Reflections on Epiphany

January 6th is Epiphany, the 12th day of Christmas and the holiday commemorating the arrival of the Magi after their long journey Westward to worship the new king, Jesus. 

Matthew 2 tells the story like this:

“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 when it rose and have come to worship him.’ When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him” (verses 1-3). 

I interpret “Magi” as sort of an old-timey Bible word for “kings,” since in the Christmas story we also know the Magi by the titles “kings” and “wise men;” AKA the characters who wear fancy robes. But seeking some perspective on their arrival to Jerusalem from afar, we can appreciate that on arrival they would be fish out of water. 

We don’t know that much about them, but study notes will show that they were possibly sorcerers or practitioners of black magic and astrology (thus noticing, and following, the star!) At any rate, they were certainly Gentiles; outsiders, “other.” 

And while the Jewish people did not regard the new king as such, these outsiders did. They traveled a great distance to find him, bringing valuable gifts to signify their intentions as humble worshipers.  

It’s rare for even a neighbor to show up unannounced, but if a group of total strangers, dressed like they’re not from ‘round here and smelling strongly of frankincense and myrrh, knocked on my door; how would I respond? Well, I’m not sure, but I know for sure ’d be nervous! We do need to note here that God had invited them, and led them the whole way with that remarkable star.  

So if all Jerusalem was not actively aware of Jesus as the “new king,” why was “all Jerusalem disturbed” when the Magi came to find him? 

I typically read this wondering if the people were bothered because they feared a new king overtaking Herod’s position. This is where study notes are supremely helpful. Reading this story as part of “the Christmas story,” we miss the context of Herod’s reign and reputation: The people were disturbed because they feared Herod’s reaction. They were well aware of his tendency to resort to violence when faced with any threat to his power. 

This instance would be no different, as his killing of an entire vintage of baby and toddler boys would prove:

“Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men,” Matthew 2:16. 

On Epiphany 2021, I refused to watch the live footage as angry and unhinged rioters overtook our nation’s Capitol in defense of another power-hungry leader’s paranoid power grabs. It was Epiphany, after all, the final day of Christmas and a sacred respite from all that January entails. And since our Christmas celebration had been derailed by a case of Covid, I was determined not to lose this day as well. 

I haven’t always celebrated the holiday. I only learned about it in recent years through the beloved Sacred Ordinary Days planner, and immediately fell in love with one more chance to celebrate the season during the dark days of January. The decorations may be down and schedules may be back to normal, but we still get this little oasis of reflection, candlelight, and festivity. 

This weekend as I read Matthew 2, part of the Epiphany Scripture reading, I absorbed a new awareness of why “all Jerusalem was disturbed” along with Herod, as I saw it reflected in my own experience of a self-serving President willing to throw a nation into chaos in hopes of protecting his power. Power trips are nothing new; they weren’t new in Herod’s day, and there’s hardly been a respite in these intervening years. 

And this reaffirms why a King who comes in humility is such Good News. 

A King who never once sought power - though authority was (and is) His already - but emptied himself again and again in service of His redemptive mission. 

Herod was enraged because the Magi’s quest to find the “new king” challenged his power and position. But Mary and Joseph received them and their gifts, and invited them in to see and to worship the child. 

What does accepting Jesus change about you? 

How does it challenge your perspective of the world around you?