Jesu Juva
“We Three Kings of Israel
Are: King Solomon”
Text: 1 Kings 8:12-21;
John 2:13-22
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. 10 Downing Street. Buckingham Palace. Mount Vernon. Monticello. You know those
names and addresses. Important people live in such well-known places, important
places, grand places. Places that show that the one
who lives there matters and is a person of power or wealth or both. The
opposite is true as well. Live under a bridge, in a cardboard box, or in a
shelter, and you’re not one of those people.
So what about a tent? What would that say
about you? Well, based upon how we look at things in this world, compared to
palaces and mansions and famous addresses, it would say you’re not very
important, not very wealthy, and not very powerful. For no matter
how nice that tent might be, it’s still a tent after all.
And that’s what King David thought. He had just
built himself a palace and it was awesome. A palace, as they say, fit for a
king. But on the other hand, the One who gave them their nation, their land,
and the peace from their enemies that allowed David the opportunity to build
such a grand palace - His throne, the Ark of the Covenant, stayed
in a tent. And that didn’t seem right to David. And so he decided to build a
house for the Lord God. A Temple. A
proper place for God to graciously dwell among His people. A place fitting for such a great and powerful God.
That’s what David thought and decided to do. But
what did God Himself think? He did not ask for such a house. In fact, He was
satisfied with the tent. Because this tent wasn’t just a dwelling place, it
taught something about God as well. It was mobile, for God would be wherever
His people would be. And it wasn’t permanent, which witnessed to the fact that
we are on a pilgrimage through this world and life. So a tent was perfect for
God. He was great and powerful, even if the earthly dwelling place of his
throne was not.
But at the same time, God was also pleased with
David’s desire to honor and glorify Him in such a way. But thinking ahead -
because God always thinks ahead - He says no to David. David could desire the
house and plan the house, but he could not build it. His Son would. And so we
heard from Solomon in the first reading tonight that he built such a house. A magnificent Temple, greater than any other on earth, for a God
greater than any other on earth.
Except, just as we heard last week, the Son of
David God had in mind was not the one we first think of. And in this case, it
was not Solomon - it was the Son of David named Jesus. And the earthly
house that God would dwell in forever was not a Temple of wood and stone, but
of the flesh and bone of Jesus. That’s what we heard in the second reading. Jesus
said: Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.
And the people objected because they were thinking as we do, of the building.
But that was not the Temple Jesus was referring to. And so what Jesus said,
happened, when His Temple of flesh was destroyed and put to death on the cross,
but raised three days later on that first Easter morning.
The Christmas Gospel attests to this fact as
well, saying that the Word became flesh and tented among us. That
caused many people to mock and scoff, for who was Jesus? A
carpenter’s son. Born in Bethlehem and laid in a manger. A Nazarene. A nobody. Surely, if
God were to come down and become enfleshed, it
wouldn’t be in such a humble man and humble flesh - it would be an important
person in an important place.
But while that is how we think, that is not how
God thinks. The God of both the Old Testament and the New is not only happy
to, but wants to dwell in a tent. Humbly for the
humble, lowly for the low, to be the God of all people. Accessible to all, inaccessible to none. Great
and glorious not because His dwelling is, but because He is in Himself. And awesome in His mercy and love.
That is the kind of King Israel had and we have. The We Three Kings of Israel Are - Saul,
David, and Solomon - all fell far short in their kingships, being sinners all.
But we have a King who does not fall short, but reigns to give the blessings of
forgiveness and life to all people. A King who serves His people in truth and
holiness, who gives, and who is with you wherever you are -when even two or
three are gathered in His Name. For He is great and glorious,
yes, but for you.
And so when our King
comes to us in a manger, when He comes humble and mounted on a donkey, that
should come as no surprise. When He comes to us today in humble water, and
words, and bread and wine, that should be no surprise
either. That He comes in humble churches, to humble people, broken people, sinful people - yup, that’s our King. At home in the most
magnificent places as well as the most humble - for compared to Him and His
heavenly home, well, they’re all humble. Yet that’s exactly where He wants to
be and how He wants to be, for you. To be with you. To be your Saviour.
So as we’ve been concluding every week, that’s
your King - do you really want another? The question sounds sillier and sillier
every week. And yet just like Israel, we do choose other kings and gods,
don’t we? When we rebel against this One, when we choose to sin, when we want
more and so think Him not so good, or not as powerful as we need, and so take
matters into our own hands. But Saul and David and Solomon all show us that
when we take matters into our own hands . . . that usually doesn’t work out so
well.
So Advent calls us to repentance for all that,
and then to rejoice that we have a King who does not reject us (as we learned
with Saul), who does not come just for the high and beautiful (as we learned
with David), and who do not live apart from us in an inaccessible palace (as we
learned from Solomon) - but who has come in love to rescue us fallen sinners;
to be with us here and now, that we might be with Him forever.
That’s your King, O new Israel. And as we will
very soon now sing: O come let us adore Him.
In the Name of the
Father, and of the (+) Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.