Insights

Rev Gav

Why do you need an epiphany about Jesus?

Matthew 2

In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, magi from the east came to Jerusalem, asking, “Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star in the east 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 magi 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 in the east, 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.

Now after they had left, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Get up, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.” Then Joseph got up, took the child and his mother by night, and went to Egypt and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet, “Out of Egypt I have called my son.”

When Herod saw that he had been tricked by the magi, he was infuriated, and he sent and killed all the children in and around Bethlehem who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had learned from the magi. Then what had been spoken through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled:

“A voice was heard in Ramah,
wailing and loud lamentation,
Rachel weeping for her children;
she refused to be consoled, because they are no more.”

When Herod died, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said, “Get up, take the child and his mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who were seeking the child’s life are dead.” Then Joseph got up, took the child and his mother, and went to the land of Israel. But when he heard that Archelaus was ruling Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. And after being warned in a dream, he went away to the district of Galilee. There he made his home in a town called Nazareth, so that what had been spoken through the prophets might be fulfilled, “He will be called a Nazarene.”

Reflect

When you have an epiphany — under a flash of popping light bulbs — you suddenly grasp the reality or truth of something. And from that moment on, you see things differently and look at the world with new eyes. This week, the church entered the season called Epiphany, and collectively, we remember those Eastern astrologers that visited Jesus some time after his birth. Despite being outsiders from a different culture, they had an epiphany, and recognised the reality of who Jesus was.

Have you ever been to a baby shower to celebrate the delivery of a newborn child? I have, and it is customary that you take a gift for the child. Appropriate gifts include things like sleep suits, sensory toys, stuffed animals, blankets, bibs, and so on — basically, anything soft, fluffy, and in pastel colours. You get the picture. Inappropriate gifts for a baby include knife sets, six-packs of beer, pool cues, and hair straighteners. Oh, and while I am listing inappropriate gifts, I might as well include embalming resin, incense sticks, and gold — which are the gifts those astrologers presented to Jesus.

Before I continue, I hate bursting anyone’s bubble, but those astrologers were not kings, nor were they wise men, and we have no idea how many of them there were. All we know is that they saw a star, interpreted that a new royal sovereign had been born in the West, calculated roughly where this had taken place, and went to find him. Of course, the first place they visited was King Herod’s palace because, if you were going to find a newborn prince, that is where he would be. But Herod, not being the nicest guy on the planet (the kind of guy who murdered and exiled his wives and drowned his own children in the palace swimming pool) sent them off to find Jesus so that he could have the boy executed. If there is one thing deranged, tyrannical dictators hated, it was competition, and you can read all about it in Chapter 2 in the Gospel of Matthew.

Anyway, to cut a short story even shorter, the astrologers eventually found Jesus and they presented him with their three bizarre gifts — gold, incense, and embalming resin — which become less bizarre when you understand that they were seeing Jesus for who he really was. For when they found Jesus and his mum, they did not see just a baby or toddler, but saw someone who was three things: a king, a priest, and a prophet.

Firstly, Jesus was going to become a king like the world had never seen before — the King of kings — and so they presented him the gift or offering typically given to kings, which was gold.

Secondly, Jesus was going to be a priest — an ambassador for God and someone who represented God to the world. Priests were involved in making people holy and pure before God and, as part of their ceremonies and rites, they would burn incense. This is why those astrologers presented Jesus with a special kind of incense, called frankincense.

Thirdly, Jesus was going to be a prophet, and a prophet was a messenger to the people that spoke the mind of God by communicating how well they were doing in God’s eyes and the positive or dire consequences of their actions. Unfortunately, over the centuries, the people did not like what the prophets had to say, and so all but a few were executed, hence the astrologer’s final gift, the gift of myrrh — a fragrant resin used in the process of embalming dead bodies.

Jesus — a king that sanctifies the people and dies.

Those astrologers had an epiphany. Under a flash of popping light bulbs they suddenly grasped the reality and truth of who Jesus was. And what did they do when they first met him? They bowed down and worshipped him.

Many of us had never had the same epiphany that those astrologers had when they encountered Jesus, however, what should the response be for those of us that encounter Jesus in the here and now?

I once attended a church worship service and during one of the songs, a young girl worked the rows with a collection basket. She stood in front of an older woman and held out the basket. The older woman popped in a couple of coins and continued to sing. The young girl fixed her gaze on the woman and stayed holding out the basket. The older woman pouted, dug into her handbag for her purse, opened it, took out a bill, and placed it into the collection. Still, the girl stayed with the basket in her outheld hand. The older woman raised her eyebrows, looked back into her open purse and took out all the bills and put the lot into the collection. Still, the girl kept the basket held out. The older woman shook her head, took out one of her credit cards, and also placed it into the collection. Still, the girl kept the basket held out. The older woman looked around at everyone else singing and, shrugging her shoulders, placed her entire purse into the collection. Yet, still, the girl held out the basket. The woman let out an exasperated sigh, took out her car keys, and added them to the collection. But still, the girl kept the basket held out. Exasperated, the woman lost her patience, grabbed the basket from the girl, tossed it onto the floor, stepped into it, and held out her hands as if to say she had nothing more to give. Finally, the girl smiled and hugged the older woman.

When we encounter the risen Jesus — when we have an epiphany and come to realise who he is and what he has done — our response is to bring him the gift of ourselves. Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection was not a theological exercise, but an act of love to draw outsiders — like us — closer to himself. It was and is an invitation to give him our hearts. Therefore, my hope and prayer this week is very simple: May you have a blessed Epiphany!

Heaps of Peace. Rev Gav.