The Epiphany of the Lord, Year B

1. This is a homily for the feast of the Epiphany.

2. The rst reading is from the prophet Isaiah, chapter 60, verses 1 to 6. The Responsorial
Psalm is from Psalm 71 in the Septuagint or 72 in the Hebrew bible, and the gospel for
this Sunday comes from the gospel of St Matthew, Chapter 2, verses 1 to 12.

3. Epiphany is a Greek word that means literally, a shining forth.

4. Our English word Epiphany makes its rst appearance in the language sometime
around about 1310. It’s spelt with a capital E, and it’s used to refer exclusively to
today’s feast.

5. But by about 1650 the word appears spelt with a lower case “e” and it’s used to refer to
other manifestations of Christ, but also to appearances of divine beings in other
religions. So the story we heard last Sunday, the Presentation of the Lord in the
Temple, could be called an epiphany. Simeon and Anna both recognised that in the
little baby brought to the Temple by Joseph and Mary there was a revelation of the
divine presence, a shining forth.

6. Since the 19th century the meaning of “epiphany” has expanded even further.

7. We now use the word to refer to what might be called a “light bulb” or “eureka”
experience. In other words, a moment of sudden and great revelation or realisation.
But this moment of enlightenment so often occurs while we’re doing something very
ordinary, like Archimedes’ great moment of discovery while he was having a bath.

8. As you’re aware, we have four gospels. Mark wrote his gospel sometime between 65
and 75 AD, and Matthew and Luke wrote their gospels between 80 and 90 AD. The
gospel of John was written sometime between 80 and 110 AD.
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 9. Mark’s gospel begins with the proclamation of John the Baptist, the baptism of
Jesus, and the testing in the desert. Mark tells the reader nothing about the events
surrounding the birth of Jesus, not even the name of his father, Joseph.

10. The gospels of Matthew and Luke both have infancy narratives.

11. John’s gospel begins with a Prologue, followed by John the Baptist’s testimony
about Jesus, and then we have the call of the rst disciples. John also tells us
nothing about Jesus’ birth, not even the name of his mother, Mary.

12. The infancy narratives in the gospels of Matthew and Luke function something like
an orchestral overture. The evangelists sound notes that will resonate throughout
the gospel.

13. It is generally agreed among New Testament scholars that Matthew and Luke wrote
independently of each other, without knowing the other’s work. Matthew’s account
focuses on Joseph, while Luke’s infancy narrative focuses primarily on Mary.

14. Despite a number of di erences in the two narratives, Matthew and Luke agree on
the key points:

15. Mary and Joseph are legally married, but they have not yet come to live together as
man and wife.

16. Mary conceives by the power of the Holy Spirit, not through intercourse with her
husband.

17. Joseph is of Davidic descent.

18. An angel announces the birth of the child and says that the child is to be named
Jesus.

19. The angel also states that Jesus is to be Saviour.

20. Jesus is born in Bethlehem, by which time Mary and Joseph are living together as
husband and wife.

21. Herod the Great is king of Judea when the child is born. We know that Herod died
in 4 BC.

22. And nally, Jesus is brought up in Nazareth.

23. The anomaly that Jesus was born at least four years “before Christ” results from an
ancient mistake in calculating the year of his birth. In 533 AD a monk,
mathematician and astronomer by the name of Dionysius Exiguus, or Dennis the
Short in English, devised a calendar that no longer numbered the years from the
foundation of Rome (Ab Urbe Condita or AUC for short), but from the birth of the
Lord (Anno Domini). He mistakenly chose 754 AUC as AD 1, a date at least four
years too late since Herod died in 750 AUC.

24. So, when was Jesus born? New Testament scholar Raymond Brown comes to this
conclusion: “A birth of Jesus dated two years (Matt 2:16) before the death of Herod
in 4 BC would be consonant with the information in Luke 3:23 that Jesus was
“about thirty years of age” in the fteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar (Luke
3:1). A year reckoned at October AD 27 to October AD 28.”
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 25. The mood of Matthew and Luke’s narratives is quite di erent. Luke’s account is
lled with joy. Hymns lled with joy are sung by Mary (the Magni cat), Zechariah
(the Benedictus), angels in the night sky (the Gloria in excelsis Deo), and Simeon
(the Nunc Dimitis).

26. The tone of Matthew’s infancy narrative is dark and threatening, dominated by
Herod and his plot to kill the infant Jesus.

