The glory of God
Commentary
These are the longest hours of darkness. Although the winter solstice is passed, the darkness lingers for many more weeks. The season becomes a symbol for the longing of the human spirit to "see the light." It becomes difficult to catch sight of the light, however, when so many shadows lurk at every turn of corner we make. We claim to be an enlightened people, yet settle for clap-trap on television and spend countless hours absorbing it like a sponge under a dripping faucet. We call athletes heroes for nothing more than being good at what they do. We discover unbelievable methods of healing and then price them out of range for the poor. We pay entertainment personalities ungodly sums of money and cut back on vital human services to save a few tax dollars. In so many ways, "the people who sat in darkness" are still sitting in darkness.
The season of Epiphany can be seen as the culmination of Christmas festivities. The Twelve Days of Christmas surrender their celebration of the birth of Jesus over to the reality of what he is about -- the revelation of the glory of God. The "who" and the "when" of the birth narratives yield now to the decisive expression of "what" it is all about, namely the manifestation of the very presence of God's everlasting glory on the earth in the person of Jesus. In this sense, Epiphany is not "the lost season" between Christmas and Lent, but the bridge from the Christmas season, celebrating when Jesus came, to the Lent and Easter Season, celebrating why he came.
Isaiah 60:1-6
Regardless of just where one ascribes this passage -- as part of First and Only Isaiah or Second Isaiah or Third Isaiah -- there is something marvelously strong about the sense of the future. Whether these words were written before the events of restoration unfolded, while they unfolded, or after their unfolding, there is a grand vision of a future glory that is to be Zion's. Even if some of the events suggested had already taken place or were taking place, making Isaiah but a master of the obvious, there is a grandeur that begs the reader to expect more. The scope of the vision is worldwide. The sea is extensive; the nations are multitude and scattered over the face of the earth. Yet, all this is what will be gathered to Zion!
Not only this, but the feuding family of God, fractured from the beginning, will be reconciled. It is interesting to note that the nations specifically mentioned (Midian, Ephah, Sheba; and also from verse 7, Kedar and Nebaioth) reflect the descendants of Abraham that did not generate through Sarah (Genesis 25). This suggests that the family of God will be reconciled and add luster to the arising light, in addition to the nations gathering together. Here is a word of hope interjected into the embittered battles of the Middle East.
There is depth as well as breadth to God's restoration of his people to the promises made to Abraham. The people who have been scattered with be gathered (60:4) and the poverty of the people in defeat and exile will be turned to wealth (60:5). This will be the Lord's doing; this will be the Lord's glory manifest on the face of the earth. No wonder, then, that the people are called upon to "arise, shine" (60:1).
From the dust of demise, destruction, and deportation, the people are lifted up in splendor before all others. This is the Lord's doing; it is the Lord's glory. The demise of the Northern Kingdom, the destruction of Jerusalem, and the deportation of the people are but the stage setting for God to reveal his power, like light that shines upon darkness and exchanges its dreadful cloak with a resplendent mantel. The descriptor "thick darkness" is the same used in Exodus 20:21 to locate where God is and in Joel 2:2 to characterize the day of the Lord. God's self-disclosure emerges not from the pristine heights and lights of heaven, but from within "thick darkness." This is where God will be found in his glory -- and it will be as a light to the people.
The consistency of this image with the cross of Christ cannot go unnoticed. Out of the darkness of death on a horrible cross emerges God's greatest disclosure of his love for his people. Yes, "from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land" (Matthew 27:45), but it was a darkness which God himself was penetrating from within with a piercing light that would shine for all remaining time and eternity. The Christian church would look upon this passage of Isaiah and see Jesus foreshadowed in the light of Israel and the rising of Israel.
Symbols of wealth, gold and frankincense (60:6), will reflect in earthly measure the great glory of God manifested through his chosen people. Matthew will catch the significance of this, adding myrrh (2 Chronicles 9:22f), and bring these gifts to Jesus in the manger for all to see clearly where God reveals himself with laser precision.
Ephesians 3:1-12
Devoid of a polemical spirit as in Galatians, Ephesians is a calm letter that addresses the nature of the church en cristw, its function to convey the mystery and wisdom of God to the world, and the characteristics of life together among the faithful. It was probably written by Paul (or an intimate disciple) while under house arrest in Rome. Note the three references to himself as a prisoner. Paul identifies himself as a steward of God's grace. The mystery of God's planned love for the world in Christ Jesus was entrusted to Paul for the sake of the Gentiles.
