INTRODUCTION TO THE SCRIPTURE

Year A  - The Epiphany of Our Lord 

 

ISAIAH 60:1-6.   This passage, verse 6 in particular, has lent itself to popular artistic portrayals of the story of the magi following the star to Bethlehem.      The unknown prophet of the Babylonian exile whose poetry and that of some of his disciples was included in Isaiah 40-66 actually expressed this promise of  Jerusalem reconstructed after the exiles returned home. He envisioned it as the dawning of a new day and a glorious new beginning which would attract international attention.

 

PSALM 72:1-7, 10-14.    This royal psalm celebrated some occasion such as a monarch's coronation or birthday. It set forth the chief roles of the monarch as protector of the nation, a righteous judge and the provider for the needs of the poor.

 

EPHESIANS 3:1-12.    While emphasizing that Paul's mission was primarily to the Gentiles, this passage defines God's purpose in bringing both Jews and Gentiles into an intimate relationship with God and each other through Jesus Christ.

     Scholars believe that there is some evidence that this letter was not written by Paul himself, but by some later Christian leader who knew of the work and the writings of Paul very well.

 

MATTHEW 2:1-12.    Matthew's much-loved story of the visit of the magi bringing gifts to the infant Jesus may well be an interpretative story, or midrash, on Isaiah 60. This in no way denies its importance for the early Christians for whom it was written or for us who hear or read it twenty centuries later.

     The magi from afar were astrologers who studied the stars for meaningful signs of significant events. Their search for a new-born king of the Jews had great meaning for both Herod, then ruling Israel, and for the world at large. The gifts the magi offered were intended only as gifts fit for a king.

 

    

    

 

A MORE COMPLETE ANALYSIS.

 

ISAIAH 60:1-6.   This passage, verse 6 in particular, has lent itself to popular artistic portrayals of the story of the magi following the star to Bethlehem. It has become the traditional image for greeting cards, children's pageants and a number of the familiar Christmas carols. All of this, however artistic, is purely imaginative projection of the simple story told in Matthew 2.

 

The unknown prophet of the Babylonian exile whose poetry and that of some of his disciples was included in Isaiah 40-66 actually expressed the promise of  Jerusalem reconstructed after the exiles returned home. He envisioned it as the dawning of a new day and a glorious new beginning which would attract international attention.

 

How difficult it is for us, so obsessed we are with our need for artificial light through every hour of the day and night, to recognize the majestic beauty of an oriental morning. Total darkness suddenly vanishes with the dawn to be quickly followed by the stunning brightness of the rising sun. "The glory of the Lord" renders in words what the prophets saw. It also served them as an exquisite metaphor for a divine epiphany. The external, physical manifestation of a new day represented for them the spiritual revelation of what Yahweh had planned for the exiles returning to Jerusalem. Is it too much to imagine that in vss. 4-5 the prophet/poet may well be describing the arrival of the generation of Israelites who had grown up as exiles in Babylon?

 

The attraction of Jerusalem for people of other nations has been one of that city's greatest assets. Vss. 3 and 6 express this truth in terms of ancient visitors from foreign lands bearing rich gifts to offer to Yahweh. A number of prophetic passages regarded this as symbolic of Yahweh's intention in a spiritual rather than a physical sense. Sadly, it has been its strategic rather than it spiritual significance which conquerors have sought since the time of King David. To this day, anyone who has visited Jerusalem is aware of its mystical as well as its military attraction. While this excerpt from Third Isaiah's poem contains an eschatological vision to which the Holy City never did attain, it still excites the modern tourist to recall how he or she cast believing eyes on the same scene. Is this the place where peace among all God's people will once more become at least as hope if not reality?

 

 

PSALM 72:1-7, 10-14.    This royal psalm celebrated some occasion such as a monarch's coronation or birthday. It would have been offered on behalf of a reigning king of Israel at some time during the pre-exilic era. It set forth the chief roles of the monarch as protector of the nation, a righteous judge and the provider for the needs of the poor. Some interpreters, both Jewish and Christian, have seen in it misleading references to the Messiah. This messianic view has been cited as the reason for the psalm's continued choice as the proper psalm for Epiphany.