27. Popular piety has merged the stories of Matthew and Luke together, something that
is very evident in nativity scenes such as these: Here we have Jesus born in a
stable, with both shepherds and Magi present.

28. The Magi appear only in Matthew’s gospel and the shepherds are found only in
Luke’s gospel. In both gospels Jesus is born in Bethlehem. Matthew doesn’t tell
us precisely where in Bethlehem Jesus was born, but chapter 2 verse 11 suggests
that the birthplace was the house where Mary and Joseph lived. In Luke’s gospel
Mary and Joseph are living in Nazareth, and they make the journey to Bethlehem
because of the census that was being taken. Because Joseph was of the house of
David he was obliged to return to his own city, Bethlehem. While they were there
Jesus was born. There is no room for Mary and Joseph in the
κατάλυμά (katalyma), which was a place where travellers would normally nd
lodging. So Mary gives birth to her child in a manger, suggesting a barn or stall for
the housing of animals. Our popular nativity scenes usually portray the newly-born
child laid in a manger, with shepherds and Magi in attendance.

29. The story of the Magi is found only in Matthew’s gospel, and it is told in six short
scenes.

30. Scenes 1, 2 and 3 are set in Jerusalem, and scenes 4, 5 and 6 are set in
Bethlehem.

31. In Scene 1 the Magi come from the east to Judea, looking for the King of the Jews.
So, rst of all, who are the magi?

32. The Greek word that Matthew uses is μάγος (magos). Magos (μάγος) is the
singular, and μάγοι (magoi ) is the plural. That’s why we traditionally call them magi.
And that, by the way, is where we get our English words “magic” and “magician”.

33. The word was originally Persian and referred to the priestly caste of Zoroastrianism.
However, by the time that Matthew was writing, the Greek word magos had
outgrown its Persian origins and was understood more widely than a Persian
priestly caste.

34. It referred to people who were astronomers and astrologers. In the 21st century we
dismiss astrology as superstition, and we accept astronomy as a legitimate branch
of science, but such a clear cut distinction didn’t exist in the ancient world. Magi
also referred to people who could interpret dreams.

35. Where did they come from? Matthew simply says they came from the East.
Matthew’s Greek says ἀπὸ ἀνατολῶν (apo anatolōn), which means, literally, from
the rising. That is, from where the sun rises, which means the East. So, where is
that? Well, Matthew doesn’t tell us, and I’m sure he’d be amused by our attempts
over the centuries to pinpoint precisely where the Magi came from.
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36. There was no consensus among early Christian writers. Great scholars such as
Clement of Alexandria, John Chrysostom, Leo the Great and Cyril of Jerusalem
opted for Persia.

37. And that tradition is re ected in an ancient mosaic in the basilica of Sant’
Appollinare Nuovo in Ravenna.

38. Inside the basilica we nd a mosaic of the wise men, commissioned by the
Roman emperor Justinian in the 6th century. The costumes they are wearing
are Persian. Notice, also, that they are named in the mosaic: Balthassar,
Melchior and Gaspar.

39. Jerome and Augustine took the position that the magi were from Babylon.

40. And Justin Martyr, Tertullian, Cyprian of Carthage and Clement of Rome opted
for Arabia. Although Arabia is to the south-east of the Holy Land, it was
referred to as the east.

41. For Matthew the more important point is that these wise men from the East
were obviously not Jews. So, in chapter 2 of his gospel he’s sounding a note
that will resound throughout the gospel. Gentile wise men are seeking the King
of the Jews, but the Jewish leadership seems uninterested.
42. At the very end of Matthew’s gospel Jesus commissions his disciples to go
forth and “make disciples of all nations; baptise them in the name of the Father
and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”

43. So, at the beginning of the Gospel gentile wise men come seeking Jesus; at the
end of the Gospel Jesus sends his disciples out to all nations.

44. The Magi come seeking the King of the Jews. That certainly startled King
Herod. There is historical evidence that Herod was pathologically insecure and
insanely suspicious. He was cruel and vicious, and paranoid about his claim
upon the throne, since he did not come from David’s line.

45. He ruthlessly eliminated potential rivals, including three of his sons - Alexander,
Aristobulus and Antipater, accusing them of trying to kill him. The Roman
emperor Augustus once commented on Herod’s brutality when he said that ‘It is
safer to be Herod’s pig than his son.’ He was punning on the similarity in Greek
between the word for pig (ὗς hus) and son (υἱός huios).

