BIBLE STUDY #119


SOLEMNITY OF THE EPIPHANY OF THE LORD

January 6, 2013



READING 1

ISAIAH 60:1-6



Rise up in splendor, Jerusalem! Your light has come,

the glory of the Lord shines upon you.

See, darkness covers the earth,

and thick clouds cover the peoples;

but upon you the LORD shines,

and over you appears his glory.

Nations shall walk by your light,

and kings by your shining radiance.

Raise your eyes and look about;

they all gather and come to you:

your sons come from afar,

and your daughters in the arms of their nurses.



Then you shall be radiant at what you see,

your heart shall throb and overflow,

for the riches of the sea shall be emptied out before you,

the wealth of nations shall be brought to you.

Caravans of camels shall fill you,

dromedaries from Midian and Ephah;

all from Sheba shall come

bearing gold and frankincense,

and proclaiming the praises of the LORD.



The Word of the Lord



SECOND READING

EPHESIANS 3:2-3A, 5-6



Brothers and sisters:

You have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace

that was given to me for your benefit,

namely, that the mystery was made known to me by revelation.

It was not made known to people in other generations

as it has now been revealed

to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit:

that the Gentiles are coheirs, members of the same body,

and copartners in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.



The Word of the Lord



GOSPEL

MATTTHEW 2:1-12



When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea,

in the days of King Herod,

behold, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying,

“Where is the newborn king of the Jews?

We saw his star at its rising

and have come to do him homage.”

When King Herod heard this,

he was greatly troubled,

and all Jerusalem with him.

Assembling all the chief priests and the scribes of the people,

He inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.

They said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea,

for thus it has been written through the prophet:

And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah,

are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;

since from you shall come a ruler,

who is to shepherd my people Israel.”

Then Herod called the magi secretly

and ascertained from them the time of the star’s appearance.

He sent them to Bethlehem and said,

“Go and search diligently for the child.

When you have found him, bring me word,

that I too may go and do him homage.”

After their audience with the king they set out.

And behold, the star that they had seen at its rising preceded them,

until it came and stopped over the place where the child was.

They were overjoyed at seeing the star,

and on entering the house

they saw the child with Mary his mother.

They prostrated themselves and did him homage.

Then they opened their treasures

and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod,

they departed for their country by another way.



The Gospel of the Lord



Reflection



There is only a brief mention of Jesus birth, almost as an afterthought. In contrast, see Luke 2:1-7. Bethlehem was the ancestral home of King David so we continue the “son of David’ motif from chapter 1. Bethlehem of Judea is 5 miles south of Jerusalem as distinguished from Bethlehem of Galilee which is seven miles northwest of Nazareth.



King Herod reigned from 37 BC to 4 BC. He was the most powerful member of an Idumean family. Upon his death, his kingdom was divided among his sons. He was a masterful politician in playing off the Roman and Jewish factions among each other. He was noted for his massive building projects like the Jerusalem Temple and Masada.



The term “Magi” originally referred to Persian priests who claimed an ability to interpret dreams. Here they are astrologers /astronomers who look to the stars as a guide to major events. Where they come from is not clear, but since they are unaware where the savior is to be born, it is assumed that they are gentiles.



The magi refer to Jesus as the newborn king of the Jews. This is also Herod’s title, so Herod would see this newborn king as a rival. This title for Jesus also appears on the cross as a charge against Jesus and the reason he was crucified.



The magi “saw his star at its rising.” It was a common belief in antiquity that astral phenomenon accompanied the births and deaths of great figures. Matthew draws upon the Old Testament story of Balaam who prophesied that “A star shall advance from Jacob” in Numbers 24:17.



The Greek word for homage refers to an act of submission like bowing or prostration before a person of great authority and dignity. Since this is also the proper attitude of humans to God, we see the theme of Jesus as the Son of God in this verse.



Herod was certainly greatly troubled, and “all Jerusalem,” referring to all the people of Jerusalem. This idea of all the people is also in Matthew 27:25, Jesus in front of Pilate, where it says that “all the people answered ‘his blood be on us and our children.’” In neither case does it mean everybody.



The “chief priests” presumably means the current high priest (there was only one at a time) and former high priests and members of their families. The scribes would be experts in interpreting Scripture and could answer the magi’s questions concerning the location of the newborn King. The chief priests and scribes would also be Jesus’ enemies during the Passion narrative.



Bethlehem of Judea was the commonly accepted birthplace of the messiah (see John 7:42). The prophet was wrote this prophecy is actually a combination of prophecies in Micah 5:1 and 2 Samuel 5:2



Herod expects the magi to find the child and report to him so he can also “pay homage” to the newborn King, but his real intention is revealed in 2:16-18.



The movement of the star guides them directly to the child. It is not clear how this star guided them up till now.

The magi were ‘overjoyed’ at seeing the star, reminiscent of the great joy the angel proclaimed to the shepherds in the field at the birth of Jesus. This is a tremendous expression of joy.



Matthew seems to assume that Jesus was born in a house, as opposed to Luke’s gospel (see Luke 2:6-7). Although, it’s not necessary to assume that Luke meant a cave or a stable. It could refer to a part of the house that is used as a room for animals and doubles as a room for guests in an emergency situation.



The magi entered the house, saw Jesus and Mary, and prostrated themselves in homage, completing what they set out to do from the beginning. They brought 3 gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh, giving rise to the idea that there were three magi. The idea of Kings came from an allusion to Psalm 72:10, ”may the kings of Seba and Sheba bring gifts.” The nature of these gifts comes from Isaiah 60:6, “all those from Sheba shall come, they shall bring gold and frankincense.” Seba and Sheba connect the magi to the Syrian Desert or Arabia.



The magi were warned in a dream to go home another way. Dreams were thought to be ways that the divine spoke to humans, which happened to Joseph. Sometimes angels in these dreams communicate God’s will.



The rejection of Jesus by Herod, but the acceptance of Him by the magi, foretell the future rejection of Jesus by Israel and the acceptance of Him by the magi.



This passage of journey reminds me of the great journey theme that takes up much of Luke’s gospel. We travel together, learn more about the Lord, ourselves, and our mission, and follow Jesus to the cross and resurrection (His, as well as ours). This story of the journey of the magi reminds me of the journey of all of us. The star, the light of Christ, is there for all to see. Some people look at it and don’t see it for what it is, but some do. Those who do are bound to follow the light regardless of where it takes them. The trip is not always easy, and can be downright hazardous. Along the way, we look for help; sometimes among sacred writings, and sometimes among people. We will encounter those who try to draw us away, sometimes deceitfully and for there own nefarious purposes and those we must identify and ignore. We hope that we will find people who will guide and direct us along our journey, who can interpret the sacred texts to bring us closer to Jesus. We hope to find people who will be our companions, guides, and supporters as we look to accomplish our goals. We, too, in some instances, will be the guides for others. Like the magi, we prostrate ourselves in front of our Lord, offering our gifts for his use. The magi found what they were looking for. The promise of this story is that if we are faithful followers, we also will find Jesus in our lives.



Fr. Phil