Today, we are celebrating the well known story of three (wise) men / kings from the East as told in the Matthean scripture. Today or rather the 6th January we celebrate Epiphany which is perhaps rather strange as we appear to be celebrating a revelation a sudden awakening to truth or appearance. So what is so epiphantic regarding three μάγοι or magi / wise men (Kings) and are we being misogynistic by describing them as men? Why not women? and in this particular case does gender matter as surely they are mere fiction for good reading? and why only three, considering no number is in the reading? There is of course the deviation from Lukan sources but this can be accounted for if we think of the visit being as much as three years after the birth. So what is so earth shattering in this passage that we can call the day an Epiphany?
Is it the revelation of the Christ child to a waiting and expectant world that is an epiphany for us or is there something embedded within the text which has a greater significance? Perhaps it is both. Indeed most of us would rally around the idea of the epiphany being the revelation of God in Christ to those outside the Jewish faith story. The wise magi are from the East which suggests a region of Persia which had a dominant religion based on astrology whose senior "priests" were magi called Zoroastrianism. This is bolstered by the Syriac Infancy Gospel, an apocryphal writing from around the 6th century. This sudden appearance of those, from a different religion and a different culture, recognising an infant seems sufficient for us to celebrate today. It seems to imply, from the Matthean interpretation, that Christ is there for all the world not just the inheritors of God's custodianship through the covenant. This is a convenient imaginary for us to idolise, almost, especially as we have the significant gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. In allowing ourselves to be entranced by this misogynistic reading are we doing ourselves a disfavour as it perhaps points away from some greater truths that are revealed and are perhaps worthy of our attention, if not celebration.
Christ goes on to become the truth bearer, the light of the world, and in John's gospel states "I am the way, the truth and the life", so what truths are revealed to us as Christ bearers in the modern world. Truths that need to be examined and held up to the light rather than being allowed to dwell in darkness. For this, perhaps, we need to go back to Herod and his interaction with the wise magi. The interaction is filled with truth but also deceit. The truth is that the Messiah is to be born in an out of the way town and the fact that these Magi have come proclaiming that indeed this has occurred is for those in power a problem. By diplomatic moves and in secret Herod attempts to find the solution so that he can ensure that the threat, perceived or otherwise, is done away with. For us today, we gloss over this part of the tale. Why? Because it happens to often in reality. Truth is often accompanied by fear and as a result violence to put the truth away. We have seen it too often. So, why should this be a revelation, why should this be important?
It is a revelation for us because we need to acknowledge the fact. It is not because it is surprising but rather because of its mundaneness that we have to make note of it. We ignore the truth because it is laden with fear, fear that we will lose out, fear that we will lose status, fear that we will lose power. Yet, the truth allows us freedom. Freedom to ensure that justice and peace are the predominate values in our hearts. Truth gives us the freedom to choose an alternative path, one that prevents us from enabling others to massacre the hopes and dreams of many. A path that leads us towards a just and enabled community that listens to those that are outside of themselves. A community that treats everyone with the same justice and enables people to live in harmony with each other. A community that acknowledges and respects all rather than denigrating and dividing others into categories that dissipate the fear. This is what is so revelatory in the story, not that it opens up Christ's presence to others but that the truth offers an alternate way of acceptance, justice and peace.
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