A Devotional for the Feast of the Epiphany (January 6, 2021)
Due to circumstances beyond my control, my internet service was temporarily interrupted from Monday evening to this morning. In lieu of the usual Wednesday evening service, I am posting a short devotional for the Feast of the Epiphany.
In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, “Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage.” When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet:
‘And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for from you shall come a ruler
who is to shepherd my people Israel.’”
Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage.” When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road. Matthew 2:1-20 NRSV
The Feast of the Epiphany is one of the oldest festivals of the Christian year. In the Western Church the feast largely but not exclusively celebrates the manifestation of the Christ, or the Messiah, to the Gentiles, represented by the wise men, or Magi. The Magi were a group of astrologers who had observed a celestial phenomenon which they believed marked the birth of a king of unusual importance. While Gospel of Matthew describes this phenomenon as a “star,” its movement in the sky suggest that it might have been a comet or a rare conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn like the one that we recently experienced.
Matthew’s Gospel does not tell us how many Magi sought out the king whose birth the star heralded. While it has often been assumed that there were three Magi due to the number of gifts that they offered to the infant Jesus, this is pure conjecture. Whether they were kings is also conjecture, based upon Old Testament prophecy and the type of gifts that they gave to Jesus.
The visit of the Magi to the infant Jesus occurred sometime after his birth and not on the night of his birth. Whether they rode camels as they are often pictured as doing is conjecture too. They were likely men of some means in the light of the costliness of the gifts that they offered the infant Jesus. Poor men did not have free time to pursue the art of astrology or the wealth to travel great distances. It has been suggested that they might have been Zoroastrian priests, an ancient Persian religion whose priests practiced astrology. We actually have no idea who they were or how far they traveled. What we do know is that they were not Jews. They believed that the celestial phenomenon that they had observed was the portent of the birth of a great king—a king so great that they came to pay him homage.
Their visit to the infant Jesus points to his Messiahship. It is foretold in the Old Testament that the Gentiles—the non-Jews—would pay home to the Messiah as well as the Jews. Kings would bow before him. It is this prophecy and their apparent wealth that lies behind the assumption that the Magi were kings. It looks forward to the time when God will exalt Jesus and give him the name above every name—a name at which every knee shall bow and ever tongue shall confess that Jesus is Lord, to the glory of God.
Because we have heard this story so many times, we may no longer experience its full impact. We certainly do not experience it as how the Jews to whom Matthew’s Gospel was written would have experienced it. Jesus has not only been born in Bethlehem but Gentiles are paying homage to him. What has been foretold has come to pass. It has happened. They are faced with a choice—accept Jesus as the Messiah with all its implications or reject him as the Messiah with all its implications.
We are faced with the same choice. Do we own Jesus as our Savior and Lord or do we turn our backs on him? If we own him as our Savior and Lord, then we must not only do what the Magi did—pay homage to him--but also live our lives in submission to him as the shepherd, the ruler, of our souls, our bodies, and ourselves.
In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, “Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage.” When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet:
‘And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for from you shall come a ruler
who is to shepherd my people Israel.’”
Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage.” When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road. Matthew 2:1-20 NRSV
The Feast of the Epiphany is one of the oldest festivals of the Christian year. In the Western Church the feast largely but not exclusively celebrates the manifestation of the Christ, or the Messiah, to the Gentiles, represented by the wise men, or Magi. The Magi were a group of astrologers who had observed a celestial phenomenon which they believed marked the birth of a king of unusual importance. While Gospel of Matthew describes this phenomenon as a “star,” its movement in the sky suggest that it might have been a comet or a rare conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn like the one that we recently experienced.
Matthew’s Gospel does not tell us how many Magi sought out the king whose birth the star heralded. While it has often been assumed that there were three Magi due to the number of gifts that they offered to the infant Jesus, this is pure conjecture. Whether they were kings is also conjecture, based upon Old Testament prophecy and the type of gifts that they gave to Jesus.
The visit of the Magi to the infant Jesus occurred sometime after his birth and not on the night of his birth. Whether they rode camels as they are often pictured as doing is conjecture too. They were likely men of some means in the light of the costliness of the gifts that they offered the infant Jesus. Poor men did not have free time to pursue the art of astrology or the wealth to travel great distances. It has been suggested that they might have been Zoroastrian priests, an ancient Persian religion whose priests practiced astrology. We actually have no idea who they were or how far they traveled. What we do know is that they were not Jews. They believed that the celestial phenomenon that they had observed was the portent of the birth of a great king—a king so great that they came to pay him homage.
Their visit to the infant Jesus points to his Messiahship. It is foretold in the Old Testament that the Gentiles—the non-Jews—would pay home to the Messiah as well as the Jews. Kings would bow before him. It is this prophecy and their apparent wealth that lies behind the assumption that the Magi were kings. It looks forward to the time when God will exalt Jesus and give him the name above every name—a name at which every knee shall bow and ever tongue shall confess that Jesus is Lord, to the glory of God.
Because we have heard this story so many times, we may no longer experience its full impact. We certainly do not experience it as how the Jews to whom Matthew’s Gospel was written would have experienced it. Jesus has not only been born in Bethlehem but Gentiles are paying homage to him. What has been foretold has come to pass. It has happened. They are faced with a choice—accept Jesus as the Messiah with all its implications or reject him as the Messiah with all its implications.
We are faced with the same choice. Do we own Jesus as our Savior and Lord or do we turn our backs on him? If we own him as our Savior and Lord, then we must not only do what the Magi did—pay homage to him--but also live our lives in submission to him as the shepherd, the ruler, of our souls, our bodies, and ourselves.
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