Epiphany Sunday January 6, 2008

Reading 1, Isaiah 60:1-6  Chapters 56-66 of Isaiah prophesy the return of the exiles to Jerusalem, an event which transpired after Cyrus of Persia defeated the Babylonians in 539 B.C. and treated the people of conquered territories with a tolerance hitherto unknown in the East. Rather than oppression and deportation, the policies of previous conquerors, he treated the various races with respect. He granted religious freedom, allowed resettlement to their original territories, and even funded reconstruction for the Jews. The prophesy envisions the new Jerusalem as a commercial center with the concomitant blessings of stature, activity, and financial benefits.

Reading II, Ephesians 3:2-3a,4-5 “Mystery cults” were very popular in ancient Asia Minor. The word mystery comes from a Greek word meaning to keep quiet…to keep a secret. Each group sought special power and protection from certain gods through their secret rites. Plato, as a member of one such mystery cult, was severely criticized by fellow members for revealing some of their secrets in his writings. Members were initiated and expected to keep everything a secret. Paul makes a bridge from that popular way of thinking to give new Christians knowledge of the secret plan for the entire universe and connection to the highest spiritual power…all revealed through Jesus Christ.

Matthew 2:1-12 We go backward in Matthew’s gospel from last week’s account of the flight into Egypt. The Magi were not themselves kings but, rather, people who sought knowledge from every imaginable source and the ability to apply that knowledge to predict and prepare for the future. The word “magic” is derived from their practices. According to the popular cosmology of the time, the earth was covered by a dome, across which God or gods caused the heavenly bodies to move in patterns thought to contain coded messages. Such was the logic behind astrology. In 6 B.C. they would have seen Jupiter (which represented royalty) pass through Aries (representative of the Jewish people, perhaps due to their history as shepherds). The Magi would have interpreted this as a divine sign of the birth of a great Jewish king. On reporting their findings, their own king may have sent them as his representatives bearing gifts, a common way from kings of past to build alliances and secure peaceful relations.