Paul became a trustee of the gospel through a special revelation (3:3; see also Acts 9, Galatians 1:12). The revelation itself was the new news in Christ Jesus, which it was the churches' responsibility to share with the world. Not just to Jews scattered throughout the world, but to the entire world itself -- all people, who are created and loved by God. The early church struggled with this scope of the gospel. Many were saying that "the world" needed to be grafted into the root of Jesse, becoming proselyte Jews through circumcision. Paul and others argued that the Gentiles were partakers of God's grace "through the gospel," which they could receive by faith. The Council in Jerusalem, perhaps the first officially called council of the fledgling church (in 49 A.D.?; see Acts 15) was called to deal with this. The issue was settled on the side of grace through faith, not circumcision and keeping the law of Moses.
The mystery, to muothrion (3:3, 4, 9), of which Paul writes is not the mystery of the gnostics, that secret revelation given to only a chosen few to understand the way of salvation. No, it is a mystery, insofar as it belongs to God and is revealed by God outside of the human intuitive process, but a mystery that is to be shared with everyone. Paul's purpose is "to make all men see what is the plan of the mystery" (3:9). Even the principalities and the powers will be privy to this knowledge. But, for them, it will be a knowledge that will disarm and destroy them; whereas for the believers it will be a knowledge unto salvation. The arena for this to be made clear is not within the private confines of a cultic setting or the secret rooms of instruction. The arena is the public square, whether that be the Acropolis for open debate or circulated letters for communal reading.
An important perspective that Paul holds regarding his position as apostle is that he has received his ministry as a gift (3:7). He is very candid about this, referring to himself as "the least of all the saints" (3:8). Paul is saying that he certainly does not deserve this honor. In an earlier letter to the Corinthians, Paul speaks of himself as the least of the apostles, because of his former role in persecuting the church. But, here in our text, Paul includes all the holy people of God as ranking above him. Paul does this to further emphasize the unmerited nature of his call to ministry. This perspective tempers unwelcome hubris and keeps the gospel itself at the center, Christ himself at the crossroads of faith and life.
Matthew 2:1-12
There is a reason why Matthew's birth narrative does not get much reading at Christmas time. It lacks the tenderness of a birth story. Luke's account fits in so nicely with what we adults or children might normally expect to hear or want to hear: a family journey; lousy accommodations; shepherds and sheep; angelic voices from heaven; a baby in a manger. Matthew has none of this. The baby is there, of course, but the closest we get to him is a house in Bethlehem. How unexciting is that? No swaddling cloths, no manger, no imagined animals mooing and cooing. It seems that Matthew is more interested in the wise men. The story really seems to be about them. That would fit right in to Matthew's purpose, however. He is intent on demonstrating that Jesus is the fulfillment of all the Old Testament promises. He goes to great length to make connections between Old Testament texts and the events of Jesus, more so than any other Gospel writer.
This, of course, is very fitting for Epiphany, since this is the festival that climaxes the meaning of Christmas. What we have in Jesus is nothing less than the revelation of the glory of God. The wise men naturally seek the wisdom of God, which Paul declares is manifest in Jesus. A star guides them, providing a heavenly portent to signal the arrival of the new king. (Astral signs were often interpreted as accompanying the birth of a great one on earth, most often a king. Numbers 24:17 spoke of such a birth metaphorically -- "A star shall come forth out of Jacob.") The who and the where are more sensitively dealt with by Luke; Matthew wants to get at the profound whatness of all that was happening. The king of the Jews was being born and proper announcement needs to be made. What better way than to bring gifts fit for a king: gold, frankincense and myrrh (Isaiah 60:6 and 2 Chronicles 9:22f.). These are symbols of wealth that will dramatically ascribe to Jesus the honor due him.
The prophets Jeremiah (23:5, seventh century B.C.) and Zechariah (9:9, sixth century B.C.) heralded his coming from a distance. There was no mistake about it: the people were promised a king. He would rise up like a tree growing, rule with wisdom, execute justice, and ride donkeys. How ironic that so many of the leading Jews and so many of the Jewish people rejected Jesus. Their current Jewish king even tried to have him disposed of. It was the Gentiles, magoi, strangers from the other nations, who come and honor Jesus first. One wonders if Paul knew of this account and, if he did, if this was his preferred reading over Luke's source? How nicely this narrative would have served him at the Jerusalem Council.
Even so, the Jews had holy scripture in which to find clues as to the rising of a king messiah. Herod's scholars located Micah 5:2, which, when juxtaposed to the account of the wise men about an astral wonder, was enough to arouse Herod's deepest concern about his throne. Although Herod became anxiously jealous and paranoid, the wise men stay focused on the revelatory nature of these events and they rejoiced. To express the sense of the Greek describing their response, one might say in today's lingo, "They were joy squared to the max" (ecarhoan caran megalhn sfodra).
