Scripture Study for
The Epiphany of the Lord
Isaiah 60:1–6 / Psalm 72:11 / Ephesians 3:2–3a, 5–6 / Matthew 2:1–12
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Understanding the Word
By Br. John R. Barker, OFM
The passage from Isaiah begins with an image of a world covered in the darkness and thick clouds of spiritual blindness, confusion, ignorance, violence, and woes of every kind. The exception is Zion, the city of the God of Israel, in which God appears in glory. It is this divine presence that sheds light over Jerusalem, bringing healing, wisdom, and shalom. In such a world, the prophet concludes, all the nations are naturally drawn to the light that shines from within Israel. The prophet foresees a new day dawning for the entire world, beginning with Jerusalem, which will become a destination for all the nations as they move inevitably toward the Light, proclaiming praise for the God of Israel.
Although most of the Old Testament focuses on the particular relationship between Israel and God, that central story is clearly situated within the story of God and the entire human family: Abraham is promised that through him all the families of the earth will find blessing (Genesis 12:3). This larger divine purpose drives much of Paul’s thinking, such as we see it here in the Letter to the Ephesians. Here the emphasis is on God’s “outreach” to the nations. The grace that Paul has been called to proclaim is precisely that Gentiles are now called to join with Jews as heirs of God’s ancient promises. This inheritance, obtained through Christ, is unearned, founded solely on God’s graciousness.
Understandably threatened by the news of a “newborn king of the Jews,” Herod naturally wants to know where he might find this child. The prophecy, derived from Micah 5:1–3, speaks of a Davidic king who will emerge from David’s ancestral town. Herod of course intends to harm the child, but the focus of the reading is on the homage of the wise men, who are not dismayed in the least that the new king of the Jews is to be found in such humble circumstances. Clearly believing the child is in fact the king of the Jews, they bring him costly gifts, which tradition has suggested point toward Christ’s royalty (gold), divinity (frankincense), and eventual death (myrrh).