 

On the other hand, even the reigning monarchs of Israel did receive their authority under the scrutiny of Yahweh. If they ruled with justice and righteousness, the purposes of Yahweh were advanced and the welfare of the poor greatly improved as envisioned in vss. 2-4. The prophets believed that the longevity of a monarch's reign and the peace and prosperity of the land depended as much on Yahweh's providence as on the political incidents of the time.

 

Vss. 10-14 describe the coming of foreign rulers with tribute from afar. This may reflect the ancient tradition of the Queen of Sheba's visit to Solomon. Nor can the parallel with Isaiah 60 be overlooked.

 

 

EPHESIANS 3:1-12.    While emphasizing Paul's mission was primarily to the Gentiles, this passage defines God's purpose in bringing both Jews and Gentiles into an intimate relationship with God and each other through Jesus Christ.

    

Scholars believe that there is some evidence that this letter was not written by Paul himself, but by some later Christian leader who knew of the work and the writings of Paul very well. Others give ample evidence that the letter represents the furthest advance of the apostle's cosmic vision of what God actually had accomplished in the life, death, resurrection and exaltation of Christ. Paul had but one word to describe what he had experienced - mystery. He used the word again and again throughout this excerpt.

 

As a Jew who still believed fervently in the divine purpose of Israel's election, Paul could not but wonder at the new revelation which had been given to him. That Gentiles as well as Jews had been included in God's plan from the beginning became the weight of his apostolic message. Gentiles had now to be considered as "fellow heirs, members of the same body, and sharers in the promise in Christ Jesus" (vs. 6).

 

Humbled by his commission despite his earlier persecution of the early Christian community, he could only perform his apostolic task, not by his own power, but by the grace given to him day by day (vss. 7-8). His daily passion became "to make everyone see" God's plan "hidden for ages" and now made known to believers in Christ.

 

So Paul could carry on his ministry with boldness and confidence that God empowered him to spread this Good News. He could also pray that his readers would have similar confidence and faith in Christ despite their constant awareness of the suffering he and they might experience.

 

 

MATTHEW 2:1-12.    Matthew's much-loved story of the visit of the magi bringing gifts to the infant Jesus may well be an interpretative story, or midrash, on Isaiah 60. This in no way denies its importance for the early Christians for whom it was written or for us who hear or read it twenty centuries later.

 

The magi from afar were astrologers who studied the stars for meaningful signs of significant events. We can only speculate, rather unprofitably, who they were and whence they came. Their search for a new-born king of the Jews had great meaning for both Herod, then ruling Israel, and for the world at large. The gifts the magi offered were intended only as gifts fit for a king.

 

As we noted in relation to Isaiah 60 above, much has been made of the story through imaginative and artistic representation, greatly augmented by each artist's or poet's interpretation. Such is the power of its simple narrative structure, according to the ancient motif of a concealed birth of one who would ultimately be acclaimed as sovereign and lord.

 

It would seem that Matthew himself had been reading Jewish prophetic literature in search of an appropriate way to describe the meaning of the birth of the one whom the followers of Jesus believed was indeed the long promised Messiah of Israel. Hence the inclusion of the quotation from Micah 5:2. As we have seen before, Matthew's narrative approach included many similar applications of prophetic texts to incidents in the life of Jesus. In bringing these wise men from a foreign land in search of Israel's Messiah, Matthew sought only to proclaim that Jesus is sovereign Lord over all peoples.

 

The point which we must make clear in our presentation of this story of the visit of the magi remains the same simple truth. As the one true Messiah, Jesus is indeed sovereign over the hearts and lives of all people and the social, political and religious realities of all nations. Although the story expresses an eschatological hope not yet fulfilled, it is still our faith story still to proclaim.

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