January 6, 2022 (today) is Epiphany!

Have your wise men been moved to the feet of Jesus?

This simple act is just a symbolic gesture of worship, a visual representation which says we understand that wise men still seek Him.

All wise men will eventually be found humbly bowing at the feet of Jesus Christ.

Do your home and heart celebrate this day called Epiphany?

WHAT IS THE MEANING OF EPIPHANY?

Exactly what do we mean when we speak of Epiphany?

How should such a commemorative day be celebrated?

Is there really truth to this history which has been passed down to us?

How can we know more about the time of Epiphany?

What do we need to know about those times?

Are there things that we might not have learned in Sunday School or during all of those grammar school Christmas pageants?

A MOMENT OF REVELATION

The word Epiphany originates from the Greek.  It means “manifestation of the divine.”

The word “Epiphany” is also associated in English with “a moment of revelation.” 

I guess you could say an “Epiphany” is a lot like a “Glorious Impossible.” 

Epiphanies are the eye-opening events of life.

So; when we have those little “ah-ha” moments in life we often call them epiphanies. 

That is because something has been revealed to us which we did not yet understand.  Suddenly the light comes on.  Our former understanding becomes more clear.

Some of us have more epiphanies than others!

For people like this writer; life as a whole can be thought of as just one long epiphany after another.

THE MANIFESTATION OF THE DIVINE

If you study the facts of the day we call Epiphany further, you will see that everyone is celebrating the manifestation of Christ to the Gentiles.

This celebration stems from the story surrounding the coming of the Magi to visit the Christ Child.

The story is revealed in the Gospel of Matthew.  It speaks of the Magi following a great star in order to find the Messiah.  They brought him gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.

THE TRUE MEANING OF THE SEASON

All across the world, after all the Christmas celebrations are finished and done; many people suddenly realize it was the wise men who had the right and true meaning of the season.

Believe it or not Christmas isn’t only about family gatherings and feasting and all the traditional trimmings. 

The wise men knew and followed the sacred secret; that Christmas is about the worship of Jesus Christ and the fact that He came into this world to save mankind.

This is what the Magi were seeking on their long journey.

Those true wise men knew The Truth.

It had been passed down to them through great miraculous circumstances, just as every truth from heaven usually happens.

GOD’S REMANAT PASS THE TRUE STORY ON 

God had reserved a remnant of people.  They had passed on His story.

The wise men KNEW this because many of them were part of that remnant. 

More about that in a moment.

THE PRESENTS WERE FOR JESUS; NOT THE PEOPLE

These Magi (who were supposed to be the wisest of the wise) didn’t give presents to each other.  They brought presents straight to Jesus. 

Once at the feet of Jesus; they bowed and they worshiped the One they knew was the Messiah.  They knew He was the One, The King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

The same old story has been told in a million different ways over generations and generations.  The Catholic church has been instrumental in keeping this holiday alive.  It seem that they have promoted and celebrated it the most.  

Still; much of the story has been interpreted wrong by many.  Many story tellers have left out the most important details of the historical truths.

Lately I did some fresh research on the myths and truths of Epiphany.  I wanted to review the facts because the story has always been one of my favorites.

WHY WERE THE GENTILES NOT GIVEN THE GOSPEL AT FIRST?

I was always troubled about the scriptural fact that at first only the Jews were given the gospel.

It took years and years for me to understand how God was working through this and all would come out later for the greater good of everyone. 

None of the wise men were of the Jewish culture; but they came to worship and bow down before Jesus.  This part of the story gave me hope.  I thought this presented definite proof of the worth of the Gentiles to God.  He had made sure that they received the message that The Messiah had been born.

I had a lot more to learn about this. 

DANIEL WAS A MAGI

Truth be told though; even some of the wise men had Hebrew blood running through their veins!

The part of the story that isn’t usually told is the fact that the famous biblical character named Daniel became a Magi. 

Yes; as strange as that sounds, the Hebrew named Daniel was a religious and political leader in the Persian Empire.  Some Hebrew descendants and descendants of his followers were also Magi later in the time of the Parthian Empire.

THE ONLY GOOD THAT CAME FROM BABYLON

It all started with the exile of Israel to Babylon.

This was when Daniel was taken captive and moved to the Asian continent away from Jerusalem and those whom he loved. 

He was only a child. 

Daniel was selected to be trained in the King’s court. 

Eventually he rose to power within the Persian Empire where many of the holy men were also known as religious leaders. 

These men were called Magi. 

THE MAGI WERE THE RELIGIOUS LEADERS

As time progressed the culture and the people of the area evolved into the Parthian Empire. 

The Parthian Empire had two houses of government. One house was political and one house was religious. 

The political house was full of direct descendants of royalty. 

Also; the religious house was full of religious leaders who were called Magi.

An amazing thing about all of this is that many of the Magi were descendants of The Israelite tribe of Levi, who had held the priestly order for Israel.  After years of exile, their character and ability with God’s help grew them into respected leaders.

These were like Daniel.  They had been taught the ways of God at a very young age and had never departed from it; even in exile and captivity. 

