Epiphany of the Lord (A)

They were overjoyed at seeing the star, and on entering the house they saw the child with Mary his mother.

Mt 2: 1-12

LITURGICAL NOTE

This used to be called the Feast of the Three Kings. With the liturgical reform, it has been called the Solemnity of the Epiphany. Why the change of name? Because the focus of the feast is not the Three Kings but the Savior Jesus.

Epiphany comes from the Greek word which means “manifestation”. The Pilipino translation of the feast is “pagpapakita”. Jesus is manifested to the Gentiles in the per-son of the Magi. (I’ll explain later why the change from Three Kings to Magi.) He is being presented to them as Savior. Now to the Jews, there are only two kinds of people in the world. If you are not a Jew, then you are a gentile. Jesus is then being presented as the Savior of both Jew and Gentile. He is Savior of the World. He is the Savior of everybody.

The closest thing I can compare this feast is to a debut. The debut is nothing else but this: a young woman of 18 is being formally presented to society as eligible for marriage. In the same way, Jesus is being presented to the Gentiles as their Savior.

There is another important thing to remember. There is not one but two epiphanies. The first happened when Jesus was still a baby. The second happened when he began his public ministry, that is, at his baptism. That is why next Sunday we shall celebrate the Baptism of our Lord.
At his baptism, the Father presented Jesus before his fellow Jews with the words: “This is my beloved Son. Listen to him.”

EXEGESIS

Bethlehem of Judea

Bethlehem means “House of Bread”. Where was Jesus born? In a manger. A man-ger is where animals eat. At the very beginning the Gospel already hints that Jesus is spiritual food. It is only in John 6 that Jesus explicitly tells us that he is the Bread of Life.

Palestine during the time of Jesus was divided into three major parts: Galilee, Samaria and Judea. He was born in Judea but he will grow up in Galilee.

King Herod

He was king from 37 to 4 BC. He was a great builder. He rebuilt the Temple of Jerusalem. He was also paranoid. He even killed his sons who he suspected of plotting to overthrow him. That prompted the Roman emperor to say that it was better to be Herod’s pig than to be his son. That he could kill baby boys because he saw a threat to his throne is entirely consistent with Herod’s character.

Magi from the East

There is no mention of any king among the visitors of Jesus. The Greek word used is “magoi”. The word refers to a priestly class in Persia (modern day Iran). It came to be used for those who possessed supernatural knowledge. In the Gospel, the magi were astrologers.

How did they become Three Kings? Because the gifts they brought were three so it was assumed that the visitors were also three. They also became kings under the influence of messianic prophesies of the OT. For example, “May the kings of Tarshish and the islands bring tribute, the kings of Arabia and Seba offer gifts. May all kings bow before him, all nations serve him” (Ps 72:10).

We saw his star at its rising.

It was an ancient belief that a new star appeared at the birth of a ruler. And since the magi were astrologers, they saw the new star and understood its meaning.

Was there really a star? Some say that it was not a star but the alignment of Jupiter and Saturn that caused a bright body to appear in the skies. Others say that it was a comet or even a supernova. But it is possible that it is a literary device that Matthew used in connection with OT story of Balaam who prophesied that a star shall advance from Jacob (Numbers 24:17).

And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; since from you shall come a ruler, who is to shepherd my people Israel.

This prophecy comes from the prophet Micah 5:1.

Then Herod called the magi secretly and ascertained from them the time of the star’s appearance.

This will enable Herod to estimate the age of the baby. He was probably one year old. But to make sure Herod ordered the massacre of baby boys two years and below.

He sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and search diligently for the child. When you have found him, bring me word, that I too may go and do him homage."

Of course, the real reason is to be able to kill the baby.

And behold, the star that they had seen at its rising preceded them, until it came and stopped over the place where the child was.

Stars don't move. But this star is unusual because it moved and finally stopped to point the location of the child.

And on entering the house they saw the child with Mary his mother.

The Holy Family was still in Bethlehem but now living in a house.

Then they opened their treasures and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

We find in the prophet Isaiah a statement regarding the gifts that would be offered to the Messiah: “Caravans of camels shall fill you, dromedaries from Midian and Ephah; All from Sheba shall come bearing gold and frankincense, and proclaiming the praises of the LORD” (Is 60:6).

Gold is a recognition of Jesus as a King. Frankincense is a recognition of his di-vinity. Incense is used in worship. Myrrh is a recognition of Jesus as Priest and Victim. In Jesus’ time it as used for embalming and as incense during funerals. It was said that when Nero's wife died, he burned a one-year supply of myrrh.

And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed for their country by another way.

By not giving Herod the information he desired, the Magi gave the Holy Family enough time to escape.


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