An historical sidebar: In the Second Jewish Revolt of 132-134 A.D., Rabbi Akiba ascribed to the insurgent leader the moniker Bar Cochba, which means "son of the star." His given name was Bar Cosiba. The hope he kindled in the weary hearts of an oppressed people was like a light rising on the horizon, shedding rays of a new future that would lead the people into the promises of God. Unfortunately, political fulfillment of these promises came up short once again, as Emperor Hadrian sent one of his best generals, Julius Severus from Britain, to crush the uprising. The lessons of 70 A.D. had to be learned once again. All the while, Christians kept pointing to Jesus as the light of the world (John's jvx). The star belongs to him alone (autou ton astera; Matthew 2:2).
Application
In the northern hemisphere, the Epiphany season coincides with the longest nights of the year. Many people suffer to varying degrees from light deprivation. Winter depressions set in. There is even a condition known as "cabin fever," resulting from lessened light and the imposition of staying more indoors due to cold and snow, exacerbating loneliness due to minimized social contacts. Questions arise about whether there can be true joy in life in general, or at least during this time of year. Must our hearts shrivel, as our world becomes darker and smaller? No, comes the response of Epiphany. The Lord lives and reigns and has manifested his glory, like a bright, shining light, upon the face of the earth. Its radiance was cast upon Israel in days of old and more recently in the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Hearts can rejoice; or, as the Hebrew word means, hearts can be enlarged. Just like light invites plants to foliate and develop colorful blossoms, enlarging and opening, so too our hearts can enlarge hopefully and expectantly into the kept promises of God. There is a resounding yes to life, because of the work of Jesus on our behalf, manifest in his words, miracles, suffering, death, and resurrection.
This does not necessarily mean that "our light" will always shine, even though in this new year we have the highest hopes for ourselves. It means essentially that the glory of the Lord will constantly shine upon us, like a benediction from heaven spread upon earth. Jesus is the sign and seal, the deliverer and the message itself, that this is true. When we look at the entire life of Jesus, not just his birth (though in Matthew's account, his birth foreshadows this), we see that his glory is hid under the sign of opposites (as Martin Luther was fond of pointing out). Jesus himself entered into the darkness of the day of the Lord, which meant for him the cross. The gift of myrrh at his birth was a striking symbol of betrayal (Genesis 37:25f, when Joseph was betrayed into the hands of myrrh merchants) and a premonition of death (Mark 16:1, when three other visitors -- women, this time, wise in faith and love -- sought Jesus where he lay). Yet, it was on the cross that he did his greatest work, giving himself as a ransom for many (Matthew 20:28), effecting the forgiveness of sins and engaging death itself in a winner-take-all war.
Enough days have gone by since Christmas that not only are all the gifts unwrapped, but they are probably all put away. This is in contrast to the Christian need to present oneself daily to Jesus, the gift in response to God's great Gift. This we learn from the wise men, who did not consider the meaning of the heavens from afar. They traveled and did what they had to do to appear before Jesus in person. They were searching for the truth, not from an armchair, but from within their personal encounter with Jesus. Perhaps the words of Viktor Frankl in Man's Search for Meaning could be applied here (though he himself would not apply them in this way): "One should not search for an abstract meaning of life. Everyone has his own specific vocation or mission in life; everyone must carry out a concrete assignment that demands fulfillment." Epiphany begs us to come face to face with the glory of God in Jesus and respond like the wise men, who "fell down and worshiped him" (Matthew 2:11). Here our wondering about the presence and the purposes of God will turn into wonder at the presence and the purposes of God manifest in Jesus.
Is it any wonder that Paul was so eager to share these "unsearchable riches of Christ" with anyone and everyone, Jew and Gentile alike? We all need to hear this good news and then to share it. This gives us a dual sense of giftedness. First, we are gifted with this good news, which saves us from the power of sin and death. Second, we become a gift to others as we share this good news and exemplify the power of God in our daily lives. Christians become "the energy of his dynamite" (kata thn energeian thz dunahewz autou; Ephesians 3:7) in shaping family and community life around the person and purposes of Jesus.
FIRST LESSON FOCUS
By Elizabeth Achtemeier
Isaiah 60:1-6
Epiphany. The word means the appearing of God, from the Greek word epiphaneia. And specifically, in the church, Epiphany has come to designate the appearing or the manifestation of the Lord to the non-Jewish world, to the Gentiles.
