That Epiphany Moment

Today, we celebrate the Epiphany of the Lord, where an enthralling light illuminated from above and drew wise men in from afar. Yet, in this story, an evil king stands to affront this divine message. This storyline had a prequel as centuries before, a corrupt king seeking to destroy the Israelites had summoned Balaam, who came from the East with two servants. But Balaam refused to curse Israel and instead prophesied that a star would arise out of Israel and be exalted above all the nations.

Church fathers Augustine and Origen pointed out that the star in Bethlehem had to be a supernatural object since natural stars do not move or stand still, nor can they mark a terrestrial location as small as Bethlehem. Personally, I believe the star was a supernatural appearance to these Magi. God communicated to them using a language they understood: the dialect of the stars. The star glimmered in the sky ever so brightly to show that Jesus would drive away the darkness of the world.

It helps to understand who these mysterious magi “from the east” were. Smith’s Bible Dictionary states, “The Magi took their places among the astrologers, stargazers, and monthly prognosticators.” The Magi studied the stars and revered the cosmos as their god. They were classic pagans in the sense that they worshiped creation rather than the creator. In his book Joy to the World, Scott Hahn notes that the magi "were foreigners and idolaters who were ignorant and contemptuous of Israel's ways and Israel's God.” Yet, God chose these Gentile astrologers to receive this revelation from heaven. The influence of the star was so overwhelming for the Magi that they went on a treacherous journey to witness the new king and bring Him gifts.

The gifts the Magi delivered to Jesus remain covertly significant. Our modern eyes tend to view this gift-giving scene as similar to a baby shower experience. However, in the ancient world, you did not give gifts to a king because everything you possessed was already claimed to the one you acknowledged as your king. If you did come before someone you acknowledged as your king, you would bring them a payment of tribute. The tribute you would present to a king would consist of something precious to your vocation – and signify that your very livelihood belonged to the king. When we grasp this, we know realize that there must be something the magi are revealing in presenting baby Jesus with gold, frankincense, and myrrh

As Scott Hahn commented, "Myrrh was commonly used by magi in performing their magic. They used myrrh to make a special ink in writing their incantations sheets when performing spells." Magi also used gold and frankincense to give their formula sheets a mysterious glow and glitter. Therefore, these gifts of the Magi represent the tools of the trade for these ancient sorcerers. By giving Jesus the instruments of their work, it reveals that the Magi were dramatically surrendering their entire mission to worshiping and serving Jesus.

Let us have that "epiphany moment" where the Epiphany invigorates us to adore Christ as the Magi adored Him in the manger. While we may not have gold, frankincense, or myrrh, we can give him our whole livelihood, our intentions, and talents as we approach the altar.