Epiphany Sunday is not just about recognizing truth; it is about choosing what to do once that truth is revealed…
Finding Another Way
I had an epiphany in church yesterday, thanks to our pastor, on Epiphany Sunday. And yes—the pun is intentional.
The word epiphany comes from the Greek epiphainein, meaning revelation, appearance, or manifestation. On Epiphany Sunday, we celebrate the revelation of Christ to the Gentiles—best known as the story of the Magi, or the Three Wise Men, who came bearing gifts to the Christ child.
Here is the familiar story from Matthew 2:
Wise Men from the East
Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.”
When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.
Then Herod, when he had secretly called the wise men, determined from them what time the star appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the young Child, and when you have found Him, bring back word to me, that I may come and worship Him also.”
When they heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy.
And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Then, being divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed for their own country another way.
If you missed the subtext of the story, Herod wanted the foretold Messiah eliminated. The Magi came to Jerusalem seeking guidance about the newborn King of the Jews. Herod directed them to Bethlehem and instructed them to return with word of the child’s whereabouts- but they were warned in a dream that Herod intended to kill the Child. They refused to obey.
Herod’s threat was real. When he realized he had been defied by the Magi, he ordered the killing of all the young boys in Bethlehem in an attempt to ensure that the long-expected Messiah would not survive.
But the massacre failed in its intention. Mary and Joseph fled with Jesus to Egypt, and the story of salvation continued to unfold.
It seems to me that the Magi were not only wise, but courageous- willing to disregard the orders of a powerful and treacherous king. My insight this year is that Epiphany Sunday is not just about recognizing truth; it is about choosing what to do once that truth is revealed and who to obey. The decision by the Wise Men to follow God’s will changed history.
What if they had obeyed the king’s orders and returned to Jerusalem, even though they knew better? What if they had not found another way home? The story of humanity might have turned out very differently.
I see clear parallels today- and that is at the heart of my epiphany.
There have been millions of words spent analyzing the events of the past year and the change of course for our nation. To me, the emerging mindset can be summarized simply as might makes right. Not mercy or kindness, not fairness or justice, but coercion, retribution, transactional advantage, bullying- raw power. “Holding the cards.”
Many of us grew up believing our nation aspired to something better, perhaps best expressed in the words popularized by Martin Luther King Jr.: “The arc of history bends toward justice.” These days, it feels like the arc is bending back the other way.
The law of the jungle is not new- it's ancient. Thucydides described it 2,500 years ago: “The strong do what they can, and the weak suffer what they must.”
Anyone who has read the Gospels knows this is the exact opposite of the message of Jesus and the will of the Father.
What if the Magi had put their self-interest before their conscience? We can’t know. But we can rest in the belief that our Savior lives. And so we live in hope. The heavenly King reigns, and the tyrant king is dust.
The song pairing this week is a demo of a recent song “Love has the Final Word.” https://youtu.be/Gr9dsS9rYcQ Until next time, stay safe, be brave and keep walking in the light.
Love Has the Final Word
The cool sea breeze
washes over my skin
fragile and new, I’m born again
the stars stake their place above
this is what I’m thinking of
Love, has the final word
love, has the final word
love, love, love it has the final word
graceful clouds
drift across the moon
the sun will be rising soon
you show me what it means to love
this is what I’m thinking of
Love, has the final word
love, has the final word
love, love, love it has the final word
I heard you whisper,
it's time to begin
I felt your love then,
you said, let me in
The tide rolls in, the shadows fade
we share the warmth of a brand-new day
love has the final word, love has the final word
Love, love, love has the final word
