The Empire Strikes Back (A Sermon)

When Star Wars opened in 1977, the world met unforgettable characters like Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Princess Leia, and those quirky robots, C-3PO and R2D2. With “the Force” at our disposal, we cheered the destruction of the evil Death Star and went home happy.

But I’m afraid the happiness was short-lived. A mere three years later, we learned the terrible news that the Empire had struck back. Darth Vader, that dastardly villain, had gone on a mission of vengeance. From the movie:

Admiral Piett: Lord Vader, our ships have completed their scan of the area and found nothing. If the Millennium Falcon went into light-speed, it’ll be on the other side of the galaxy by now.

Darth Vader: Alert all commands. Calculate every possible destination along their last known trajectory.

Admiral Piett: Yes, my Lord. We’ll find them.

Darth Vader: Don’t fail me again, Admiral.

With such open vengeance, George Lucas picked an appropriate title for his movie sequel. The empire did, indeed, strike back. Oddly enough, it serves as a perfect title to the New Testament’s Matthew chapter two as well.

The book of Matthew begins with a genealogical list that confirms the truth that God is behind everything even though his ways are different than the ways of the world (for example, how could Tamar & Rahab & the woman who “had been Uriah’s wife” lend the first bit of royal credence to this ancient biography of a man named Jesus?). God’s different ways are once again highlighted in the birth story of Jesus who is offered as God’s crucial move to make his saving presence known to the world.

Well, in Matthew chapter two, the empire strikes back at God. King Herod plays the part of Darth Vader, and we are offered a striking example of what the world needed saving from in the first place.

MATTHEW CHAPTER TWO

#1: It begins as a tale of two cities. Jerusalem, home of power (political kings & religious priests), versus Bethlehem, a.k.a. “nowhereland.” In verse 3, all of Jerusalem is disturbed by the news of a true-blood king of the Jews - the powerful city is threatened by the tiny village.

#2: It continues as a contrast in intellectual wisdom. The Magi in all of their Gentile astrologist quackery stand next to the very best in Jewish Bible scholars. The former chase a bright star while the latter decipher Micah properly as to the birth place of the Messiah. Both end up with the same place. Only one side came to worship.

#3: And it is also a tale of two types of kingdoms. Herod’s type of kingdom is held against a new type of kingdom described with the metaphor of a shepherd (verse 6). Herod wouldn’t be a very good shepherd since he oppressed his own sheep, but then again, Herod had no intention of ruling like a shepherd. Power, not care, was his modus operandi. And in fact, when Herod (continued by Matthew) refers to his rival as “the child,” it further reinforces the ruling contrast. To be called “a child” was an insult in the time of Matthew’s writing, so the choice becomes clear: a powerful king vs. a shepherd/child.

So Matthew offers us quite a contrast: a powerful city with powerful intellects and a powerful king standing against an insignificant village and religious quacks and a childish shepherd-king.

Place your bets on the table, boys…

But verse 13 betrays a much bigger picture. We learn that we’ve been down this road before in God’s story.
* A man named Joseph has a dream and ends up in Egypt (sound familiar?)
* A cruel king murders baby boys to squash potential rivals to his power
* God keeps a baby safe to lead oppressed people to freedom
* A journey is made out of Egypt to a promised land

Yes, the powers of this world are scary, making the world a very dangerous place for followers of God. World powers don’t like threats, and God is always a threat to them. World powers will do anything (Herod lies, Herod kills) to stay in power. Yet Matthew 2 is a story filled with hope. We are assured in knowing that, despite of the empire’s strikes, God is still about his purposes, using the most unlikely of folks. And we are reminded that nothing can ultimately stand in the way of God (though “the god[s] of this age” will try their best). Faithful obedience from unlikely people will win in the end. God will see to it.

C-3PO once said, “Sir, the possibility of successfully navigating an asteroid field is approximately 3,720 to 1.” Han Solo replied, “Never tell me the odds.”

Han’s response is the mantra of God-followers.

Well, you probably remember that The Empire Strikes Back was not the end of the movie series. In fact, even after the Jedi returned, we learned that there were many stories that even preceded the others. Similarly, Matthew 2 was not the end of the story either, though God prevailed. Before the chapter even ends, the appearance of evil Archelaus betrayed the resilience of the powers of this world. God responded unconventionally again with a move to despised Nazareth. Who would have thought it?

And today, the battle continues. Economically, the powers of greed and materialism continue to strike. Socially, the powers of self-absorption and “busy-ness” continue to strike. Religiously, the powers of segregation and self-righteousness continue to strike. But as in Matthew chapter 2, God continues his unconventional counter-moves.

Which leads me to a question: Whose kingdom will you choose to follow? The world that will lie and kill to maintain its power, or the God who would take risks and die out of love for others?

Paul once wrote to Colossae, “For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority.”

May that force be with you.