I have nothing new to say about John 1 so I'll discuss Epiphany this week.
Mic 5:2 The LORD says, "Bethlehem Ephrathah, you are one of the smallest towns in Judah, but out of you I will bring a ruler for Israel, whose family line goes back to ancient times."
Mat 2:5 "In the town of Bethlehem in Judea," they answered. "For this is what the prophet wrote:
Mat 2:6 'Bethlehem in the land of Judah, you are by no means the least of the leading cities of Judah; for from you will come a leader who will guide my people Israel.' "
Matthew is the only Gospel to have the story of the Magi. Since the Gospels are a faith journey not a historical record a true chronology is difficult to establish. Jesus was born in Bethlehem on the day his parents arrived to be enrolled in the world-wide census and the angels appeared to the shepherds that same night we are told. At eight days he was taken up to the Temple in Jerusalem for the rite of purification and circumcism. The Wise Men appeared before that trip or the family returned to Bethlehem which seems unlikely since they had a home in Nazareth and no place to stay in Bethlehem. At some point later Joseph was warned to flee to Egypt, by inference when Jesus was two, where he remained for several years until the Death of Herod returning at that point to Nazareth. No further mention is made of his childhood until he joins his family for their yearly trip to Jerusalem for the Passover Festival in Luke at age 12. In John we learn of his Baptism, the calling of the first Disciples, and the wedding feast at Cana. In Luke his Baptism is followed by a period of fasting in the desert and the temptation.
Each writer cherry picks the details that serve to illustrate his point of view. Mark and John make no mention of his birth but begin with his baptism by John followed immediately by his ministry and the calling of the Disciples. Matthew and Luke are concerned with establishing his legitimacy as an heir of David and supply us with elaborate genealogies and make extensive references to the prophets whose predictions they feel he fulfilled.
To have an Epiphany is to see the light. The Eastern Philosophers would have seen a star in the sky and followed it's path to Israel where they paid a courtesy call on King Herod in Jerusalem. Whether or not these Eastern Kings needed the help of Herod's Sages they could not very well enter a foreign land with their retinues without first making this diplomatic call.
Our Old Testament Lesson returns once more to Isaiah where the people's return from exile is equated with returning to the light.
Isa 60:6 Great caravans of camels will come, from Midian and Ephah. They will come from Sheba, bringing gold and incense. People will tell the good news of what the LORD has done!
The theme is picked up again in the Psalm
Psa 72:10 The kings of Spain and of the islands will offer him gifts; the kings of Sheba and Seba will bring him offerings.
Psa 72:11 All kings will bow down before him; all nations will serve him.
This enlightened king brings prosperity and renown to his people and attracts the homage of foreign rulers.
In Ephesians Paul makes the point that the word made flesh as talked about in John 1 was revealed for the enlightenment of all people Jew and Gentile alike.
It is ironic that the Jewish authorities including Herod were not happy to hear of this Epiphany but rather saw it as a threat to their authority. Their response was first the slaughter of all infant boys in the area around Bethlehem two years and under and as fore-shadowed here eventually the crucifixion. The fact that the Christ-child's Kingdom was not of this earth and therefore no threat to their terrestrial influence was lost on them.
The celebration of Epiphany on the sixth day of January traditionally marks the end of the 12-day festival of Christmas. The commercial orgy of gift giving that has become associated with Christmas has its origin in the gifts of the Magi.
Tradition holds that the pilgrims numbered three. Their names—Balthasar, Melchior, and Caspar or Gaspar—first appear in a mosaic in a 6th-century church in Ravenna, Italy. The visit of the Magi, marked on January 6 in the Anglican, Eastern, and Roman Catholic churches, commemorates the first revelation of Jesus to the Gentiles.
If Herod's actions seem excessive and paranoid just look at present day events in North Korea.
Mic 5:2 The LORD says, "Bethlehem Ephrathah, you are one of the smallest towns in Judah, but out of you I will bring a ruler for Israel, whose family line goes back to ancient times."
Mat 2:5 "In the town of Bethlehem in Judea," they answered. "For this is what the prophet wrote:
Mat 2:6 'Bethlehem in the land of Judah, you are by no means the least of the leading cities of Judah; for from you will come a leader who will guide my people Israel.' "
Matthew is the only Gospel to have the story of the Magi. Since the Gospels are a faith journey not a historical record a true chronology is difficult to establish. Jesus was born in Bethlehem on the day his parents arrived to be enrolled in the world-wide census and the angels appeared to the shepherds that same night we are told. At eight days he was taken up to the Temple in Jerusalem for the rite of purification and circumcism. The Wise Men appeared before that trip or the family returned to Bethlehem which seems unlikely since they had a home in Nazareth and no place to stay in Bethlehem. At some point later Joseph was warned to flee to Egypt, by inference when Jesus was two, where he remained for several years until the Death of Herod returning at that point to Nazareth. No further mention is made of his childhood until he joins his family for their yearly trip to Jerusalem for the Passover Festival in Luke at age 12. In John we learn of his Baptism, the calling of the first Disciples, and the wedding feast at Cana. In Luke his Baptism is followed by a period of fasting in the desert and the temptation.
Each writer cherry picks the details that serve to illustrate his point of view. Mark and John make no mention of his birth but begin with his baptism by John followed immediately by his ministry and the calling of the Disciples. Matthew and Luke are concerned with establishing his legitimacy as an heir of David and supply us with elaborate genealogies and make extensive references to the prophets whose predictions they feel he fulfilled.
To have an Epiphany is to see the light. The Eastern Philosophers would have seen a star in the sky and followed it's path to Israel where they paid a courtesy call on King Herod in Jerusalem. Whether or not these Eastern Kings needed the help of Herod's Sages they could not very well enter a foreign land with their retinues without first making this diplomatic call.
Our Old Testament Lesson returns once more to Isaiah where the people's return from exile is equated with returning to the light.
Isa 60:6 Great caravans of camels will come, from Midian and Ephah. They will come from Sheba, bringing gold and incense. People will tell the good news of what the LORD has done!
The theme is picked up again in the Psalm
Psa 72:10 The kings of Spain and of the islands will offer him gifts; the kings of Sheba and Seba will bring him offerings.
Psa 72:11 All kings will bow down before him; all nations will serve him.
This enlightened king brings prosperity and renown to his people and attracts the homage of foreign rulers.
In Ephesians Paul makes the point that the word made flesh as talked about in John 1 was revealed for the enlightenment of all people Jew and Gentile alike.
It is ironic that the Jewish authorities including Herod were not happy to hear of this Epiphany but rather saw it as a threat to their authority. Their response was first the slaughter of all infant boys in the area around Bethlehem two years and under and as fore-shadowed here eventually the crucifixion. The fact that the Christ-child's Kingdom was not of this earth and therefore no threat to their terrestrial influence was lost on them.
The celebration of Epiphany on the sixth day of January traditionally marks the end of the 12-day festival of Christmas. The commercial orgy of gift giving that has become associated with Christmas has its origin in the gifts of the Magi.
Tradition holds that the pilgrims numbered three. Their names—Balthasar, Melchior, and Caspar or Gaspar—first appear in a mosaic in a 6th-century church in Ravenna, Italy. The visit of the Magi, marked on January 6 in the Anglican, Eastern, and Roman Catholic churches, commemorates the first revelation of Jesus to the Gentiles.
If Herod's actions seem excessive and paranoid just look at present day events in North Korea.
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