure prophetic word, etc. Learn to recognize the tricks of the devil, who seeks nothing more than to draw us away from the Word; for he knows that if we leave it he has won, we are lost. If we do not rely entirely upon the Word, our faith does not help us at all, for then it is not a true faith; then all our praying, sighings, and doings do not help in the least; yes, then we are without Christ who lets himself be found only in his Word,

Luther speaks the truth when he says about our Gospel, "Man's nature wants to feel and be certain before it believes; grace wants to believe before it feels." Then, in conclusion say with me, I will trust without feeling until the time comes to see him. Amen.