Thus, both of the New Testament scripture readings for this day deal with that manifestation. In the Gospel reading from Matthew, we have the story of the visit of the magi or wise men -- of those Gentile astrologers from Mesopotamia -- to the Christ Child in the stable at Bethlehem. (There is nothing in the New Testament text that suggests that there were only three magi, and caravans in the ancient Near East would not set out on so dangerous a journey with so few.) In the Epistle Lesson from Ephesians, Paul writes of his preaching of Christ to the Gentile world. So Epiphany is the celebration of the revelation of Jesus Christ beyond the boundaries of Judaism to the far reaches of the Gentile world. Christ for the world! -- that is the theme.
The lectionary links the story of the wise men in Matthew to this Old Testament text from Isaiah 60, because the wise men travel on camels and present their gifts of gold and frankincense to the Christ child. In verse 6 of our stated text, we read, "A multitude of camels shall cover you,/ the young camels of Midian and Ephah;/ all those from Sheba shall come./ They shall bring gold and frankincense,/ and shall proclaim the praise of the Lord." Gold was always valued, of course, and frankincense, a fragrant gum resin from Boswellia trees, though sometimes used as a perfume (Song of Solomon 3:6; 4:6, 14), was most often used in temple offerings (Exodus 30:34-38; Isaiah 43:23, etc.). The picture in Isaiah 60:5-6, therefore, is of the southwestern desert tribes of Midian and Ephah, the Gentiles from the Arabian trading center of Sheba, and the gold-bearing sea peoples of the Mediterranean bringing their gifts and praising the Lord. Indeed, the portrayal in Isaiah 60:3-7 is of the entire known Gentile world coming with gifts and praise. "Nations shall come to your light,/ and kings to the brightness of your rising," reads verse 3.
The complication is that those gifts are being brought not to Jesus in our Old Testament text, but to Israel, and it is to Israel that God has appeared. "Arise, shine; for your light has come,/ and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you" (v. 1). After a whole section of conditional promises, scathing judgments, warnings, and calls to repentance to Israel, in Isaiah 56-59, suddenly now, in chapters 60-62, the people of Judah and Jerusalem are told that God is coming to them to save them. And not only that, all of their exiles, scattered about the Mediterranean world in the sixth century B.C. will be returned to them, released or carried by the foreign nations who have held them captive (60:4, 9). The Israelites have done nothing to deserve that salvation. Nevertheless, God in his mercy, will grant it to them.
Jerusalem is addressed in the first verse of our text as a woman mourning in the dust. She is bidden to rise, because the glory of the Lord shines upon her. "Glory" can have one of two meanings in the Old Testament. It can refer to the esteem and honor in which God is held, as in "Give glory to the Lord." But frequently it refers to the brilliant light of God's presence, his shining effulgence, the manifestation of his Being of Light on the earth (cf. Isaiah 35:2; 40:5; 58:8; 59:19; 1 Timothy 6:15-
16; James 1:17). That is the meaning here. God, in his undeserved mercy, returns to his people and the glory of his presence shines in favor upon them.
As a result, the people of Judah and Jerusalem will reflect that light, just as Moses' face reflected it when he came down Mount Sinai from talking to God (Exodus 34:29; 2 Corinthians 3:12-18). When the other nations see that reflected light, they will realize that the Lord alone is God (cf. v. 14; 45:14, 22-25; 49:7; 52:13--53:12), because he is able to save Israel. And they will stream to Israel's light, bearing their gifts with them. Those gifts will be used in rebuilding the Temple, and their animals will provide sacrifices for the altar. Verse 7c even implies that the sacrificial animals will go up to the altar voluntarily.
In other words, what we have in our text is a picture of the coming Kingdom of God, in which Israel, who was despised by the nations, will become the means through which God will bring all peoples to acknowledge his lordship. Instead of being despised and forsaken, Israel will be saved. Instead of captivity, she will know freedom; instead of violence, peace; instead of devastation, wholeness and joy (Isaiah 60:15-18). That the text is a portrayal of the coming kingdom is confirmed by the last verses in the chapter. God's people will not even need the light of the sun by day or that of the moon by night, because her "Lord will be her everlasting light," and God will be her glory, verses 19-22 -- a familiar biblical picture of the coming Kingdom of God (cf. Revelation 21:22-26).
So our text is not a prophecy of the birth of Jesus Christ or of the coming of the magi with their gifts to his stable. It is a prophecy of God's use of his people Israel to convert the world and to bring in his kingdom on earth. And yet, should we not consider that it is that Son of Israel, that Jew from the line of David, that semitic child laid in a manger through whom God works such a purpose? The story of Israel in the Old Testament all narrows down to one figure from Israel, Jesus Christ. Surely, he was despised and rejected by Gentiles, subjected to violence and death, and hung on a cross as one who seemed forsaken by the Lord, as Israel of the Old Testament seemed forsaken. But the glory of the Lord rose upon him. Indeed, writes Paul, in Christ's resurrected countenance we see "the light of the knowledge of the glory of God" (2 Corinthians 4:6), and through Christ and his salvation from the grave, God now slowly but surely draws all nations to worship him as the one Lord and Savior. Through Christ, the Son of Israel and of his heavenly Father, God begins his universal reign on earth, and finally, through Jesus Christ, the kingdom will come in its fullness and God will be all in all.