IMPORTANCE OF THE OLD TEACHING THE YOUNG

Many of the Magi had ancestors who came with them from the captivity.  As they grew up being groomed and trained for service in the Emperor’s palace, these ancestors secretly helped them to remember God’s ways. 

In order to better assimilate the population of the people from Israel into a calm, educated and more peaceful manner in Persia, the Emperor often allowed both cultures to exist peacefully together.

These captives eventually had families and children and their descendants were still living in the land of Persia many years later.  Not all Israelites returned with those who went back to re-settle Jerusalem with Ezra and Nehemiah. 

It is important to realize that some of these men, like Daniel, had maintained their heritage and beliefs in spite of their Persian educations and grooming. 

The results were that the worship of The God of Israel was still passed down from generation-to-generation in the form of this little remnant who ironically lived in Persia and served as Magi. 

Think about the story of Esther.  Then; think of all of the generations after that generation of people, all the way up until the coming of Christ.

By the time that the wise men visited Jesus there were probably ten to twelve Persian Magi holding offices at once.  Quietly and living among them, there was at least one Magi to represent each tribe of Israel, although by that time they were also representing the government of the Parthian Empire.

Strange but true.

SO MANY PARALLELS WITHIN THE STORY OF THE MAGI

Stranger things have happened.

We see similar parallels in the stories of Joseph, and other bible stories when we think about the history of the Magi.  Men with Israelite blood have risen to power in other cultures through other events and circumstances.

The history books record all of this.

In Daniel’s day he was actually called the RAG-MAG, which meant the head of the Magi. 

These men called Magi were in charge of seeking out new kings for the empire whenever an old king died (or most-likely in those treacherous days, the old king was murdered by one of his power-hungry relatives.) 

SEEKING THE KING OF THE JEWS

So years after the influences of Daniel, (and some believe that Daniel also led a secret sect of Magi who kept Hebraic traditions and knew the prophecy of Messiah;) some wise men/Magi came seeking to know more about a child that was prophesied to be The King of The Jews.

It is VERY likely that at least SOME of these Magi, if not all of them, were of Hebrew descent and that they had ALWAYS been seeking to find the Messiah.

TEN THOUSAND MEN IN A ROYAL CARAVAN

The Magi who came to find Jesus were not only three men; they were actually many men.

They traveled in long caravans, some of these caravans contained over 10,000 men.

Their coming would have resembled the coming of a great army that had also brought their servants, animals and cooks along with them.

These Magi were considered to be royal.  They traveled with body guards, defenders, servants and slaves. 

The Magi had many horses and animals at their disposal (maybe even a few camels as the traditional story reports) in order to provide a safe and comfortable journey. 

There would have been several groups of caravans carrying and securing the treasures that they brought with them.   The Magi would have carried lots of supplies for such a long and uncertain journey.  After all; they had with them the treasures for a future king.

A FAKE AND FRAUDULENT KING IS FRIGHTENED

King Herod (then the King of Jerusalem) saw the way these Magi came sweeping into the city with great pomp and circumstance and most likely, he shook in his boots.

The coming of the Magi must have looked exactly like an invading army!

Herod had connived his way up to the throne.  

He had been appointed by the Romans as the King in charge of Jerusalem.  The Romans called him “King of the Jews,” but in actuality he was merely a vehicle being used by Rome to have their way in Jerusalem, and he knew this. 

Not a drop of Herod’s blood was Jewish. 

He was a complete Gentile. 

The fact that these men from the area of Persia were seeking The King of the Jews might have made King Herod feel as if they were coming to conquer his kingdom and remove it from his command.  He probably thought they were seeking to replace him with their choice of a new, more suitable, more Jewish king.   

After all; these Magi were known as “men who sought out kings for kingdoms.”

The fact that the Magi actually addressed Herod as King of The Jews was meant to be sarcastic; like an insult to his face. 

The Magi knew Herod wasn’t Jewish; and they disliked him very much.

WHOEVER RULED JERUSALEM RULED THE WORLD

Jerusalem was in a very strategic location.  It was said that whoever controlled Jerusalem controlled the world. 

Rome controlled Jerusalem through Herod as a “puppet-king” and Rome and Parthia were always fighting and striving over control of Jerusalem in those days.

The wise men/Magi were actually very open and honest with King Herod about their mission.  They let him know they were seeking a TRUE King.

The Magi did not flinch at insulting Herod in the process; but the star had led them to Herod and stopped; so they felt they must speak with him, whether they liked him or not.

HEROD CAUSES GREAT TROUBLE FOR THE DESCENDANTS OF ISRAEL

At first Herod must have been relieved to know that these Magi were only seeking a prophesied child.  He must have been happy to learn that they were not there to kill him off.

Herod quickly sent them away to the city of  Bethlehem (because of  a written prophecy given by the prophet named Balaam) and as soon as they were on their way Herod took a deep breath of relief.

Then Herod began to think about the whole situation a lot more. 

He probably could not sleep a wink that night.  Herod must actually have been a nervous wreck simply from knowing that he was a “fake” Jew, and yet he was still claiming to be King of the Jews. 

It occurred to Herod that a proper Jewish child-king might serve to unite the people with the Parthians against him.  Eventually they might decide to overturn his throne.   

