Old Testament: Isaiah 60:1-6
Gospel: Matthew 2:1-12
Epistle: Ephesians 3:1-12
Today is Epiphany Sunday! Epiphany is always January 6th but since that is usually not a Sunday, many churches celebrate it on the Sunday afterwards. Hopefully we all know what epiphany is, but as a reminder it is the time specifically when we celebrate God's revelation (epiphany) to the Gentiles. We read about the magi this week because they represent foreign people who are brought into a relationship with the Lord. The magi received a special revelation, in the form of a star, and come to worship Jesus, the King of the Jews. They represent all Gentiles who come from afar, yet if they follow the Star are able to encounter Jesus. It is also significant that in Matthew, it is a few Gentiles, pagan astrologers even, who are the first to worship Jesus.
There is a strand in the Old Testament that runs straight back to the call of Abraham that declares that God's chosen people are to be a blessing to the nations (Gen. 12:3; 22:18). Israel was never meant to be a insular people that existed only for themselves. This theme is taken up by the prophets (and our Psalm today) later in Israel's history to call the nation back to this part of God's plan. Indeed today's reading from Isaiah begins like this:
In the Old Testament and intertestamental period there was a tendency for the people of God to draw ever tighter circles around who was in and who was out. Israel and Judah split early in the monarchy. There was a divide between those in exile and then later the diaspora and the remnant that returned and remained in Jerusalem. By the time of Jesus there were a number of sects drawing that circle even smaller to those who thought exactly like themselves, such as the Essenes, The Qumran community that produced the Dead Sea Scrolls, and more well-known, the Pharisees and the Sadducees. All of these groups were concerned with purity, observing the Law, and setting up boundaries. And in the midst of that, steps Jesus, and the second chapter of Matthew.
Most scholars presume that Matthew was written to a Jewish audience. Thus Matthew begins his genealogy section with Abraham, whereas Luke starts his all the way back with Adam. So it is astounding that Matthew has a group of heathen gentiles recognizing "The King of the Jews" first and worshiping him. Great irony is present in the King of the Jews being worshiped by a bunch of Gentiles far removed from any palace or power center. But Matthew is making a point, and I think it has a lot to do with the type of Messiah Jesus is. He is going to take all of the circles and boundaries that Israel and the Jews had set-up and tear them all down. As Paul later writes, "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus." (Gal. 3:28) Jesus is opening the Kingdom up, and in doing so fulfilling the role that Israel was called to do.
And so this is what we celebrate at Epiphany. That God desires to reveal himself to us. He sent a star after-all so a bunch of pagan astrologers could have an encounter with his Son. He is still in the same business of seeking to reveal himself to his creation. And the crazy thing is that one of the main ways he does this is through his followers, the Church. We are to be Jesus' hands and feet, revealing Jesus to the world: Christ ambassadors as Paul says (2 Cor. 5:20).
Arise, shine, for your light has come,Isaiah sees a time when Israel will fully live into the plan God has for them. Similarly, psalm 72 envisions a time when all the nations and kings will pay homage to the king of Israel. But this relationship will be one of blessing, not oppression. The Psalmist writes, "Then all nations will be blessed through him, and they will call him blessed." (vs. 17)
and the glory of the Lord rises upon you...
Nations will come to your light,
and kings to the brightness of your dawn. (60:1,3)
In the Old Testament and intertestamental period there was a tendency for the people of God to draw ever tighter circles around who was in and who was out. Israel and Judah split early in the monarchy. There was a divide between those in exile and then later the diaspora and the remnant that returned and remained in Jerusalem. By the time of Jesus there were a number of sects drawing that circle even smaller to those who thought exactly like themselves, such as the Essenes, The Qumran community that produced the Dead Sea Scrolls, and more well-known, the Pharisees and the Sadducees. All of these groups were concerned with purity, observing the Law, and setting up boundaries. And in the midst of that, steps Jesus, and the second chapter of Matthew.
Most scholars presume that Matthew was written to a Jewish audience. Thus Matthew begins his genealogy section with Abraham, whereas Luke starts his all the way back with Adam. So it is astounding that Matthew has a group of heathen gentiles recognizing "The King of the Jews" first and worshiping him. Great irony is present in the King of the Jews being worshiped by a bunch of Gentiles far removed from any palace or power center. But Matthew is making a point, and I think it has a lot to do with the type of Messiah Jesus is. He is going to take all of the circles and boundaries that Israel and the Jews had set-up and tear them all down. As Paul later writes, "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus." (Gal. 3:28) Jesus is opening the Kingdom up, and in doing so fulfilling the role that Israel was called to do.
And so this is what we celebrate at Epiphany. That God desires to reveal himself to us. He sent a star after-all so a bunch of pagan astrologers could have an encounter with his Son. He is still in the same business of seeking to reveal himself to his creation. And the crazy thing is that one of the main ways he does this is through his followers, the Church. We are to be Jesus' hands and feet, revealing Jesus to the world: Christ ambassadors as Paul says (2 Cor. 5:20).
So Epiphany is not just a time when we praise God for who he is and what he is doing, it is also a time to recognize the task he has placed before us, the same one Israel had. We, the Church, are called to bless others and reveal God to them.
Let us be faithful to the task before us.
Grace and Peace.
Grace and Peace.
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