The season of Epiphany can be seen as the culmination of Christmas festivities. The Twelve Days of Christmas surrender their celebration of the birth of Jesus over to the reality of what he is about -- the revelation of the glory of God. The "who" and the "when" of the birth narratives yield now to the decisive expression of "what" it is all about, namely the manifestation of the very presence of God's everlasting glory on the earth in the person of Jesus. In this sense, Epiphany is not "the lost season" between Christmas and Lent, but the bridge from the Christmas season, celebrating when Jesus came, to the Lent and Easter Season, celebrating why he came.
Isaiah 60:1-6
Regardless of just where one ascribes this passage -- as part of First and Only Isaiah or Second Isaiah or Third Isaiah -- there is something marvelously strong about the sense of the future. Whether these words were written before the events of restoration unfolded, while they unfolded, or after their unfolding, there is a grand vision of a future glory that is to be Zion's. Even if some of the events suggested had already taken place or were taking place, making Isaiah but a master of the obvious, there is a grandeur that begs the reader to expect more. The scope of the vision is worldwide. The sea is extensive; the nations are multitude and scattered over the face of the earth. Yet, all this is what will be gathered to Zion!
Not only this, but the feuding family of God, fractured from the beginning, will be reconciled. It is interesting to note that the nations specifically mentioned (Midian, Ephah, Sheba; and also from verse 7, Kedar and Nebaioth) reflect the descendants of Abraham that did not generate through Sarah (Genesis 25). This suggests that the family of God will be reconciled and add luster to the arising light, in addition to the nations gathering together. Here is a word of hope interjected into the embittered battles of the Middle East.
There is depth as well as breadth to God's restoration of his people to the promises made to Abraham. The people who have been scattered with be gathered (60:4) and the poverty of the people in defeat and exile will be turned to wealth (60:5). This will be the Lord's doing; this will be the Lord's glory manifest on the face of the earth. No wonder, then, that the people are called upon to "arise, shine" (60:1).
From the dust of demise, destruction, and deportation, the people are lifted up in splendor before all others. This is the Lord's doing; it is the Lord's glory. The demise of the Northern Kingdom, the destruction of Jerusalem, and the deportation of the people are but the stage setting for God to reveal his power, like light that shines upon darkness and exchanges its dreadful cloak with a resplendent mantel. The descriptor "thick darkness" is the same used in Exodus 20:21 to locate where God is and in Joel 2:2 to characterize the day of the Lord. God's self-disclosure emerges not from the pristine heights and lights of heaven, but from within "thick darkness." This is where God will be found in his glory -- and it will be as a light to the people.
The consistency of this image with the cross of Christ cannot go unnoticed. Out of the darkness of death on a horrible cross emerges God's greatest disclosure of his love for his people. Yes, "from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land" (Matthew 27:45), but it was a darkness which God himself was penetrating from within with a piercing light that would shine for all remaining time and eternity. The Christian church would look upon this passage of Isaiah and see Jesus foreshadowed in the light of Israel and the rising of Israel.
Symbols of wealth, gold and frankincense (60:6), will reflect in earthly measure the great glory of God manifested through his chosen people. Matthew will catch the significance of this, adding myrrh (2 Chronicles 9:22f), and bring these gifts to Jesus in the manger for all to see clearly where God reveals himself with laser precision.
Ephesians 3:1-12
Devoid of a polemical spirit as in Galatians, Ephesians is a calm letter that addresses the nature of the church en cristw, its function to convey the mystery and wisdom of God to the world, and the characteristics of life together among the faithful. It was probably written by Paul (or an intimate disciple) while under house arrest in Rome. Note the three references to himself as a prisoner. Paul identifies himself as a steward of God's grace. The mystery of God's planned love for the world in Christ Jesus was entrusted to Paul for the sake of the Gentiles.
Paul became a trustee of the gospel through a special revelation (3:3; see also Acts 9, Galatians 1:12). The revelation itself was the new news in Christ Jesus, which it was the churches' responsibility to share with the world. Not just to Jews scattered throughout the world, but to the entire world itself -- all people, who are created and loved by God. The early church struggled with this scope of the gospel. Many were saying that "the world" needed to be grafted into the root of Jesse, becoming proselyte Jews through circumcision. Paul and others argued that the Gentiles were partakers of God's grace "through the gospel," which they could receive by faith. The Council in Jerusalem, perhaps the first officially called council of the fledgling church (in 49 A.D.?; see Acts 15) was called to deal with this. The issue was settled on the side of grace through faith, not circumcision and keeping the law of Moses.
