INTRODUCTION

It’s been said that if the wise men had been women, they would have asked for directions, arrived on time, cleaned the stable, helped deliver the baby, made a casserole, and brought practical gifts for the Christ child and family.

BACKGROUND

Like the Magi themselves, the feast of Epiphany originated in the East.

Epiphany (Greek word:“epiphaneia”) means manifestation or revelation.

It originally described a visit (appearance) by a high-ranking government official.

Epiphany recalls how Jesus was made manifest and revealed to the world.

It is God’s way to “show and tell” the world how God is with us (Emmanuel).

The Eastern Church had originally celebrated Christmas on January 6.  It is one of the oldest feasts of the Christian calendar, and originally had greater status than Christmas.  It commemorated both the coming of God to earth in human form, and the “revelation” and “showing” of the Messiah to the world beyond Judaism.

The Western Church separated the 2 feasts, celebrating 12 days of Christmas.

Recall the custom at Christmas of singing “The Twelve Days of Christmas.”

These twelve days were originally Dec. 26 till Jan. 6 (the Feast of Epiphany).

The Feast of Epiphany is often called “Little Christmas” - Christ comes to us.

In some countries, such as Italy, Epiphany is the day of “gift giving” to others.

This tradition commemorates the Magi and their gifts to the Christ Child.

The Church has linked this feast to the prophetic words of Isaiah 60: 3, 6…

“Nations shall walk by your light, and kings by your shining radiance....

Caravans of camels shall fill you... all will come bearing gold and frankincense.”

At Abbey of Gethsemani, there’s a statue of Mary holding up the Christ child.

The Christ Child’s arms are wide open as if to welcome all who come to him.

Underneath the beautiful, bronze statue is the simple title: “The Epiphany.”

3 THINGS about the 3 KINGS

1) They are not three - Matthew does not indicate how many they really were.

Early Eastern tradition suggested twelve.   Later it became 3 (due to 3 gifts).

A later legend (6th century) named these three: Caspar, Melchior, and Balthasar.

Melchior, old white-bearded man, brings gold to symbolize Christ’s kingship. Casper, a young white man, offers frankincense to symbolize Christ’s divinity.

Balthasar, a young black man, brings myrrh, to symbolize Christ’s suffering.           

They are not necessarily men.  There may well have been women in the caravan.

2) They are not kings - Matthew tells us that they are astrologers or Magi.

“Magi” is actually Persian in origin, and means simply a “religious leader.”

They were wise and holy men, educated in philosophy, medicine and science.

They became the teachers and instructors of the Persian kings (three “kings”).           

They believed in astrology, like most of their contemporaries.

3) They are “from the East” - means that they are from the Gentile world.

This is an important theme in Matthew’s Gospel - Jesus came for all nations.

It was only natural for them to seek the newborn king in a royal palace, but they are led to look for him outside the royal city of Jerusalem.

Unlike the shepherds who came upon Jesus rather quickly and easily, the “Wise Men” made a long and difficult “Journey to Jesus.”  It would have taken just over two years for a caravan to travel from that part of the world to Bethlehem.

If we are wise, we will make a life-long journey to Jesus.  The wise still seek Christ.

“The Journey to Jesus”

ASK: Where do we experience the Lord?  Where do we feel God’s presence?

The wise men were able to see divinity in the ordinary.  They recognized Christ.

God is present wherever and whenever there is love and service.  God is love.

These are the places of Epiphany – the manifestations of God’s presence.

3 Ways to Seek the Lord

1) Seek the counsel of the wise.

The wise men come to Jerusalem inquiring: “Where is the newborn king?”

The wise seek the wisdom and counsel of others.  The ignorant “ignore” it.

QUOTE: “If you don’t know where you are going, any road will take you there.”

SUGGEST: Stop and ask for directions!  Seek the counsel of others.

2) Study Sacred Scripture

They read and studied Scripture to learn where the Messiah was to be born.

Scripture is our teacher and guide, through which we learn about the Lord.

The Bible is like a compass, it will always point us in the right direction.

SUGGEST:  Read and reflect on Sacred Scripture

3) Follow the “Guiding Light” (Star)

For Matthew the “star of Bethlehem” is a very important feature in the story.

It is the “guiding light of heaven” that leads them to discover the Lord Jesus.

The bright lights and guides in life are the saints, both living and deceased.

SUGGEST: Read about the saints.  Learn from inspirational people.

3 Gifts to Give God

            “They presented Him with gifts of Gold, Frankincense, and Myrrh.”

1) Gold for a king - gift of themselves to God – a symbol of a king or lord.

2) Frankincense was burnt each day in Temple – a symbol of worship.

Before offering their gifts, “They prostrated themselves and did him homage.”

They literally were brought to their knees in humble adoration of the Christ child.

3) Myrrh was an oil used to embalm a body for burial – a symbol of sacrifice.

Their worship of Christ included a symbol of sacrifice. 

ASK: What gift should we give to Christ?  Everyone has different gifts to offer.

We can bring the gifts of our love, our prayer, our hurts and sacrifices to Christ.

JOKE: Someone said, only men would go shopping for baby gifts and return with gold and perfume.  Women would have bought diapers, blankets, and baby food!

3 Ways to Respond to Christ

1)     Herod responds initially with hypocrisy, and then with hostility.

Herod the Great reigned from about 37-4 BC.  From sources outside of Sacred Scripture, Herod is known to have been a very vindictive and cruel ruler.

He was afraid that Christ would interfere with his life.  So he killed the infants.

This is how some people will later respond to Christ.  They will plot to kill him.

This is how some people today respond to Christ.  They feel threatened.

2) Chief Priests and Scribes respond with total indifference.

They intellectually knew the Scriptures, and thus knew “about” the Lord, but they do not come to know the Lord personally.  They were informed but not transformed.

ASK: Why didn’t they seek the Lord?  They had knowledge but not wisdom.

The purpose of Scripture is not just to inform, but form and transform us.

3) The Wise Men took a different way home.

The Epiphany story ends stating: “They received a message in a dream not to return to Herod, so they went back to their own country by another route.”

The different route home suggests there was a change in their way of life.

Having experienced Christ, their lives could not remain the same.

The Wise Men lead us wise men and women on our “Journey to Jesus.”

Having received Christ here, we too must return home “by another route.”

We must take what we experience here back to our families and friends.

Like the wise men, we are not to be tourists but pilgrims, on our way to God.

QUOTE: The greatest gift we can offer God is to resolve to improve our lives.