On this Day of Epiphany, we contrast the diligent search of the Wise Men with the political deflections of the religious leaders in the Temple. We recognize that having access to the truth—as the priests did with the prophecy of Bethlehem or the elders did with Jesus standing before them—is not the same as actually seeking it. We understand that we often fall into the trap of looking for “politically expedient” answers that protect our comfort rather than engaging in the hard work of searching for the Way, the Truth, and the Life. We are challenged today to move beyond a passive knowledge of God and to pursue a deeper, more active relationship with Christ, ensuring that we do not miss the “visitation of God” while trying to remain comfortable.

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Happy Epiphany! It is good to be with you on this Tuesday morning. Today, we celebrate the arrival of the Wise Men at the manger. If you come by St. Matthew’s today, you’ll see our Magi have finally made it to the stable. This also marks the end of the “12 Days of Christmas,” so if you’ve been waiting for the green light to take down your tree, today is the day!

I thought about doing a special Epiphany reflection on the Wise Men, but my sermon from this past Sunday covers that in depth. Instead, I want to look at Luke 20:1-8, because it ironically provides a perfect “flip side” to the story of the Magi. It shows us the difference between those who truly search for truth and those who only search for comfort and power.

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Authority, Tradition, and the Temple (Luke 20:1-8)

To understand this passage, we first have to distinguish between two major locations in Jewish life:

• The Synagogue: This was the domain of the Pharisees. It was a local place for teaching, studying the Law, and expanding on the scriptures.
• The Temple: This was the domain of the Sadducees. It was the center of ritual worship and the sacrificial system.

Jesus did most of His earlier teaching in synagogues, but now He is in the heart of the Temple complex. He may have been in one of the courtyards or on the teaching steps where rabbis often gathered.

Let’s look at the encounter in Luke 20:

“One day, as he was teaching the people in the temple and telling the good news, the chief priests and the scribes came with the elders and said to him, ‘Tell us, by what authority are you doing these things? Who is it who gave you this authority?’ He answered them, ‘I will also ask you a question, and you tell me: Did the baptism of John come from heaven, or was it of human origin?'”

The Trap of Political Expediency

The religious leaders won’t answer Jesus’ question. They get caught in a “political wrestling match.” They tell themselves: “If we say John was from God, Jesus will ask why we didn’t believe him. If we say he was just a man, the people will stone us because they love him.”

So they simply say, “We don’t know.”

This is a significant moment because it shows their hearts. They weren’t asking, “What is the truth about John?” They were asking, “What is the most politically expedient answer that will protect our power?” They didn’t care about what was true; they cared about what was safe.

The Epiphany Connection

This reminds me so much of the Wise Men’s visit to King Herod. When the Magi arrived asking where the King of the Jews was to be born, Herod asked his own religious leaders for the answer. They knew exactly where: Bethlehem. They could quote the chapter and verse!

But here is the tragedy: The religious leaders had the truth, but they didn’t go to see Him. The Gentile Wise Men, who had no knowledge of the Hebrew scriptures, were the ones searching. The ones with access to the truth stayed home to remain comfortable.

Access to Truth vs. Searching for Truth

We live in an age of incredible access. We have:

• The fullness of the Holy Scriptures.
• The indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
• 2,000 years of church teaching from giants like Augustine, Aquinas, Luther, and Wesley.

But do we actually search for the truth? Or do we, like the leaders in the Temple, retreat into “machinations” and political conversations to keep our lives comfortable and our own “power” intact?

We often talk about the preacher’s job being to “afflict the comfortable and comfort the afflicted.” Sometimes we need that comfort—to know we are loved and that God will never leave us. But sometimes, we need a little “holy discontent.”We need to be made a little uncomfortable so that we actually seek the truth rather than just sitting on the knowledge we already have.