The mystery, to muothrion (3:3, 4, 9), of which Paul writes is not the mystery of the gnostics, that secret revelation given to only a chosen few to understand the way of salvation. No, it is a mystery, insofar as it belongs to God and is revealed by God outside of the human intuitive process, but a mystery that is to be shared with everyone. Paul's purpose is "to make all men see what is the plan of the mystery" (3:9). Even the principalities and the powers will be privy to this knowledge. But, for them, it will be a knowledge that will disarm and destroy them; whereas for the believers it will be a knowledge unto salvation. The arena for this to be made clear is not within the private confines of a cultic setting or the secret rooms of instruction. The arena is the public square, whether that be the Acropolis for open debate or circulated letters for communal reading.
An important perspective that Paul holds regarding his position as apostle is that he has received his ministry as a gift (3:7). He is very candid about this, referring to himself as "the least of all the saints" (3:8). Paul is saying that he certainly does not deserve this honor. In an earlier letter to the Corinthians, Paul speaks of himself as the least of the apostles, because of his former role in persecuting the church. But, here in our text, Paul includes all the holy people of God as ranking above him. Paul does this to further emphasize the unmerited nature of his call to ministry. This perspective tempers unwelcome hubris and keeps the gospel itself at the center, Christ himself at the crossroads of faith and life.
Matthew 2:1-12
There is a reason why Matthew's birth narrative does not get much reading at Christmas time. It lacks the tenderness of a birth story. Luke's account fits in so nicely with what we adults or children might normally expect to hear or want to hear: a family journey; lousy accommodations; shepherds and sheep; angelic voices from heaven; a baby in a manger. Matthew has none of this. The baby is there, of course, but the closest we get to him is a house in Bethlehem. How unexciting is that? No swaddling cloths, no manger, no imagined animals mooing and cooing. It seems that Matthew is more interested in the wise men. The story really seems to be about them. That would fit right in to Matthew's purpose, however. He is intent on demonstrating that Jesus is the fulfillment of all the Old Testament promises. He goes to great length to make connections between Old Testament texts and the events of Jesus, more so than any other Gospel writer.
This, of course, is very fitting for Epiphany, since this is the festival that climaxes the meaning of Christmas. What we have in Jesus is nothing less than the revelation of the glory of God. The wise men naturally seek the wisdom of God, which Paul declares is manifest in Jesus. A star guides them, providing a heavenly portent to signal the arrival of the new king. (Astral signs were often interpreted as accompanying the birth of a great one on earth, most often a king. Numbers 24:17 spoke of such a birth metaphorically -- "A star shall come forth out of Jacob.") The who and the where are more sensitively dealt with by Luke; Matthew wants to get at the profound whatness of all that was happening. The king of the Jews was being born and proper announcement needs to be made. What better way than to bring gifts fit for a king: gold, frankincense and myrrh (Isaiah 60:6 and 2 Chronicles 9:22f.). These are symbols of wealth that will dramatically ascribe to Jesus the honor due him.
The prophets Jeremiah (23:5, seventh century B.C.) and Zechariah (9:9, sixth century B.C.) heralded his coming from a distance. There was no mistake about it: the people were promised a king. He would rise up like a tree growing, rule with wisdom, execute justice, and ride donkeys. How ironic that so many of the leading Jews and so many of the Jewish people rejected Jesus. Their current Jewish king even tried to have him disposed of. It was the Gentiles, magoi, strangers from the other nations, who come and honor Jesus first. One wonders if Paul knew of this account and, if he did, if this was his preferred reading over Luke's source? How nicely this narrative would have served him at the Jerusalem Council.
Even so, the Jews had holy scripture in which to find clues as to the rising of a king messiah. Herod's scholars located Micah 5:2, which, when juxtaposed to the account of the wise men about an astral wonder, was enough to arouse Herod's deepest concern about his throne. Although Herod became anxiously jealous and paranoid, the wise men stay focused on the revelatory nature of these events and they rejoiced. To express the sense of the Greek describing their response, one might say in today's lingo, "They were joy squared to the max" (ecarhoan caran megalhn sfodra).
An historical sidebar: In the Second Jewish Revolt of 132-134 A.D., Rabbi Akiba ascribed to the insurgent leader the moniker Bar Cochba, which means "son of the star." His given name was Bar Cosiba. The hope he kindled in the weary hearts of an oppressed people was like a light rising on the horizon, shedding rays of a new future that would lead the people into the promises of God. Unfortunately, political fulfillment of these promises came up short once again, as Emperor Hadrian sent one of his best generals, Julius Severus from Britain, to crush the uprising. The lessons of 70 A.D. had to be learned once again. All the while, Christians kept pointing to Jesus as the light of the world (John's jvx). The star belongs to him alone (autou ton astera; Matthew 2:2).
