Epiphany, January 3, 2016
Is 60:1-6; Eph 3:2-3a,5-6; Mt 2:1-12
Ithaca Longview
Today we celebrate the feast of Epiphany, the manifestation of Christ to the nations, as represented by the magi. Epiphany comes from a Greek word meaning “appearance” or “manifestation,” often the appearance of a deity to mortals. It can refer to an “Aha!” moment, when a person suddenly sees something that they couldn’t “get” before. The Christian feast of Epiphany celebrates that God, who was known to the Israelites, became known also to the Gentiles through Jesus.
The idea that the god of Israel would be manifested to the Gentiles was not new with Christianity. Today’s first reading, from Isaiah, is just one of many examples from the Hebrew Scriptures that foretell how other nations and peoples will come to worship God.
Nations shall walk by your light,
and kings by your shining radiance.
The prophet Micah predicted, “Many nations shall come, and say, “Come, let us climb the LORD’s mountain, to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may instruct us in his ways, that we may walk in his paths.”
Gentiles were welcome in the synagogues; believing gentiles were called God-fearers, or people who worshipped Israel’s God. The first Christians, who were of course Jews, believed that with the coming of the Messiah—Jesus—it was time for the prophecies to be fulfilled, for God to be revealed to the Gentiles. They began to actively proclaim the good news of God to all the nations and peoples of the earth. Ever since then, Christians have worked to spread this good news.
But what are we to make of these lines in the first reading?
The riches of the sea shall be emptied out before you,
The wealth of nations shall be brought to you.
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.
What is with the riches, camels, and gold? This is a description of subject nations bringing tribute to Jerusalem. In Isaiah’s time, wealth was a zero-sum game. The way to become wealthier was not to start a new business, but to take wealth away from somebody else. Kings collected taxes in order to pay for an army, and then used the army to conquer foreign kingdoms and exact tribute from them. In the old days, this was how you got other nations to worship your god. The tribute model also underlies today’s psalm:
The kings of Tarshish and the Isles shall offer gifts;
The kings of Arabia and Seba shall bring tribute.
All kings shall pay him homage,
All nations shall serve him.
Scripture scholars tell us that Matthew was very aware of Isaiah’s prophecy. He tells the story of the three kings in order to point out that Jesus is the fulfillment of the prophecy, the long awaited Messiah who would spread the good news and blessings of God to all the nations. But Matthew has turned Isaiah’s description on its head. Instead of conquered kings bringing tribute to a mighty king, three magi, or astrologers, come to Jerusalem with voluntary gifts. But guess what? The newborn Messiah isn’t there! He’s a peasant in a little village six miles away. He has no power. He will never exercise power or take away other people’s money. He is poor, not rich. He’s here to give, not to take.
And Matthew has also changed the meaning of the gifts. Instead of the riches of the sea (coral and pearls?) and the wealth of nations, the magi bring gold and frankincense. Gold is appropriate for a king, and incense for a priest; Jesus is by nature both king—but not like Herod—and priest—but not like the high priests in the big city. Yes, he is the promised Messiah and all nations will find blessing in him now, but No, he is not what everyone expected.
The second reading sums up the lesson of Epiphany. God is manifested to the Gentiles in Jesus, not so that they should bring tribute, but that they may be coheirs and copartners in the promise.
So Jesus came to complete God’s revelation of himself, to establish God’s kingdom, and to open it definitively to the Gentiles. We can continue the work of the apostles by continuing to reveal the mercy of God to all the people around us. Jesus heals, forgives, and loves, as God does. As Christians, we are also called on to help reveal God by healing, forgiving, and showing to all people the same loving face that God shows to us.