fascinating facts about epiphany

8/20/2019 Fascinating Facts About Epiphany

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Matthew tells of the visit of the Magi:

Wise men from the east came to Jerusalem,

saying, “Where is he who has been born king of

the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and

have come to worship him.” (Matthew 2:2)


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It’s not specifically known

where the wise men were

from. Throughout history three

main locations have been

considered as most likely:Persia or Parthia, since the

term Magi was originally

associated with the Medes and

the Persians; Babylon, because

the Babylonians and Chaldeans

had developed a great interestin astronomy and astrology,

and due to a large colony of

Jews living there, astrologers

could have been aware of

Jewish messianic expectations;

Arabia or the Syrian desert,because the gifts of gold and

frankincense were associated

with the desert camel trains

coming from Midian, in Arabia.

Where they came from,

however, isn’t as

important as the fact that

they came from outside of

Israel. Matthew, like Luke,expresses that God is

doing a new thing by

highlighting the fact that

at Jesus’ birth, Gentiles

are attracted by the light

of God’s Son.


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We’re told that the

Magi saw “his star” in

the east. Many

attempts have been

made to explain thephenomenon of the

star, such as that

there was a

conjunction of

planets or the

explosion of a

supernova or the

appearance of a

comet. What is clear

is that the Magi

reported some

astronomical

phenomenon that

they had some way

of linking with a

particular king, the

king of the Jews.


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There is a question about the Greek wording used and

how it has been translated. Many translations render the

text as “we have seen his star in the east,” while others

as “we saw his star when it rose,” or “at its rising.”

If we abandon the translation “in the East” for “en te

anatole” [the words used in the Greek text], there is no

indication that the Magi followed the star to Jerusalem.

Rather, having seen the rise of the star which they

associate with the King of the Jews, they have come to

the capital city of the Jews for more information.

The readers of Matthew’s

Gospel in the first century

wouldn’t have considered it

strange that a star arose toproclaim the birth of the

new king, as the idea that

the births and deaths of

great men were heralded by

heavenly signs was widely

accepted.


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While the Gentile Magi had come to pay homage

to the newborn “King of the Jews,” Matthew

points out that the present Jewish king and the

chief priests and scribes were completelyunaware that He had been born. Herod was, for

obvious reasons, troubled when he heard that

the wise men had come seeking a new king. This

happened not long before his death, when he

was experiencing dissent among his sons as to

who should be the next king.

Upon hearing the news, Herod gathered the chief

priests and scribes to inquire of them where the

messiah would be born. He then secretly

summoned the wise men and asked when they

had first seen the sign of the star. From Herod’s

later actions, we can surmise that it had been

within the last two years. Herod then told the

Magi to go and find the child and inform him of

his exact location so that he could go and

worship the new king as well.


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When the wise men came to Bethlehem, they found the house where Mary, Joseph, and

Jesus were staying.

Going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and

worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. (Matthew 2:11)

Interestingly, we’re never told how many Magi were there, though tradition holds that

there were three, based on the three gifts listed—frankincense, gold, and myrrh.


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The wise men, being warned in a dream not to return to Herod…departed to their own

country by another way. (Matthew 2:12) Joseph is also visited by an angel in a dream

and told to Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until

I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him. (Matthew 2:13)

Joseph and his family left by night and made their way to Egypt, where they remained

until the death of Herod—most likely using the gifts of the Magi to help finance their

trip and their living expenses for the time they were there.


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As we come to the end of the

story of Jesus’ birth, we can

see the fulfillment of God’s

promise to send a Messiah to

redeem humanity beginningto unfold. God becoming flesh, entering

the world and living among His

creation for the purpose of

reconciling humanity to Himself

through His death and

resurrection was the mostsignificant event in human

history.

The Gospels tell us how Jesus’ life, from birth

to death and beyond, fulfill God’s promises and

show His great love for humanity by making it

possible for us to become His children.


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Image credits:

Page 1 – Microsoft Clipart/www.freevectors.net

Page 2 – Microsoft Clipart/www.freepik.comPage 3 – Kirsty via www.freepik.com

Page 4 – www.freepik.com


Page 6 – Shelly via www.sketchport.com


Page 8 – TFI. Used by permission.Page 9 – www.freevectors.net

Text adapted from the writings of Peter Amsterdam, TFI.

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