Epiphany 1/1/2023 Isa 63:7-9; Heb 2:10-18; Matt 2:1-12 Ps 148
Introduction https://youtu.be/hw_7gJ53Lkc
Today, is the feast of the Epiphany. A Greek word (epipháneia), meaning manifestation or appearance (cf. 2 Tim 1:10), a day when we celebrate the revelation of God in the flesh as Jesus Christ (John 1:14). [Whilst there will always be debates about whether the atonement/cross best interprets God becoming human, these must not detain.] Since today also happens to be New Year’s Day, and I have never even thought about making a yearly resolution], I will also try to suggest a direction God wants St Mark’s to take in 2023. The Christmas season is full of happy myths, myths that obscure the full revelation of Jesus as the concentration point of all his Father’s purposes for creation (John 1:1-3; Col 1:15-20; Heb 1:1-4), so I need to very briefly strip away the layers of sentimentality that obscure the truth in Christ (John 14:6; Eph 4:21). We have no idea how many wise men there were, they are certainly not kings, and since they visited Jesus in his “house”, followed by Herod’s slaughtering of all the boys in Bethlehem up to two, Christ was no longer a baby in a manger at the time of their visit (Matt 2:6, 11). (Though there’s no way I’d dare try to influence the Children’s nativity play about this.)
“Wise Men”
The term commonly translated “wise men” is magi, from which we derive our English “magician” (Matt 2:1; Acts 13:6, 8). The magi came from the notoriously evil city of Babylon (cf. Rev 17:5-6). They were a well-educated priestly class of astrologers, alchemists and occultists who elsewhere appear as the pagan opponents of the prophet Daniel (Dan 2:2,10 etc.). Today’s equivalent of the magi might be the tarot readers and clairvoyants at “New Age” festivals. Like many in the ancient world, the magi they were on a life-long quest for spiritual illumination. Suddenly, through sheer grace the Lord sovereignly spoke to these practitioners of the secret arts in a language they understood, a brilliant message arose in the stars (Matt 2:2, 9) pointing to a promised king. This doesn’t mean pagan seekers will always find the one true God [cf. “having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, 27 that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him” Acts 17:26-27 Greek fourth class condition of remote fulfilment https://www.ntgreek.org/learn_nt_greek/conditional_sentences.htm], but it does mean God’s love humanity is comprehensive and he is always reaching out to draw people into true worship (John 4:23). Deeply moved with gratefulness for such heavenly revelation, the “wise men” came to Jerusalem seeking counsel from God’s chosen people; “Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to worship him.” (Matt 2:2).
The testify that the child born must be worshipped as “king of the Jews”, is a profound expression that appears only here in in Matthew’s Gospel and on the inscription above Christ’s cross describing his crime, “This is Jesus, the King of the Jews.” (Matt 2:2; 27:11, 29, 37). This King is God’s appointed Messiah who will rule all peoples. He is your appointed Ruler, and the Ruler of everyone you will ever meet, whether he is recognised (yet) or not (Ps 2; Acts 10:36; Rev 19:16). Amazingly, even though the religious experts of the day knew precisely from scripture (Mic 5:2) where their King would be born (Matt 2:6 cf. John 7:42), these priests couldn’t stir up the effort to travel 8 kilometres down the road to Bethlehem to worship their Messiah, they had no interest in joining the God-seeking pagans who had made a long, expensive and dangerous journey to find Jesus. What about Christians today, our journeys may be long and expensive, but they are most likely overseas holidays for our personal pleasure rather than missions for Jesus. We are often more like the religious experts of Jesus’ time (cf. Matt 23:15) than like zealous pagans sincerely seeking spiritual enlightenment at any cost. Let me say a few words about the famous star.
The Star
We are given no indication that the star was a peculiar astronomical phenomenon, such as a comet. It is simply called “his star”, a sign that was given to lead stargazers to a place of worship (Matt 2:2, 12). Given that the scripture promises that in “these last days” (Acts 2:17; Heb 1:2) the Lord will send “signs on the earth beneath” (Acts 2:19), I want to encourage you to ask the Lord to send signs to people for such signs are powerful means of revelation. I was called up the other day by someone who had read the story of my conversion online, the high point wasn’t my juvenile abuse of alcohol or my later depression and paranoia, the climax of the story was that the day after I had silently reasoned out that I needed to read a Bible, a New Testament was sent by neighbours into our home! This sign eventually led me to Christ. The star of Bethlehem is called “his star”, because even as a baby the Lord never ceased to be the eternal “Son of God” upholding and directing all things by the word of his power (Col 1:16; Heb 1:3), so that he might be found by lost men and women as the “Saviour of the world” (John 4:42).
