Epiphany seems to have more sound to it than Christmas. At Christmas we gather around the crib looking with silent wonder at the newborn infant. Shepherds arrive having heard about the child from the angels. Who knows what sounds there were the night of Jesus’ birth — but the scene is depicted in art and our home and church mangers as ordered and peaceful. We gaze serenely on the scene while a choir sings “Silent Night.” Hushed tones, a sleeping infant and admirers.
Now Epiphany is beginning and it takes several forms. Magi come from afar and later Jesus, in another epiphany, is baptized by the preacher John. The Bethlehem hushed-tones now shift to manifestations about Jesus. Next week, on the feast of the Baptism of the Lord, we will hear the voice from heaven announce, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased” (Luke 3:22).
While our still-new liturgical year features Luke’s gospel for our Sunday readings, today our selection is taken from Matthew. In Luke’s infancy account there are shepherds; but in Matthew there are the Magi. Luke presents the simple and poor in a stable. Matthew has us at the seat of power in Herod’s palace.
Matthew’s gospel has many Jewish themes running through it. The author was likely a Jewish Christian writing for a community of predominantly Jewish converts. They would know the Hebrew Scriptures and understand the many Jewish references in the gospel. For example, Matthew describes Jesus as following in the tradition of David (also from Bethlehem).
But Matthew’s story of Jesus’ birth is designed to speak to everyone, not just to the Jewish people. The Magi, probably astrologers, come from afar. The East was a center for studies in astrology and astronomy. Matthew describes the Magi with a reference to Isaiah (our first reading), “Caravans of camels shall fill you, dromedaries from Midian and Ephah; all from Sheba shall come bearing gold and frankincense, and proclaiming the praises of the Lord.” Isaiah prophesied that the rulers of nations would come to worship Israel’s God. Matthew is showing that in Christ Isaiah’s vision is fulfilled and that the message of Christ’s coming is not for a few, but for all.
We hear hints in today’s gospel of what awaits Jesus. Already, in his infancy, the political powers feel threatened by him and Herod would do everything he could to get rid of him. Immediately following today’s story Mary and Joseph, warned by an angel, flee to Egypt with their child (2:13-15). Herod will unleash his wrath on the innocents by attempting to eliminate any future rival for his throne (2:16-23). The poor are frequently victimized and abused by the powerful and the “haves” of the world.
Matthew awakens us today from any glow that might remain from our Christmas reverie. Christ’s arrival is making a stir in the wider world and not just in the place he was born. Foreigners led to his dwelling do him homage. National boundaries and differences dissolve when we respond to God’s invitation to come to Christ. Herod had it right. Jesus is a king of what he will call, the “kingdom of God,” a realm which will undermine the powers and potentates of the world.
The word “epiphany” comes from the Greek (epiphaneia) meaning “manifestation” or “an appearance.” In Greek literature the word was used to announce the arrival a god, or an apparition by a god to a human. It had nothing to do with how we use the word today, “I just had an epiphany.” Meaning, “I just had a bright idea.” It is the original sense of the word that speaks to today’s feast: God comes to visit today with an epiphany for us.
Traditionally we have called the three Magi “the three wise men.” They seem to possess a kind of wisdom that recognizes the yearning we have for what is deeply satisfying, self-revelatory and linked to the divine. If we can name those yearnings ourselves, then we can make the journey today with the Magi to the One who is wisdom-enfleshed and ask for an epiphany, a recognition of God in our lives.
In medieval art the Magi are depicted in appearance and dress typical of Africa, Asia and Europe. Those artistic renderings say, in their way, what today’s gospel tells us — Christ is for all peoples. The tradition has named the Magi Caspar, Melchior and Balthasar and some families, to this day, trace their initials and the year in chalk over their front doors. So, for this year that would be “20 + C + M + B +12.” Because the Magi were visitors to the world of the Christ child, the chalk inscription over the door of our home would signify our commitment to Christian hospitality throughout this year: to welcome visitors as we would welcome Christ.
If the Magi used our usual sense of reckoning they would have gone no further than to Herod, the ruler of Judea, expecting to find the “newborn King of the Jews” in his palace. That makes perfect sense. Maybe for us, but that’s not God’s way of doing things. Instead, another king, born in a stable, is to be found in an insignificant village.
So, we reflect today on how much our lives are guided by the world’s way of judging and acting. The world looks for power, influence, guidance and ways of behaving that are frequently contrary to God’s ways. Jesus Christ, our King, can be found in humble circumstances, surprising places and, by the world’s standards, among the least important. This feast celebrates God’s coming to “outsiders,” the very people that raise suspicions and distrust among “insiders.” God’s hospitality reaches beyond our usual borders and touches all people. For God there is no exclusive “in crowd” — we are all inside.
The Magi were alerted to God’s revelation through a star, which led them to Christ. We believers keep an eye out for “stars” or signs of God’s presence in our life. The Word of God has told us those who those “stars” are; they are the poor and dispossessed. If we travel to them and keep alert we will find ourselves in the presence of Christ.
We have also been guided to discover Christ by other “stars”: parents, preachers, teachers, friends, etc. We also have other “stars” in our faith constellation: women and men, heroes of faith, whose biographies we have read or whom we learned about in church. We have celebrated their feasts with members of our church community. Our living holy ones and those who have been named “saints” by our church, have called us out of our comfort zones to travel to new places and different people in whom we have come to meet Christ. He is no longer a baby in the crib, but our living Lord who reminds us of God’s love and who calls us to offer hospitality to “outsiders” wherever and whenever we meet them.
As I travel from parish to parish I marvel at the diversity I see: not just in the pews, but among parish councils, choirs, liturgical ministers, outreach committees, parish staffs etc. God seems to call people from near and, like the Magi, from afar to worship and work together. That God chooses such different and unusual people now shouldn’t surprise us. Judging from the story of the Magi and the rest of the Bible, God has always mixed things up and drawn people together to serve. God uses our diverse gifts and resources to spread the light of Christ and to work epiphany after epiphany in the world.
If I were in a parish Scripture group sharing today’s gospel, I would expect to brainstorm and ask, “Who are the outsiders in our parish and neighbor and how can we reach out to them?”