Epiphany unplugged by Henry Smidstra

Old fashioned, I still prefer to send Christmas cards by snail mail. This year again I had to run out to the dollar store, and get some more cards; I quickly chose some nice ones, of the three wise men  on their camels trudging along in the desert … a card made in China to boot.  Later as I open my mail, what did I see? - A colourful Christmas card picturing three wise men kneeling before the baby in the manger.  I reflect on the significance of the small pericope in Matthew’s version of the “Christmas Story”, and on how it is portrayed in some of the romanticised and commercialized depictions of it. For me, the story of the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem would not be complete but for this significant event, of the Epiphany as told by Matthew. We are called to attention that East and West have met and embraced, and from the East that we need to heed the message of the significance of the miracle of the incarnation of God and humanity, of the real “estate” of Jesus.

The story of the magoi is more than a nice story of the foundations of giving Christmas gifts, or of dedicated charity to the poor, or of international aid. It could be a stand-alone story of an intervention to help a poor family with resources to possibly escape from the murderous intentions of the King of Judah, Herod the Great. (The gold given by the magi could well have helped Joseph, Mary, and the baby escape as refugees.) No, these three sages took a long hard journey to bring tribute to an infant King; the trip so long, that somehow the vulnerable homeless family had managed to find a house to live in. With respected and learned insight, the foreign visitors recognized, and gave homage to the birth of a sovereign greater than Herod; receiving divine revelation, these gentile scholars had sense enough not to fall for Herod’s murderous plan for regicide. These three men of wisdom, or kings as they are sometimes called, acclaimed Christ’s universal and cosmic Lordship in His humanity! The Christ child is Christ Divine, and is manifested to the nations:  Epiphany.

This short narration at the prologue of Mathew’s Gospel indicates the historical, international, universal, and cosmic impact of the incarnation: Jesus is given special international even cosmic significance.  I don’t want to minimize Luke’s emphasis of bringing the politically unimportant to visit the manger; but Matthew’ point is equally important, that of the inclusion of dignified foreigners, of other faiths, (unbelievers!?) of different philosophical perspectives, and of the very stars of heaven, being bought into one common redemption history story. This is symbolic and historical; of annulling ancient taboos and of breaking down prejudicial, hostile dividing walls between human beings.  Cultural and religious taboos, pretending to be normative and natural, have been put on notice that a new order has broken into human history. How often don’t we as we relate our personal histories, use the birth of our children as markers of a new phase in our lives? The sign given by Isaiah and the prophecy of Mica are woven into one story by Matthew:  the child visited by the magi is Emmanuel, God with us as well as the awaited messiah, the Christ, the shepherd king.  Anew age has broken into human history.  The structure of Matthew’s gospel is dominated by the many Old Testament quotes suggesting that this child born in Bethlehem, acclaimed by the wise men, is the awaited messiah. There is a kingly emphasis, of a wise, assertive yet compassionate, and sacrificial rule, certainly of a different paradigm than that of Herod. Matthew ends his Gospel account with a climactic mandate, and Christ reminding us of his Lordship over all, and that he will be Emmanuel, God with us, till the end. 

This momentous visit by the Magi, on par with the angels of Luke’s story, establishes the beginning of the Christ Event which climaxes at his death resurrection and ascension, and changes history till the end and forever. Matthew’s Gospel narrates particularities of the Law and Prophets, as various aspects of salvation history find their fullness and fulfillment in Christ.  St Paul emphasizes the climax of this redemptive and transformative event, as establishing Christ’s supremacy over the principalities and powers, his pre-eminence in all history. Too often I hear Christmas messages that jump all too quickly from the swaddling cloths of Jesus in the manger, to the burial cloths of Jesus’ tomb. It seems to me, that the message of Jesus’ historical incarnation presence and his rule and cosmic status then goes into some kind of soul sleep, and one must wait for the second coming to see any significance of Christ’s rule of shalom beyond the individual human heart . Christ’s death on the cross for our sins once and for all for is truly pivotal and marvellous, but this is not the depth or fullness of the salvation history story in my reading of Matthew, or that of the New Testament. I suggest that the incarnation is itself is an already  in an eschatological sense, not merely the beginning of a thirty year interlude ending in the death of Jesus, that then must await the coming rapture to see any real historically concrete relevance of the incarnation. The incarnation expresses in beautiful simple existential human terms, the mystery and wonder of God becoming human and being with us all, registering in our souls in the deepest psychological sense, the sacredness of all humanity, of all life, and of the world in which we live, motivating us with a positive and confident sense of direction in life. With eyes of faith we can see that there is something greater going on in 2012 than meets the eye.

 

Comments

[jan]

This is symbolic and historical; of annulling ancient taboos and of breaking down prejudicial, hostile dividing walls between human beings. Cultural and religious taboos, pretending to be normative and natural, have been put on notice that a new order has broken into human history. ~ Indeed!

Thank you for this.