Visitors from the East

Epiphany Sunday is about the glory of God shining in Christ. "Epiphany" comes from the Greek "epi" and "phanein" which means "to shine on". The glory of God shines forth through Jesus whose birth we celebrate.

The gospel selection is from Mateo 2:1-12, a traditional reading associated with the episode of the visit of the magis to the infant Jesus. The "magis" that Matthew mentions here as people who know how to read the signs of the sky. A star awakens their quest for a newborn king. Their visit to Jerusalem brings them into contact with the Scriptures that point them to Bethlehem as the place where the newborn king is to be found. This conspiracy between nature and the prophetic text brings them to Jesus and Mary.

Relevant Articles:

• Otium Sanctum: "Guided by a Star"
• Mag-aral Tayo: Ang Pagdalaw ng mga Taga-Silangan (Mateo 2:1-12)
• Bibliya Tagala: Ang Pagdalaw ng mga Mago

Guide to Matthew 2:1-12

The Arrival of the Magi

Note that Matthew is not definite about the date of the birth of Jesus. When he narrates the story of the Magi, Jesus has been born "during the days of Herod". The story of the Magi is set within the context of a search for a king whose star has appeared. The rising of a particular star — reckoned through a configuration known to astrologers — announces the birth of a king. There are some Old Testament passages that reflect this same belief, associating a star to a ruler that would come from Judah. Thus the inquiry of the magi from the East at the beginning of the story. The conclusion of the story gives us the idea that these personalities from the East are like chieftains paying tribute to the successor of a greater king. In fact, the name "magos" has the connotation not only of one who has an intimate knowledge of nature, but also of one who is important to his people. The last picture in the narrative shows them offering their gifts to the infant sitting on the lap of Mary who like a Queen-mother presents a king to visiting dignitaries.

The Reaction of Herod

King Herod was the Roman Emperor’s puppet king in Judah. He is known to be so jealous of his position that he even murdered his own would-be successors, his own sons, to keep himself in his regal station. When he hears of the arrival of the Magi and their search, Herod is troubled. After all, Herod is King of the Jews although he himself is not a Jew; nor is he a descendant of David. Herod was a Nabatean who became, under Imperial grant, a king.

Herod asked his advisers where a promised king is prophesied to be born. "Bethlehem" was pointed out, based on a passage from Scriptures. It is interesting to note that in Matthew’s narrative, nature and Scriptures conspire to point to the location of the newborn king. It was a star that aroused the search fo a king; it was Scriptures that showed where he was to be found. It is also interesting to note that those who found Jesus were those who had the information given by both nature and Scriptures. Those who read Scriptures alone did not find him. Nature and Scriptures — Augustine would say — are the Two Books that God wrote for us. To know God’s designs one has to read both.

Once Herod gets informed about the Bethlehem connection, he informs the visitors about it. He also adds that he intends to honor the newborn king too although we know from the subsequent unfolding of Matthew’s story that this was not the case. Herod could not tolerate a rival king in his territory. Later, he would order the killing of newborn male infants in Bethlehem, recalling what the Egyptians did many centuries before, when a Pharaoh decided that newly born male Israelites should be exterminated.

The Discovery of the Child

The Magi guided by a star and the information from Scriptures find the infant and his mother. Icons depicting the scene show three kings offering their gifts of gold, myrrh and frankincense to the infant Jesus seated on the lap of his mother Mary. If Jesus is the Wisdom of God as Paul declares, then Mary would be the Seat of Wisdom. In fact, it is from this understanding of Matthew’s narration of the magis discovering the infant with his mother, that Mary is given the title "Seat of Wisdom". She, like a monstrance, shows forth the treasure she bears. A line from a Marian hymn we sing on Wednesdays recall this:

Mother of Christ, Mother of Christ, What shall I ask of thee?
I do not sigh for the wealth of earth. For the joys that fade and flee.
But, Mother of Christ, Mother of Christ, This do I long to see.
The bliss untold which your arms enfold. The treasure upon your knee.
Mother of Christ, Mother of Christ, I toss on a stormy sea.
Oh, lift your Child as a beacon light to the port
where I fain would be
And, Mother of Christ, Mother of Christ
This do I ask of thee
When the voyage is over
O stand on the shore and show Him at last to me.
(Mother of Christ: Baclaran Novena)

Review of the Readings

Isaiah 60:1-6 is a vision about the city of Jerusalem becoming the Queen of nations and this because of the glory of the Lord shining on her. "Epiphany" is an Anglicized word based on a Greek word which means "to shine on". In the midst of the darkness that envelops the world all about, Jerusalem is like a beacon that draws all to itself.

Verses 4-6 shows Jerusalem being the recipient of tributes from all the nations it reigns over. She is like an imperial city being lavished with the wealth of the nations. Even the sea, symbol of primordial chaos and disorder, surrenders its wealth to her. The mention of Sheba offering gifts of gold and frankincense recalls Matthew’s mention of the magi from the East offering gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh to the Infant Jesus.

Psalm 72 is used as a response to the vision of Isaiah. A city after all is associated with a King, and Jerusalem is David’s city. Psalm 72 is a prayer that the king be what God wants him to be: wise and just; that his reign endures forever; and that he be a Savior for the poor and the lowly. The psalm can also be made to relate with the Matthaean narrative of a newborn king receiving dignitaries from the East.

In Matthew’s gospel, the Magi who come from the East prefigure the Gentile nations to whom the Lord will later on — at the end of the Gospel — send his apostles. Through the Magis, the Gentile nations have recognized their king. The reading from Ephesians 3:2-3.5-6 tells us that the Gentiles have always been a part of God’s designs, and that the gospel of Paul, which is a secret that is now revealed, is the Good News that he proclaims to the Ephesians and to other Gentiles who acknowledge Christ as Lord.

Suggestions for the Lesson

The feast of the Epiphany is a celebration of the glory of God shining forth in Christ. I would suggest the following themes:

1. The magis discover the Lord with the help of nature, a star. One of the themes dear to Catholicism is that God can be discovered through creation. Even the Hebrew psalms celebrate this (e.g. Psalm 8). In fact, Nature is one of the Books that God wrote. The whole of Creation speaks of God; it is a Sign that points us to its Creator.

2. In the story of Matthew, Jesus is discovered with the help of Scriptures. It is through the prophetic word that the magis learn of a precise location, Bethlehem, the place of David’s birth. But those who consulted the Scriptures never found the child. This is one of those instances in Scriptures where Scriptures itself admits its insufficiency. The search for Christ was initiated by the discovery of a star. It was completed with the help of Divine Revelation.

3. The magis find the infant Jesus with Mary, Seat of Wisdom. The visitors are not only known as magi, or kings — they are also called "the three wise men". The search for Jesus was a search for Wisdom — God’s Wisdom as Paul would say. When they found it, they saw it presented by Mary. To Jesus through Mary says an old adage. Let this be the Marian theme of today’s lesson.

Tags: matthew, star, three kings