46. So, in Scene 2, when Herod hears of a potential rival, he asks the chief priests
and scribes where the Messiah is to be born.

47. Herod’s own wise men answer the question immediately: “Bethlehem, in the
land of Judah,” quoting the prophet Micah.

48. Notice that there are two sets of wise men in this story: the Magi, and the Chief
priests and scribes. The Magi have travelled a great distance to nd the newly-
born King of the Jews; Herod’s wise men do nothing -

49. Even though Bethlehem is just down the road, 10 kilometres to the south of
Jerusalem. By road today a trip of 14 kms and about 27 minutes by car. But
they don’t budge. Perhaps they’re fearful of anything that would profoundly
alter the course of their lives.
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50. I have in mind the words of the poet W.H. Auden from The Age of Anxiety: “We
would rather be ruined than changed, We would rather die in our dread / Than
climb the cross of the moment / And let our illusions die.” And, of course, we can
all be guilty of that.

51. In Scene 3 Herod passes the information he has received from the chief priests and
scribes to the Magi and asks for their cooperation.

52. “Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me
word so that I may also go and pay him homage.”

53. One of the underlying motifs of Matthew’s gospel is that of Jesus as a new and
greater Moses, who has come, not to abolish the Law, but to ful l it. One of the
many parallels between the Exodus story and the gospel story is the way in which
Matthew’s account of the visit of the Magi echoes the story of Balaam, recounted in
the book of Numbers, chapters 22 to 24.

54. In that story a king, Balak, seeks to use a foreign magus, Balaam.

55. As the Israelites journey towards the Promised Land they approach the kingdom of
Moab. Balak, the king of Moab, feared the Israelites and sought to destroy them.
To accomplish his purpose, Balak summoned a famous seer named Balaam to put
a curse upon Israel. The Jewish writer Philo refers to Balaam as a magus.

56. In the words of Raymond Brown: “(Balaam) foiled the hostile plans of King Balak by
delivering oracles that foretold the future greatness of Israel and the rise of its royal
ruler. In other words, the wicked king sought to use the foreign magus to destroy
his enemy, but the magus actually honoured his enemy. Obviously this is very
close to the story of Herod and the magi.”

57. In Scene 4 the Magi emerge from the shadow of Herod and follow a star to
Bethlehem. Bethlehem was, of course, David’s own birthplace, and Matthew
presents Jesus as the son of David.

58. Matthew’s gospel begins with the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah, beginning with
Abraham. This is important. For Matthew the origin of Jesus Christ starts with
Abraham begetting Isaac. In other words the story of the Hebrew patriarchs, of the
kings of Judah, and of other Israelites is the opening stage of the story of Jesus
Christ.

59. Matthew tells us: The sum of the generations is therefore: fourteen from Abraham
to David, fourteen from David to the Babylonian deportation, and fourteen from the
Babylonian deportation to Christ.

60. So, there were 14 generations from Abraham to David;

61. 14 generations from David to the Babylonian deportation;

62. and 14 generations from the Babylonian deportation to the birth of Jesus who is
called the Messiah.

63. The ancient Hebrews did not use Arabic numerals as we do. Letters of the Hebrew
alphabet had a numerical value. The name David consists of three consonants:
Daleth (or D), Vav (or V) and Daleth again. Daleth is the fourth letter of the Hebrew
alphabet, so it has the value of 4. Vav is the sixth letter of the Hebrew alphabet, so
it has the numerical value of 6. Ancient Hebrew, by the way, was written without
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 vowels. So if you add up the numerical value of the three letters in the name David
you get 14.

64. So the whole structure of the genealogy is Matthew’s way of telling us that the long
story of Abraham’s people will come to its ful lment with a new David who will rescue
his people from their exile, that is, he will save his people from their sins.

65. In scene 5 the Magi’s long journey ends as they enter the house, nd the child with
Mary his mother, and fall down in worship. They o er the child precious gifts.

66. The gifts are gold, frankincense and myrrh, although Matthew doesn’t tell us if these
gifts have any special signi cance.

67. However, some commentators see gold as a symbol of kingship - this child is the
infant king of the Jews.

68. Incense symbolises divinity.

69. And myrrh is used to anoint a dead body, so this child will be victorious through
su ering and death. John’s gospel tells us quite explicitly that when Jesus is taken
down from the cross, Nicodemus had brought with him a mixture of myrrh and aloes.

