The earliest reference to Epiphany as a Christian feast was in AD 361, by Ammianus Marcellinus. The holiday is listed twice, which suggests a double feast of baptism and birth. The baptism of Jesus was originally assigned to the same date as the birth because Luke 3:23 was read to mean that Jesus was exactly 30 when he was baptized. In Western Christianity, the feast commemorates principally the visit of the Magi to the Christ Child, and thus Jesus Christ's physical manifestation to the Gentiles. It is sometimes called Three Kings' Day, and in some traditions celebrated as Little Christmas.
Interestingly, “epiphany” can also mean an experience of a sudden and striking realization. In other words, it can be a sudden bright idea. I used to jokingly say that I only got one bright idea each year, and once I had it, all my bright ideas were burned up. But it brings up an interesting play on words. It was a bright star that led the magi to Jesus.
PAYING ATTENTION
In Matthew 2, we are introduced to wise men or magi. We know that there was more than one, but not the exact number. It has long been assumed that there were three because they brought three gifts, and the number is immortalized in the Christmas carol, “We Three Kings.”
We are also told from their own testimony that they came from the East. This probably puts them in Persia or modern-day Iran. We know that in Persia in that day there were magi who were very familiar with the stars, as they were astrologers, those who practiced the occult by worshiping the stars and fortelling the future according to their movements. They were Zoroastrians, following the ancient Iranian religion. But there was a lesser-known sect of magi who were not Zoroastrians and were astronomers, not astrologers. This is the magi who came to visit Jesus.
These magi were very well-versed in the ancient Jewish texts that had at the time, which we call the Old Testament. Copies of these texts would have been brought in during the captivity of Israel. These magi knew of the stories of creation, the law, and the history of Israel. They also would have known of the promise of the Messiah. In fact, they recited the promise of a leader from the book of Micah.
There was some peculiar happenings in the night sky during that time. These magi, who studied the night sky testified that they saw “His star.” We don’t know for sure if it was a natural occurrence of a conjunction of stars or if it was a supernatural light. What we do know is that it was enough to grab their attention and lead them to believe it was a sign that the Messiah had been born.
Just like the magi paid attention to such a thing in the sky, we should be on the attention, ourselves. We don’t need to become astronomers and start looking into the sky at night. But Hebrews 2:1 implores us “Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it.” This indeed is a very “bright idea!”
THE MAGI’S WORSHIP
After the magi reported to King Herod, as was the custom in that day, they followed the star. By this time, Jesus would have been a toddler, because He is called a “child” in verse 9, and not a baby. By this time, Joseph and Mary were living in a house, as well.
The magi made the reason for their visit very plain to Herod. They had come to worship He who had been born King of the Jews. It is ironic to think that this title given to Jesus is the exact same reason for His crucifixion: Matthew 27:37 “Over His head they put the charge against him, which read, ‘This is Jesus, the King of the Jews.’”
When the magi entered the house, they gave very costly gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
Gold was a gift symbolic of a king and His diety. In John 10:31, He claimed that He and the Father are one, and claimed to be equal with God in John 5:17-18. He also claimed to have the power of God. He demonstrated this power by making the blind to see, the lame to walk, having power of the evil spirits, and forgiving sins.
Frankincense was a gift symbolic of His purity. 1 John 3:3 tells us that Jesus was and is pure. If He were not pure then He could not have been our holy sacrifice on the cross. But this verse also tells us that “all who have this eager expectation will keep themselves pure.” This tells us that we are to live a holy life, different from the way that the world lives.
Myrrh was a gift symbolic of His death, for it was an embalming agent. In John 3:14, Jesus foretold his death when He said, “Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up.” Just like Jesus allowed Himself to be put to death, we must be willing to do the same. Romans 6:6 teaches that “Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.”
OUR WORSHIP OF HIM
As we enter a new year, we should follow the example of the magi. After all, wise men still seek Him. “Seek the Lord while He may be found.” How do we worship Him and seek Him?
First, we put Him first in our lives as our God and our King. Next, we must live a holy, pure life to glorify Him. Why? Because we are called to put our old man to death and not serve sin, but serve Christ. How can we are not under the strains of sin continue to live like we are?
Now THAT is a bright idea!
