Long before Christmas came to be established as the celebration of the birth of Jesus, Epiphany was already being celebrated in early Christianity as the high feast commemorating the appearance or manifestation (epiphania in Greek) of the Savior in the world. It means those seeking salvation can now find him (Matthew 2:1-12).
More than just a story
A gospel in miniature, Saint Matthew’s infancy narratives contain stories about the birth and the early days of Jesus utilizing a reflective interpretation of events and persons by means of parallelism with earlier known biblical traditions and symbols. The narrative about the adoration of the infant Jesus by the wise men coming from the east contains such earlier motifs: Moses’s birth according to tradition was foretold, and it put fear into the pharaoh’s heart who consulted sages what to do; a star was supposed to have appeared at the birth of Abraham, and it filled the king with dread because it meant the Earth would be ruled by Abraham and his descendants; the popular motif of the plot by a reigning king to get rid of a child feared destined to replace him.
More than just a story woven in the style of a peculiar literary genre (midrash), Matthew’s narration gives us the major Christological declaration that Jesus is the Messiah from David’s stock by directly identifying Bethlehem as Jesus’ birthplace, in fulfillment of the prophecy of Micah 5:1 and 2 Samuel 5:2. As the ancestral hometown of David and the site of his anointing as king, Bethlehem is the proper setting for the debut of Jesus as the kingly Davidic Messiah, the new shepherd of God’s people Israel, receiving the royal homage (proskynesis) from the magi of the east. As an aside, the evangelist pointedly observes that though the magi may have seen the star, they could not fully comprehend everything, for they still needed the Scriptures, but unlike the Jews who have the Scriptures yet would refuse to believe and adore the new-born king.
The Savior of the world
This catechetical narrative composed to facilitate understanding is in the service of the kerygma, the proclamation of the good news of salvation in Jesus the Christ. The magi from the east representing the entire gentile world stress the universal dimension of the message of salvation. Their gifts of gold and frankincense, usually offered to God alone (Isaiah 60:1; Jeremiah 6:20), indicate the divinity and the royal lineage of Jesus; myrrh is ominous of his eventual passion (Matthew 15:23).
The part where Saint Matthew ends his narration is specific, noting that the magi were told to go back to their country by another route in order to escape Herod’s evil machinations. It is being suggested that there must be a change in one’s ways following the encounter with and adoration of the Savior. It is somehow a new beginning, a new life; one cannot just take again the same road. And as in this opening epiphany of our Savior, His coming was made known to people in distant lands by means of a star that guided them in their search, today God continues to invite all peoples to seek and find the Savior by means of the visibility of the Church, Jesus’ community of faith and love. The last command of Jesus to His followers (Matthew 28:18-20) is crystal clear: They are to make disciples of all nations.
Alálaong bagá, we do not celebrate Epiphany as a past event, but as the reality of salvation in the world today. The Church is the sign of salvation in Jesus Christ. This is a tremendous missionary task still going on in a world that, comparatively speaking especially in the east, as yet has only a handful of wise men recognizing Jesus as their Savior. Ongoing epiphany demands a ministerial Church intimately involved in inculturation, implanting herself in all cultures in the same manner that Jesus Christ by His incarnation radically identified Himself with the particular social and cultural circumstances of the people among whom and for whom he lived.
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