Epiphany of Our Lord – January 7, 2024

Matthew 2:1-12

There is a popular meme (idea) that pointedly claims that if there had been “Three Wise Women” instead of “Three Wise Men” they would have:

Asked for directions…arrived on time…helped deliver the baby and brought practical gifts.
Mary might have appreciated a month’s supply of diapers.
They would have cleaned the stable…made a casserole and there would be peace on earth.
And if they were Lutherans…they would have brough a red Jello salad.

Anyway…the word “Epiphany” refers to something “made manifest” or “revealed.”

When you come up with a brilliant idea…you might say that you have had an “epiphany moment.”
Today…the word “Epiphany” communicates to us the “showing forth” or “the revelation” of Christ in the world.
Epiphany takes its themes from the journey of a group of pagan magi who left familiar territory to find the Christ child and explore this child’s authenticity for themselves.
And so today offers a rare opportunity to rescue the magi from their fixed places in the annual Christmas pageant…
And restore them to their biblical roles as key witnesses to both the threat and promise of the Christ child.

The story of these wise men is only found in the gospel of Matthew.

And…Matthew does not say that there are three wise men…nor does he call them kings.
Three kings from the Orient bringing gifts to Jesus in a manger is a charming story…
But it’s not actually the one we find in the Bible.
A closer reading of Matthew shows that we have no idea how many people were there.
The Holy Family most likely opened their doors to an impressive entourage that included the Magi themselves…a half dozen…A dozen?).
Plus…their servants and the attendant luggage.
With this group were the pack animals and a few camels.
The neighborhood must have been abuzz.

And we don’t know how far east they came from. (Lebanon? New Jersey?)

And they were not
They were Magi…as in magicians.
And not the cute kind you hire for your kid’s birthday party.
Yet history made them out to be kings.
Maybe because of the reality that they were magicians is too distasteful.
Since no one really wants the weird…slimy…circus guy to be the first to discover the birth of our Lord.
But the Epiphany story of Herod and his infanticide reveals a God who has entered our world as it actually exists.
Not as the world we often wish it would be.”

In Matthew…the emphasis is on Jesus’ mission…entering the deep brokenness of this world.

Among Matthew’s Jewish community…they were finding it difficult to accept that God came for all…and not just a few.
They were clinging to the idea that if you want to follow Jesus…
To be one of his disciples…you had to first be a Jew.
And if you were male…then you had to be circumcised.
Then if you were to become Christian…you had to continue to fulfill all the rules of the law…like food laws.
So…Matthew…right at the start…includes this unusual story.
And…this is the mystery…that God…this infant King…
Is now revealed to all
And God has come to transform all human history…all peoples of all

The wise men in today’s gospel…who came to seek the baby…were the epitome of Gentile idolatry and religious hocus-pocus.

They were not models of religious piety.
They were magicians…astronomers…stargazers…pseudo-scientists…fortune-tellers…horoscope fanatics.
But Matthew makes them the heroes in his first story following the Savior’s birth.
The wise men should not be there.
They are heretics. They don’t worship the right God.
They are the wrong race…the wrong denomination…the wrong religion.
They don’t know how to worship correctly.
Certainly…they give the child gifts of gold…frankincense and myrrh.
But those are elements used in their magic.
They would have been much better models of unbelief and false trust than models of faith…trust and worship.
But…Matthew wants to make it very clear that Jesus came for all people in this very broken world.
And that is why these wise men are found in this gospel.
That should give us pause as we continue to share God’s inclusive love…hospitality and welcome.

God not only sent his Son into this violent and faithless world to live in it…but also to save it!

But here is the extremely hard part:

God also comes into the world for the Herods…the crazed men who walk into schools and shoot and kill innocent teachers and children…the terrorist…even our enemies.
For every single one of us…God comes to shine a light that no darkness will overcome.
It is how we accept and share and reflect that light that matters.

God enters a world that is deeply broken and not filled with peace.

The wise men who journeyed to Bethlehem exposed God’s intention…

And desire to welcome all into the joy of God’s presence.
May we continue to be transformed and reflect the light of such infinite and inclusive love.