By Another Way

Epiphany – 2025                                                                                            LSB #’s 342, 394, 397
Text – Matthew 2:12
 
And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way.
 
BY ANOTHER WAY
  
In western NC  many people are traveling  by another way  than they would have six months ago.   Hurricane Helene  has made that a necessity.   The Gospel reading from Matthew 2 ends with the Magi going home  by another way  because hurricane Herod  meant to wreak havoc  on anyone daring to challenge his place as king. 
In earlier years, Herod had at least two of his own sons murdered  out of fear they were plotting to take his throne.   The Gospel of Matthew is like a trumpet  sounding the message of God’s grace  in God’s kingdom.   Yet, chapter two is introduced with these words: “…Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod  the king…”   That is not by accident. 
Some people have the mistaken idea  that for Christianity to be true  there must be perfect peace & harmony in our world.   Some people extend that idea  to individual human beings.  They believe that  if you are a Christian,  then you will always  be kind, patient & tolerant.   In other words,  Christians should be perfect.  If they are not, then Christianity proves to be false. 
That understanding of Christianity,  as a means of perfection,  is not entirely untrue;   it is just completely mistaken in its timing.  Those who follow Jesus Christ are being perfected,  but it is never complete  in this life.  The kingdom of God is alive & well right here & now.   The struggle we have  is that it’s barely visible to the naked eye. 
In His wisdom,  Yahweh has chosen to keep His kingdom hidden  behind the brokenness of this world.    Faith does see the love of God  hidden behind the dead body of God’s Son as it hangs on the cross.   Unbelief sees the same thing  & recoils in horror at the apparent foolishness of such a God.   Unbelief demands results  right now  & demands them  on its own terms.   Unbelief detests  the very essence of the 1st commandment = You shall have no other gods.  Anyone who refuses to accept Jesus as Lord  also cannot trust Him as Savior.   Unbelief desires a god that caters to its every whim.  At its heart,  unbelief is always about idolatry of some kind. 
So that faith stands out as genuine, God hides His kingdom behind the brokenness of the fallen creation.  Even as Jesus was raising people from the dead, the Gospel of John tells us what happened: “When Jesus had said these things, He departed & hid Himself from them.  Though He had done so many signs before them,  they still did not believe in Him.”  (12:36b-37 ESV) 
Therefore, God’s mercy & grace was born in Bethlehem “in the days of Herod  the [murderous] king…”  And, “…behold, [Magi] from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, ‘Where is He  who has been born king of the Jews?  For we saw His star when it rose  & have come to worship Him.’”  (Matthew 2:1-2 ESV) 
They came to worship the true King,  but they dealt with a false king  along the way.  There are many false kings in our lives as well – some  of our own making.   Herod certainly worshipped himself,  but also power  & wealth  & reputation.  Any kind of alternate king would be threatening  to each one of his idols. 
Yet, when the Magi arrive in Jerusalem, God presented Herod with an opportunity to ask himself, “How did I get here, with this need to destroy anyone I view  in any way  as a threat?”  When the chief priests & scribes told Herod where the Christ was to be born,  Herod truly did have an opportunity to go with the Magi  to worship Jesus. 
However,  Herod would have to go there by another way.   His current path  of pride & idolatry  would never lead him to worship the Christ Child  as the Magi intended to.   Have you ever found yourself  in circumstances where you asked, “How did I get here?  What have I done to get myself into this predicament?   And how do I get out of it?”   If that happens while driving, you just use Google Maps & it will show you another way.   Most predicaments of life  are not as easily solved.  A worst-case scenario is Putin of Russia.  If he’s at all a rational being, he must realize the path he’s on is ludicrous,  but his pride & idolatry will not allow him another way. 
Kings & dictators have had that problem throughout history.   Because of sin,  each of us acts  like a king or dictator,  even if  on a much smaller scale than Putin or Herod.  Maybe the bed  always has to be made in a certain way,  or the items in your toolbox have an exact location  in which they are to be placed. 
Sin brings chaos into our lives,  & then sin corrupts  our efforts  to control that chaos.  Sin attacks us  coming & going.  By writing that Jesus was born in the days of Herod the king, Matthew invites us into an earthly kingdom filled with power & fear, deception & murder.  God wants us to know that Christianity is not some Pollyanna religion  that denies our cruel reality.
With Jesus arriving in the days of Herod the king,  God is making it clear that He’s willing to effect our salvation from the inside out.   Putin is trying to impose his will on the people of Ukraine from the outside in.  That approach saves no one,  & brings nothing but death & destruction.  Jesus took on human flesh to change the very essence of what we are. 
It’s a much more long-term process, but it effects  real & eternal change for good.  The events of Jesus’ conception & birth are filled with signs that God is directly intervening to save His people.  Angels appear to Mary & Joseph to reveal God’s plan because it was a bit out of the ordinary.  The Magi, who are clueless otherwise,  are warned in a dream  not to return to Herod. 
Because God intervened,  & because the Magi trusted Him,  they return home by another way.  When we find ourselves in a predicament,  & wonder how we got there,  we can count on God to rescue us.  As St. Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians, “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man.  God is faithful, & He will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation He will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.”  (10:13 ESV)   However, when God comes to rescue,  it is better for us  if we do listen.  The Magi departed Bethlehem by another way  because they listened to God’s warning. 
God is busy  everyday  bringing moments of grace into our lives.  They often go right over our head,  in one ear & out the other.   God is calling us in those moments of grace, to travel by another way,  a way you & I would never choose on our own.   Repentance is one of those ways,  & it always leads to our Lord’s love & forgiveness,  life & healing. 
When we face a dilemma & can think of no good way out,  Jesus calls us simply to follow Him.  Like the Magi who followed a star, we too can trust God & find blessing.  There will be doubts along the way.  Those come from our sinful weakness & from Satan’s temptation.  In time, God’s plan will be made manifest. 
From a manger, where a child lay wrapped in bands of cloth,  God’s reach,  God’s embrace in Christ  gets larger & larger & larger,  down through the years  to the days of you  & me.  The events involving the Magi  are meant to bring hope & life into our lives.  As the opening hymn put it:
Come, Jesus, come, Messiah Lord,     lost Paradise restore;     lead past the angel’s flaming sword – Come, open heaven’s door.  (LSB 342:4)   Amen. 
 
 
Grant us grace to see Thee, Lord,  present in Thy holy Word – grace to imitate Thee now  & be pure,  as pure art Thou;  that we might become like Thee  at Thy great epiphany  & may praise Thee,  ever blest,  God in man made manifest.  Amen.  LSB 394:5.