Matthew 2:1-12; Ephesians 3:1-12; Isaiah 60:1-6
In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.
St. Paul speaks in our Epistle of a mystery, one hidden for ages, now revealed by Christ. That mystery is this: “the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.” This was not an afterthought, nor a change in God’s plan. It had been promised and foreshadowed through the patriarchs and prophets of old. And yet, the way this mystery was fulfilled was so unexpected, so astonishing, that no human mind, and not even the holy angels, could have imagined it in full. The eternal Son of God became a man. He placed Himself under the Law, fulfilled it perfectly for all people, Jew and Gentile alike, and then bore its curse in His own body on the cross, that all might be made one in Him.
No one knew this mystery completely, not prophet, priest, patriarch, angel, or demon, until the night an angel was sent to shepherds outside Bethlehem: “Behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” And when that mystery was spoken aloud, heaven itself could no longer remain silent. A multitude of the heavenly host appeared, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom He is pleased.”
It is difficult for us, who live on this side of Christ’s birth, death, and resurrection, to appreciate just how breathtaking this revelation was. We know the story so well that we can forget how long the waiting had been, and how desperate it had become. The promise was first spoken in Eden, in the hearing of Adam and Eve and even the serpent himself: “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.” From that moment on, the world lived by promise.
That promise passed through Seth, through Noah, and then to Abraham, to whom God swore that “in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” Isaac carried the promise forward in type, and Jacob, renamed Israel, the one who wrestled with God and would not let go, became the father of twelve sons. From them came a nation, a kingdom, and a land. David was raised up as king, a man after God’s own heart. Yet even David’s house fell into ruin. Solomon’s apostasy divided the kingdom, and what followed was a long, bitter descent: kings worse than their fathers, prophets ignored or killed, idolatry entrenched, until at last the LORD handed His people over to Assyria, then Babylon, and later to the Greeks and the Romans.
By every outward measure, hope was gone. The royal line of David was reduced to a stump, cut down, burned, lifeless. No prophet spoke for four hundred years. The promises seemed buried under centuries of silence. And then, when no one expected it, and few dared to hope, “the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God” was revealed, not in thunder or fire, but in the womb of the Virgin Mary, and in the birth of a child laid in a manger.
This is what the Church celebrates today. Epiphany means “manifestation,” to make known, to show forth. Throughout this season, the Scriptures proclaimed in the Divine Service reveal who Jesus is and what He has come to do. On this first day of Epiphany, the mystery is made manifest in a striking and unmistakable way: Jesus is not only the King of the Jews; He is the Savior of the Gentiles as well. He is the Lord of all.
The wise men, the Magi, came from the East. They were not Israelites. They were Gentiles, most likely from Persia or Babylon, men trained in observing the heavens. And so the LORD, in His mercy, gave them a sign suited to them: a star. It caught their attention, drew them in, and led them on their journey. They also knew enough of the Hebrew Scriptures to recognize that this sign pointed to the birth of a king, the King of the Jews. And so they went, quite reasonably, to Jerusalem, the city of kings.
But Jerusalem could only point them onward. Herod’s palace held no Savior. The scribes could quote the prophet Micah, but they did not go to see what God was doing in their midst. The Magi were led on, until at last the star came to rest “over the place where the child was.” And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary His mother, and they fell down and worshiped Him. They opened their treasures and offered gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
What was made manifest that day was the very mystery St. Paul proclaims: the Gentiles are fellow heirs. These outsiders were brought in, not by ancestry, not by works of the Law, but by God’s gracious revelation. Even the gifts they brought preached a sermon. Gold for a King. Frankincense for a Priest who intercedes before God. Myrrh for sacrifice, for death, pointing already to the cross. In the presence of this small child, the whole saving work of Christ is quietly, gloriously revealed.
Isaiah had foretold it centuries before: “Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you.” Israel’s light was never meant to be hoarded. The glory of the LORD would shine through her to the nations: “Nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising.” They would come bearing gold and frankincense, bringing good news, the praises of the LORD.
That prophecy is fulfilled in Christ, and it continues to be fulfilled even now. For you who were once far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. You who were Gentiles by birth are now fellow citizens with the saints, members of the household of God. The same Lord whom the Magi worshiped is given to you today, not under a star, but under bread and wine; not in a house in Bethlehem, but here at His altar.
So behold your King. Behold your Savior. The ruler has come, and the kingdom and the power and the glory are in His hand. And this light no darkness can overcome.
In the + Name of Jesus. Amen.