Application
In the northern hemisphere, the Epiphany season coincides with the longest nights of the year. Many people suffer to varying degrees from light deprivation. Winter depressions set in. There is even a condition known as "cabin fever," resulting from lessened light and the imposition of staying more indoors due to cold and snow, exacerbating loneliness due to minimized social contacts. Questions arise about whether there can be true joy in life in general, or at least during this time of year. Must our hearts shrivel, as our world becomes darker and smaller? No, comes the response of Epiphany. The Lord lives and reigns and has manifested his glory, like a bright, shining light, upon the face of the earth. Its radiance was cast upon Israel in days of old and more recently in the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Hearts can rejoice; or, as the Hebrew word means, hearts can be enlarged. Just like light invites plants to foliate and develop colorful blossoms, enlarging and opening, so too our hearts can enlarge hopefully and expectantly into the kept promises of God. There is a resounding yes to life, because of the work of Jesus on our behalf, manifest in his words, miracles, suffering, death, and resurrection.
This does not necessarily mean that "our light" will always shine, even though in this new year we have the highest hopes for ourselves. It means essentially that the glory of the Lord will constantly shine upon us, like a benediction from heaven spread upon earth. Jesus is the sign and seal, the deliverer and the message itself, that this is true. When we look at the entire life of Jesus, not just his birth (though in Matthew's account, his birth foreshadows this), we see that his glory is hid under the sign of opposites (as Martin Luther was fond of pointing out). Jesus himself entered into the darkness of the day of the Lord, which meant for him the cross. The gift of myrrh at his birth was a striking symbol of betrayal (Genesis 37:25f, when Joseph was betrayed into the hands of myrrh merchants) and a premonition of death (Mark 16:1, when three other visitors -- women, this time, wise in faith and love -- sought Jesus where he lay). Yet, it was on the cross that he did his greatest work, giving himself as a ransom for many (Matthew 20:28), effecting the forgiveness of sins and engaging death itself in a winner-take-all war.
Enough days have gone by since Christmas that not only are all the gifts unwrapped, but they are probably all put away. This is in contrast to the Christian need to present oneself daily to Jesus, the gift in response to God's great Gift. This we learn from the wise men, who did not consider the meaning of the heavens from afar. They traveled and did what they had to do to appear before Jesus in person. They were searching for the truth, not from an armchair, but from within their personal encounter with Jesus. Perhaps the words of Viktor Frankl in Man's Search for Meaning could be applied here (though he himself would not apply them in this way): "One should not search for an abstract meaning of life. Everyone has his own specific vocation or mission in life; everyone must carry out a concrete assignment that demands fulfillment." Epiphany begs us to come face to face with the glory of God in Jesus and respond like the wise men, who "fell down and worshiped him" (Matthew 2:11). Here our wondering about the presence and the purposes of God will turn into wonder at the presence and the purposes of God manifest in Jesus.
Is it any wonder that Paul was so eager to share these "unsearchable riches of Christ" with anyone and everyone, Jew and Gentile alike? We all need to hear this good news and then to share it. This gives us a dual sense of giftedness. First, we are gifted with this good news, which saves us from the power of sin and death. Second, we become a gift to others as we share this good news and exemplify the power of God in our daily lives. Christians become "the energy of his dynamite" (kata thn energeian thz dunahewz autou; Ephesians 3:7) in shaping family and community life around the person and purposes of Jesus.
FIRST LESSON FOCUS
By Elizabeth Achtemeier
Isaiah 60:1-6
Epiphany. The word means the appearing of God, from the Greek word epiphaneia. And specifically, in the church, Epiphany has come to designate the appearing or the manifestation of the Lord to the non-Jewish world, to the Gentiles.
Thus, both of the New Testament scripture readings for this day deal with that manifestation. In the Gospel reading from Matthew, we have the story of the visit of the magi or wise men -- of those Gentile astrologers from Mesopotamia -- to the Christ Child in the stable at Bethlehem. (There is nothing in the New Testament text that suggests that there were only three magi, and caravans in the ancient Near East would not set out on so dangerous a journey with so few.) In the Epistle Lesson from Ephesians, Paul writes of his preaching of Christ to the Gentile world. So Epiphany is the celebration of the revelation of Jesus Christ beyond the boundaries of Judaism to the far reaches of the Gentile world. Christ for the world! -- that is the theme.
