Epiphany

Reading Ephesians 3.1-12

I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles –

Surely you have heard about the administration of God’s grace that was given to me for you, that is, the mystery made known to me by revelation, as I have already written briefly. In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to men in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God’s holy apostles and prophets. This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus.

I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace given me through the working of his power. Although I am less than the least of all God’s people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things. His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, according to his eternal purpose which he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.

Gospel Matthew 2.1-12

After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.”

When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Christ was to be born. “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:

“‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for out of you will come a ruler
who will be the shepherd of my people Israel.’”

Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and make a careful search for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”

After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshipped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.

Sermon

We all love a mystery. We love to try and discover the truth, or reveal what is hidden. We love a good story with strange and powerful characters. There are few more fascinating narratives in scripture than the Magi travelling from the East led by a star which points them to the birth of a baby foretold long ago by prophets.

Mystery is a word that appears more than once in our first reading. Paul says

“Surely you have heard about the administration of God’s grace that was given to me for you, that is, the mystery made known to me by revelation, as I have already written briefly. In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ.”

The mystery of Christ – that’s what both readings are all about. The word Epiphany means a manifestation – a sudden realisation of the meaning of something that was previously hidden.

Traditional mysteries often follow a set form. For some reason they are often set in a manor house in Scotland with a small cast of characters: an elderly widow, a servant with peculiar habits, and a distant relative who has inexplicably shown up for a visit after many years. The usual event is a tragic death, which turns out to be a murder. As the detective investigates the case, he often finds that there is intrigue going on over who is to receive a sizable inheritance. The clues in the case are assembled. The police are confused and follow the wrong track. But eventually the master detective solves the case and shows how the pieces of the story fit together. In the final pages, the mystery is solved. The meaning is revealed. The story is over after the Epiphany moment.

Tradition has it that today’s gospel passage concerns powerful kings from the Orient who follow a star. Somehow they evade the evil king Herod who is warned by his political and religious advisers of the birth of a rival for his throne. These wise men find a tiny baby only a few days old, present the poor family with immensely valuable gifts and disappear as quickly as they came on the scene. Herod, thwarted, murders innocent children in a vain attempt to kill his rival. The truth may be rather different, but the message is the same.

Ironically, religious leaders do the bidding of a political ruler who wants to destroy Jesus, but at the end of his life the situation is reversed. Pilate the political ruler does the bidding of the religious leaders and Jesus is condemned to death.

In the same way, the reality of the Epiphany story seems to have been reversed. The Magi became identified in the Middle Ages as Kings or Wise Men. They were neither. Kings do not prostrate themselves before a baby born in poverty, and the Magi found out little wisdom about Jesus from their visit. God does not reveal his truth to the wise and intelligent, but to infants (Matthew 11:25).

If the Magi are not kings or wise men, we still have both in the narrative. Two kings in fact – Herod and Jesus. And the many worldly-wise men who advised Herod.

What do I mean when I say the truth of the Epiphany story may be different from what we have all learned in the past? In Matthew’s gospel, kings are contrasted with servants, and wise men with infants. The Magi follow instructions, they claim nothing for themselves, and they humbly kneel before a young woman and her child. So they behave more like servants or children – and it is to the humble and meek that God reveals wisdom, and from who God accepts worship and praise.

In the same way, we can contrast Jesus the King with Herod, or the Magi with Herod’s advisers, the world’s wise men. It’s clear which of them God favours. Not the world’s wise men, but the wisdom of the infant, the humble or the meek. Not the power of worldly rulers like Herod, but the servant king, or the shepherd who is prepared to lay down his life for his flock. There’s also, of course, the fact that the Magi were Gentiles. The Gentiles are the ones to worship Jesus the King of Israel. The Gentiles are the ones to recognise and honour him, and not the Jews who were looking for their Messiah born of the lineage of David.

Paul’s letter to the Ephesians follows a similar theme. Unity in Christ, and Paul’s mission the Gentiles. We are all one in the Body of Christ: there are no longer insiders and outsiders. All such distinctions are no longer valid.

So when we observe Epiphany as we do today, we should not be celebrating the coming of rich and powerful men, but servants of the Lord to whom he revealed the truth. Nor should we celebrate the thwarting of a vain ruler, but the victory of a King who was servant of all and good shepherd of his flock. One who did not lord it over his sheep but protected and nurtured them, and eventually laid down his life for them.

The message of Epiphany celebrates the underprivileged through whose humility and obedience God’s glory and grace have been revealed in the most unexpected ways. That’s why Paul says he has become a servant of the gospel, not a great leader of the church. As such, God gave him grace to bring the real riches of Christ to the Gentiles and as he says... to make everyone see what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God...so that through the church the wisdom of God may be made known.

Normally in a mystery, once the truth is revealed we can close the book and move on. We are satisfied when we know the answer. Not so in the case of the Epiphany. The disclosure of the mystery is at the heart of the gospel story. Now the truth has been made manifest, the next chapter follows on. This is all about what use we make of what Jesus Christ has done for us and how we confidently make known to the world God’s saving grace. Perhaps in the first few days of this New Year and decade we might make that our resolution?

²⁰ Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, ²¹ to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever! Amen. Ephesians 3