One of the more extraordinary “star” prophecies of the Old Testament was given by the pagan sorcerer Balaam, who, when hired to curse Israel was so overcome by God’s grace upon his people (cf. Acts 4:43) that he foretold the coming of a deliverer who would defeat all their enemies; ““a star shall come out of Jacob, and a sceptre shall rise out of Israel; he shall strike down Moab’s leaders, and he shall destroy all the sons of strife”” (Num 24:17; Josh 13:22). This powerful messianic prophecy was fulfilled in Jesus, for the Christ we worship could never be contained in a cradle, nor annihilated on a cross. The star of Bethlehem has gone, but its record remains as a sign of the eternal glory of Christ which will irradiate the universe long after the stars of this perishing created order have ceased to shine, “the city (New Jerusalem) has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its light. 24 By its light will the nations walk, and the kings of the earth swill bring their glory into it” (Rev 21:23-24 cf. 22:5). In the light of the crucified-and-glorified Jesus all the once hidden things of God will be crystal clear, forever (cf. Rev 21:11, 21; 22:1). What beauty, what majesty (cf. 1 Tim 6:14-16).
Darkness
Let me descend to the sort of world that dominates our daily moods. In scripture an epiphany/enlightenment is preceded by a period of great darkness; in the prophetic passages in Isaiah which prepare us for the coming of Christ we read, “[Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.] 2 For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the Lord will arise upon you, and his glory will be seen upon you.” (Isa 60:1-2) cf. “the people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone.” (Isa 9:2). These foretelling’s of Christ’s advent were fulfilled by his death and resurrection, “when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. 34 And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice… “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”” (Mark 15:33-34), God’s grace “has now been manifested through the appearing (epipháneia) of our Saviour Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel” (2 Tim 1:10). On trial Paul sums up his gospel commission, the Lord said, “I am sending you 18 to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God” (Acts 26:18). Once like the religious experts in Jerusalem who couldn’t stir themselves to go and worship the Messiah, he was under “the dominion of darkness” (Col 1:13 cf. Rom 1:21) then a “great light from heaven suddenly shone around me.” (Acts 22:6) and the Pharisee became the apostle to the Gentile nation and he became “light in the Lord” (Eph 5:8)
The Gifts
Whilst Isaiah prophesied concerning Israel, the “nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising…the wealth of the nations shall come to you… They shall bring gold and frankincense,…and shall bring good news, the praises of the Lord” (Isa 60:3,5, 6), we read near the end of the book of Revelation, “(the kings of the earth) will bring into (the New Jerusalem) the glory and the honour of the nations.” (Rev 21:24, 26). [Whilst in most of Revelation “kings” are wicked anti-god rulers (6:15; 16:14; 17:2. 18; 18:3, 9; 19:19),] after Jesus Return (Rev 19) [bringing “the renewal of all things” (Matt 19:28 cf. Tit 3:5)] the kings are us, once darkened people remade as “kings and priests to God” forever and ever (Rev 1:6; 5:9-10). Everything that the star pointed to/signified is now internalised in the Christian. No wonder we are told to “shine like stars….amidst a crooked and perverse generation” (Phil 2:15). By the Spirit, the gifts offered to the King by “the wise men” are signs of the eternally acceptable offerings of ourselves to Christ (Rom 12:1-2; Eph 5:27). How is this possible? Every time I see the star, I see the radiance of the cross.
Application and Conclusion
Jesus exhorted us, “let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” (Matt 5:16), his light shines not just in manifestly supernatural abilities to hear and speak for God, to lead services and small groups, but also in “good works” (1 Pet 2:12, 15; Tit 2:7, 14; 3:8, 14) like hospitality, generosity, patience, kindness, and other practical applications which through prayer and the light of the Spirit become an epiphany of the coming of the Light of Christ to those presently dwelling in darkness (John 8:12). Surprising revelation comes through surprising bearers of revelation.
Remember John Newton, slave trader turned Anglican minister writing out of his own experience; “Amazing grace! How sweet the sound That saved a wretch like me. I once was lost, but now am found, Was blind but now I see.” In describing himself as “the most dejected and reluctant convert in all England.” C. S. Lewis goes on to say, “I did not then see what is now the most shining and obvious thing; the Divine humility which will accept a convert even on such terms….[The hardness of God is kinder than the softness of men, and His compulsion is our liberation.]”
The father of the Baptist prophesied that with the coming of Jesus’ “the morning light from heaven is about to break upon us to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.”” (Luke 1:76-79 cf. Isa 60:3-6; 2 Pet 1:19). If you confess Jesus as Lord his star has risen in you so you can testify to those in darkness of your own epiphany and invite them to be part of the company of the wise still seeking the King. Pray that this year you will be a sure sign of the coming glory of the Lord. Whilst many people have summed you up, just as you have summed up yourselves, the Lord never sums us up, so expect 2023 to become a year of surprising epiphanies to and through your life.