The lectionary links the story of the wise men in Matthew to this Old Testament text from Isaiah 60, because the wise men travel on camels and present their gifts of gold and frankincense to the Christ child. In verse 6 of our stated text, we read, "A multitude of camels shall cover you,/ the young camels of Midian and Ephah;/ all those from Sheba shall come./ They shall bring gold and frankincense,/ and shall proclaim the praise of the Lord." Gold was always valued, of course, and frankincense, a fragrant gum resin from Boswellia trees, though sometimes used as a perfume (Song of Solomon 3:6; 4:6, 14), was most often used in temple offerings (Exodus 30:34-38; Isaiah 43:23, etc.). The picture in Isaiah 60:5-6, therefore, is of the southwestern desert tribes of Midian and Ephah, the Gentiles from the Arabian trading center of Sheba, and the gold-bearing sea peoples of the Mediterranean bringing their gifts and praising the Lord. Indeed, the portrayal in Isaiah 60:3-7 is of the entire known Gentile world coming with gifts and praise. "Nations shall come to your light,/ and kings to the brightness of your rising," reads verse 3.
The complication is that those gifts are being brought not to Jesus in our Old Testament text, but to Israel, and it is to Israel that God has appeared. "Arise, shine; for your light has come,/ and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you" (v. 1). After a whole section of conditional promises, scathing judgments, warnings, and calls to repentance to Israel, in Isaiah 56-59, suddenly now, in chapters 60-62, the people of Judah and Jerusalem are told that God is coming to them to save them. And not only that, all of their exiles, scattered about the Mediterranean world in the sixth century B.C. will be returned to them, released or carried by the foreign nations who have held them captive (60:4, 9). The Israelites have done nothing to deserve that salvation. Nevertheless, God in his mercy, will grant it to them.
Jerusalem is addressed in the first verse of our text as a woman mourning in the dust. She is bidden to rise, because the glory of the Lord shines upon her. "Glory" can have one of two meanings in the Old Testament. It can refer to the esteem and honor in which God is held, as in "Give glory to the Lord." But frequently it refers to the brilliant light of God's presence, his shining effulgence, the manifestation of his Being of Light on the earth (cf. Isaiah 35:2; 40:5; 58:8; 59:19; 1 Timothy 6:15-
16; James 1:17). That is the meaning here. God, in his undeserved mercy, returns to his people and the glory of his presence shines in favor upon them.
As a result, the people of Judah and Jerusalem will reflect that light, just as Moses' face reflected it when he came down Mount Sinai from talking to God (Exodus 34:29; 2 Corinthians 3:12-18). When the other nations see that reflected light, they will realize that the Lord alone is God (cf. v. 14; 45:14, 22-25; 49:7; 52:13--53:12), because he is able to save Israel. And they will stream to Israel's light, bearing their gifts with them. Those gifts will be used in rebuilding the Temple, and their animals will provide sacrifices for the altar. Verse 7c even implies that the sacrificial animals will go up to the altar voluntarily.
In other words, what we have in our text is a picture of the coming Kingdom of God, in which Israel, who was despised by the nations, will become the means through which God will bring all peoples to acknowledge his lordship. Instead of being despised and forsaken, Israel will be saved. Instead of captivity, she will know freedom; instead of violence, peace; instead of devastation, wholeness and joy (Isaiah 60:15-18). That the text is a portrayal of the coming kingdom is confirmed by the last verses in the chapter. God's people will not even need the light of the sun by day or that of the moon by night, because her "Lord will be her everlasting light," and God will be her glory, verses 19-22 -- a familiar biblical picture of the coming Kingdom of God (cf. Revelation 21:22-26).
So our text is not a prophecy of the birth of Jesus Christ or of the coming of the magi with their gifts to his stable. It is a prophecy of God's use of his people Israel to convert the world and to bring in his kingdom on earth. And yet, should we not consider that it is that Son of Israel, that Jew from the line of David, that semitic child laid in a manger through whom God works such a purpose? The story of Israel in the Old Testament all narrows down to one figure from Israel, Jesus Christ. Surely, he was despised and rejected by Gentiles, subjected to violence and death, and hung on a cross as one who seemed forsaken by the Lord, as Israel of the Old Testament seemed forsaken. But the glory of the Lord rose upon him. Indeed, writes Paul, in Christ's resurrected countenance we see "the light of the knowledge of the glory of God" (2 Corinthians 4:6), and through Christ and his salvation from the grave, God now slowly but surely draws all nations to worship him as the one Lord and Savior. Through Christ, the Son of Israel and of his heavenly Father, God begins his universal reign on earth, and finally, through Jesus Christ, the kingdom will come in its fullness and God will be all in all.