70. Now you will have noticed that Matthew never calls the Magi kings, nor does he tell
us how many Magi there were. Christian tradition seems to have settled on three
Magi, and that no doubt comes from the fact that there were three gifts.

71. How, though, did they become kings?

72. As Christians read the story of the visit of the Magi, other biblical texts sprang to
mind.

73. Firstly the prophet Isaiah, chapter 60, verses 1 to 6. This is in fact the rst reading for
today’s Mass.

74. There we read: “The nations come to your light and kings to your dawning brightness.
… bringing gold and incense and singing the praise of the Lord.” Now although
Matthew doesn’t use this as a “ful lment” text in his gospel, it is hovering around in
the background, especially with the explicit mention of gifts of gold and incense.

75. The second text that springs to mind is Psalm 72, today’s Responsorial Psalm. It’s
Psalm 72 in the Hebrew Bible and Psalm 71 in the Septuagint Bible.

76. Here, again, we have kings: “The kings of Tashish and the sea coasts shall pay him
tribute. The kings of Sheba and Seba shall bring him gifts. Before him all kings shall
fall prostrate all nations shall serve him.” Again, kings bringing gifts, and Gentile
kings.

77. Tarshish is in Spain, Sheba in Yemen and Seba in Ethiopia.

78. Keep in mind that Matthew begins his gospel with the genealogy of Jesus - “the
genealogy of Jesus Christ, son of David”. Note that Solomon was the most famous
of David’s sons, and his successor as king.

79. In the rst Book of the Kings, chapter 10, we have the story of the Queen of Sheba
visiting King Solomon.

80. We’re told that “She came to Jerusalem with a very great retinue, with camels bearing
spices, and very much gold and precious stones.”
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 81. And when she had observed his wisdom, she said: “The report was true that I heard
in my own land of your accomplishments and of your wisdom, but I did not believe
the reports until I came and my own eyes had seen it.”

82. Later in Matthew’s gospel, in chapter 12, Jesus refers to this scene from the book
of Kings when he says, “The queen of the south came from the ends of the earth to
hear the wisdom of Solomon; and see, there is something greater than Solomon
here.”

83. So, Matthew’s story of the magi, set against the backdrop of Isaiah 60, Psalm 71,
and the rst book of the Kings is telling us: Here, in this child, there is someone far
greater than Solomon. Here we have the true son of David, and in him the glory of
God now appears.

84. In scene 6 the Magi leave Bethlehem, being warned in a dream not to return to
Herod.

85. T.S. Eliot’s poem Journey of the Magi o ers an interesting re ection on the inner
journey of the Magi.

86. Once they had returned home, the magi re ect upon what had happened: “This
Birth was / Hard and bitter agony for us, like Death, our death. / We returned to our
places, these Kingdoms, / But no longer at ease here, in the old dispensation, /
With an alien people clutching their gods.” Having encountered the infant King of
the Jews, their former worldview had crumbled, and they are no longer at home in
the old dispensation.

87. The experience of the Magi, the experience of letting go of a familiar way of life, is
captured by Judith Viorst in her bestseller entitled Necessary Losses. She writes:

88. “Losses are a part of life - universal, unavoidable, inexorable. And these losses are
necessary because we grow by losing and leaving and letting go.

89. Passionate investment leaves us vulnerable to loss. And sometimes, no matter

how clever we are, we must lose. But it is only through our losses that we become
fully developed human beings.” Unlike the chief priests and scribes, the Magi were
vulnerable to loss. They embarked upon a journey into the unknown, not knowing
where it might lead, what they might nd, or how it might change their lives.

90. For all of us the ultimate journey, the ultimate human quest is for the divine. St
Augustine wrote: “You have made us for yourself O Lord, and our heart is restless
until it rests in you.”

91. Fr Ronald Rolheiser o ers this re ection upon Augustine’s words: “When Augustine
says: ‘You have made us for yourself, Lord, and our hearts are restless until they
rest in you,’ he is, of course, pointing out the reason why God would have made us
this way. And, as his prayer indicates, the ultimate value of longing lies precisely in
its incessant nature. By never letting us rest with anything less than the in nite and
eternal it guarantees that we will seek God or be frustrated.”
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