Such things had happened before in past histories with many different cultures.   

Because of this fear, Herod decreed that every male Jewish child under two years of age would be killed.  (Another parallel story – think of the story of Moses.)

WHEN THE STAR RE-APPEARED

In the meantime the wise men/Magi had once again found and spotted the same star that had led them to Jerusalem.  They had originally followed the star to Jerusalem, but it had disappeared.

That was why they had consulted Herod; the star had led them to him. 

After Herod quickly sent them on to Bethlehem, the star appeared  in the skies once again.  

They also followed it again.  (Matthew 2:6)

WHO SAW THE STAR?

There is much mystery around the fact of this “star.”  A lot of people say that the star was only visible to the Magi.

Many believe this star was just a code word for the Angel Gabriel.  The angels have often been called “the stars of heaven” in the scriptures.

People who study the skies however, tie the phenomenon of the star over Bethlehem into the appearance of the triple conjunction of Saturn and Jupiter which had happened in the skies during that time.

The Magi did study the stars.  They were known for being great astrologers.

They studied the stars seeking the truth of God. 

The Magi felt God’s story was written up there in the sky; and if you look very close, you too will be able to see for yourself that –  it actually is!

God’s story and his fingerprints are all over the universe. 

You must only have eyes to see.

SIMILAR TO ISRAEL’S JOURNEY THROUGH THE WILDERNESS

Another parallel in thinking about this star would be the way the children of Israel had followed the pillar of fire by night in traveling through the wilderness.

They were seeking the promised land.

The wise men followed the bright star, seeking the promised King.

Perhaps ALL of the star theories are true. 

We do not really know.

OBEYING GOD’S ANGEL WITHOUT QUESTION

We DO know that an angel spoke to the wise men later.  This angel told them to leave Bethlehem without reporting back to Herod.

I get the feeling that these wise men thought nothing of actually talking with angels.  They simply accepted on faith that God sent His messengers to His people to guide them.  It was exactly the same as Moses and the Israelites had done when God’s Angel led them through the wilderness.

The Magi left quickly and without notice.  

They never reported back to Herod. 

Of course, he wasn’t about to try to bring them back!

AFTER MEETING THE KING

Some people have a theory that the wise men knew Jesus would be The Messiah and they kept following the events of his life afterwards.  Many think the Magi re-visited him off and on during his days on the earth, even long after his birth. 

One can only guess at this. 

If you had found the Messiah, but had to leave Him and return home; wouldn’t you try to at least stay in touch as often as possible?

MORE TRUTH REVEALED OVER TIME

It is also true that the first visit of these Magi was not at a manger, but at a time when they found the child living inside a house.

Many have brought forth evidence that the Christ child was not an infant when they arrived.  They say Christ was a child somewhere from six months old to two years old.   That ties in with the fact that I believe Christ was born in the Fall; but conceived in the winter-time.  

The scriptures DO say “a young child” and not “an infant in swaddling clothes laying in a manger.”

This probably means that the wise men came to visit Jesus much later after the birth of Christ.  By then they would have come to a different location than the manger scene in all the little children’s church plays usually represent.

WILL THE CHURCH CORRECT OUR STORIES?

Unfortunately; we haven’t done such a great job of teaching our children the truth when it comes to the most important things; such as the birth of Our Savior.

We need to do this better in the future.

Sometimes Christians can be the most ignorant people on earth. 

The scriptures actually say “My people die from lack of knowledge.”  We would do well to heed these words in the future.

WILL WE TEACH OUR CHILDREN TO SEEK THE FACE OF JESUS?

At any rate; the Magi came and worshiped and adored The Savior of the World.  

That part of the story is definitely true, and very significant.

We all need to be more like these wise men who were seeking out the face of Jesus so that they could worship Him and make him their King.

GOD HAS PROVIDED THE SAVIOR OF THE WORLD

Some say the treasures the Magi brought were actually the lost treasures of the first temple which were carried off after the captivity of Jerusalem before the days of Christ. 

That would be an amazing fact; if it could be proven true. 

There is no proof or evidence of this; but it would certainly be the proper use of such treasures.

God has a way of making all of men’s mistakes and sins turn around and be corrected for righteousness. 

One day we can ask Him about this. 

ALL NEEDS WERE PROVIDED

The gold, frankincense and myrrh the Magi brought could have been the means that enabled Joseph (a poor carpenter) to flee with his family to a foreign land.  Expenses would have been necessary when the angel came to him and told him to take the child to Egypt. 

Until Joseph found work in the new place, The Holy Family would have needed money to live on.  They would have needed a way to pay for food and shelter as they fled and traveled from place to place.

Also, among the many speculations and imaginations were those who said that the gold the Magi brought allowed Jesus to take care of his disciples during his ministry.  Men have always questioned how the many disciples of Jesus survived for long periods of time without predictable finances. 

No one really knows all of the facts or all of the true answers.  The possibilities are endless.

All I can tell you is that God provided; one way or another.

God is such an awesome provider.

The Magi knew this the moment they placed the eyes of their souls upon the face of this child who would be King.

It was the greatest epiphany of all time!