Epiphany
By definition appearance.
EPIPH'ANY, n. [Gr. appearance; to appear.] A christian festival celebrated on the sixth day of January, the twelfth day after Christmas, in commemoration of the appearance of our Savior to the magians or philosophers of the East, who came to adore him with presents; or as others maintain, to commemorate the appearance of the star to the magians, or the manifestation of Christ to the Gentiles. Jerome and Chrysostom take the epiphany to be the day of our Savior's baptism, when a voice from heaven declared, "This is my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased." The Greek fathers use the word for the appearance of christ in the world, the sense in which Paul used the word. 2Ti_1:10.
Matthew is the only Synoptic Gospel to make mention of the Magi and we must remember that Matthew's principal goal was to reconcile his fellow Jews to the reality of Christ's Epiphany as foretold in the Prophets.
Therefore the lesson for today comes from Isaiah in a passage that foretells the coming of the Light. The coming Messiah will bring Light to shine in the Darkness. The Star is the precursor of the shining of that light.
Isa 60:6 A host of camels shall cover you, the camels of Midian and Ephah. All of them from Sheba shall come; they shall bring gold and incense; and they shall proclaim the praises of Jehovah.
Psa 72:10 The kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall bring presents; the kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts.
Psa 72:11 Yes, all kings shall fall down before Him; all nations shall serve Him.
Psa 72:12 For He shall deliver the needy when he cries; and the poor with no helper.
Psa 72:13 He shall have pity on the poor and needy and shall save the souls of the needy.
Psa 72:14 He shall redeem their soul from deceit and violence; and their blood shall be precious in His sight.
The Psalm so appointed predicts kings bringing presents and also outlines the Messiah's Mission.
In Ephesians Paul gets to the heart of the matter. The Good News appeared not just for the benefit of the Jews who accounted themselves God's Chosen People but for Gentiles as well, all humankind, indeed all creation. What then is the Gospel, the Good News anyway. That God cared enough about the affairs of mankind that he made himself manifest in human form. Christ himself is the Good News.
Matthew, who wrote his Gospel as an apologia to the Jews makes it clear that Sages of the East who were Gentiles received the message as well and appear to worship the Word Made Flesh whose Light appeared symbolically in the sky just as he came into the world to bring it the Light of his Message. And so they come to worship him and in tribute to a King bring gifts.
As foreign potentates who would have traveled with armed guards and a retinue of servants they first make a diplomatic call on the civil authorities of the nation they have entered--in this case Herod. Herod's reaction to the thought of the birth of a rival King is history.
Neither the number of Sages from the East nor their names was deemed important in Matthew's record though tradition names three to match the gifts listed in the Gospel. What was important was the fact of their coming in recognition of a birth so significant that it moved them at a time when travel over any distance was both difficult and treacherous to seek out and worship an infant.
By definition appearance.
EPIPH'ANY, n. [Gr. appearance; to appear.] A christian festival celebrated on the sixth day of January, the twelfth day after Christmas, in commemoration of the appearance of our Savior to the magians or philosophers of the East, who came to adore him with presents; or as others maintain, to commemorate the appearance of the star to the magians, or the manifestation of Christ to the Gentiles. Jerome and Chrysostom take the epiphany to be the day of our Savior's baptism, when a voice from heaven declared, "This is my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased." The Greek fathers use the word for the appearance of christ in the world, the sense in which Paul used the word. 2Ti_1:10.
Matthew is the only Synoptic Gospel to make mention of the Magi and we must remember that Matthew's principal goal was to reconcile his fellow Jews to the reality of Christ's Epiphany as foretold in the Prophets.
Therefore the lesson for today comes from Isaiah in a passage that foretells the coming of the Light. The coming Messiah will bring Light to shine in the Darkness. The Star is the precursor of the shining of that light.
Isa 60:6 A host of camels shall cover you, the camels of Midian and Ephah. All of them from Sheba shall come; they shall bring gold and incense; and they shall proclaim the praises of Jehovah.
Psa 72:10 The kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall bring presents; the kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts.
Psa 72:11 Yes, all kings shall fall down before Him; all nations shall serve Him.
Psa 72:12 For He shall deliver the needy when he cries; and the poor with no helper.
Psa 72:13 He shall have pity on the poor and needy and shall save the souls of the needy.
Psa 72:14 He shall redeem their soul from deceit and violence; and their blood shall be precious in His sight.
The Psalm so appointed predicts kings bringing presents and also outlines the Messiah's Mission.
In Ephesians Paul gets to the heart of the matter. The Good News appeared not just for the benefit of the Jews who accounted themselves God's Chosen People but for Gentiles as well, all humankind, indeed all creation. What then is the Gospel, the Good News anyway. That God cared enough about the affairs of mankind that he made himself manifest in human form. Christ himself is the Good News.
Matthew, who wrote his Gospel as an apologia to the Jews makes it clear that Sages of the East who were Gentiles received the message as well and appear to worship the Word Made Flesh whose Light appeared symbolically in the sky just as he came into the world to bring it the Light of his Message. And so they come to worship him and in tribute to a King bring gifts.
As foreign potentates who would have traveled with armed guards and a retinue of servants they first make a diplomatic call on the civil authorities of the nation they have entered--in this case Herod. Herod's reaction to the thought of the birth of a rival King is history.
Neither the number of Sages from the East nor their names was deemed important in Matthew's record though tradition names three to match the gifts listed in the Gospel. What was important was the fact of their coming in recognition of a birth so significant that it moved them at a time when travel over any distance was both difficult and treacherous to seek out and worship an infant.
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