Matthew 2:1-2 * January 3, 2010 * Epiphany * Joshua Yu

In Christ There Is No East or West

 

May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with all of you. Amen.

Dear friends!

 

I don’t know how many of you know about one of the great classics Chinese literature. The classic story called the Journey to the West was based on real events of Chinese people looking for truth. In 629 AD (after Christ), Xuanzang, a Chinese monk reportedly had a dream that convinced him to journey to west to look for truth, his journey along the so-called Silk Roads. He returned to China in 645 AD (after Christ), but his Journey to west didn’t bring the true Gospel and salvation either for himself or for Chinese people. This is why I have to say that he made a wrong journey. He didn’t receive the true gift, the true faith.

 

Our lesson today tells us the story: “After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.” (Matthew 2:1-2)

 

Our Bible didn’t tell us which eastern countries the wise men came from, but I would like to think the wise men came from China. Wise men arrived in Jerusalem, having overcome political barriers, cultural barriers and language barriers to worship Jesus Christ. Wise men made a faithful Journey to Bethlehem, as we know our Bible says: “Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.”

 

Faith clings to Jesus Christ. Faith gives meaning to our life, therefore faith is very important. This is Jesus clearly proclaimed to the world that the most important thing is faith. That faith is neither the east culture nor the west culture; only the Holy Spirit keeps us in faith through the Word and the sacraments, the means of Grace. Worldly philosophy does not reach that deep level of relating to God.

 

Some people ask me this kind of question, “Chinese people believe Taoism, why do you believe a western religion?”

 

Have you heard of Taoism? I will tell what it is. It is a man made religion. Unlike other religions, Taoism has no concept of the afterlife; it is only a pragmatist’s teaches without faith, and only focuses on materialism in this life.  Also, Taoism does not have the goal of inner spiritual peace, but its practice consists of alchemy and traditional medicine. In fact, Taoism is a native Chinese religion, but never had a standard teaching. Therefore it is clearly a counterfeit product, with no resemblance to true religion.

 

Another religion that is popular in China is Buddhism. Maybe you have seen pictures or statues of a fat jolly-looking man sitting cross-legged on the ground. That is Chinese Buddha.

 

Do people in China really believe in Taoism?  Do they really believe in Buddha?  From outward appearances, people sincerely believe Buddhism.  In many places, there are a lot of worshippers in the temples, and many shops have small shrines to Buddhist idols.  But this kind of belief is a kind of worldly belief.

 

People pray for peace, health, wealth, promotion, good luck, and even to give birth to sons.[1]  If they hear rumors of idols in a certain temple giving blessings, that temple will be very crowded with worshipers.  Their worship consists of making promises to the idols and then fulfilling those promises if the prayer is answered. 

 

This is just like a business transaction. This is not really faith, but is more like making a trade with idols. The worshippers only want good things, and want to receive them immediately.  It is a kind of failsafe investment. Every word of their prayers consists of selfish desires. Each stick of incense represents their worldly desires. Gods becomes like a corrupt government official whom they must bribe, and is only a temporary helper.

 

From this we can see Chinese culture is just like all of the worldly cultures, worldly cultures are all self-centered cultures, not Christ-centered, because sinful human beings whether Chinese or American, produce nothing useful.

 

Now let’s compare the teaching of the world to the true faith as revealed in the one who has been born in Bethlehem. Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane: “Heavenly Father, not as I will, but as you will.… May your will be done” (Matthew 26:39, 42).  This prayer is totally without selfish desires.  Jesus’ prayer is to fulfill God’s good will, according to God’s guidance. This is totally God-centered, not self-centered, totally seeking heavenly value, not earthly things which soon pass away and not according to self.  The Lord’s Prayer says (to God): “Hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:9-10).

 

We have received Christian faith that is not like a business transaction. God reveals to us in the Bible that he has already given us every good thing (cf. 1 Corinthians 1:7).  He gave us his Son, Jesus Christ, to be the mediator for us. Jesus took away the shame and guilt of our sins when he died on the cross.  He has restored us to a harmonious relationship with our heavenly Father.

 

In Jesus, we are now dearly loved children of God. In Jesus there is no east or west, God promises to take care of all our needs (cf. Matthew 6:25-34), and to be with us in every circumstance in this life (cf. Matthew 28:20).  The prayers we offer and the obedience we show to God are not to earn his favor, but to thank him for his great love to us through the baby Jesus Christ who was born for us in Bethlehem.

 

And so, we pray for God’s will to be done, rather than our own. This is the faith as revealed in the Bible. This is the truth for which the wise men from the east were looking for. True faith seeks first God’s kingdom and his righteousness, then all that we need will be given to us naturally (cf. Matthew 6:33). This is the true faith that our Lord gave us in Jesus Christ.

 

East, west, in Jesus Christ is the best--- it doesn’t matter where we come from. The message of Epiphany is that Jesus Christ came for me and for you and for all people. Amen.

 

The peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your heart and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

 

 


[1] It is especially because of the promise of sons that many people worship Guanyin, the bodhisattva of mercy.