Thoughts on Sunday’s Lessons for Jan. 6, 2019

First Reading: Isaiah 60:1-6

On Epiphany, once known as the Feast of Lights, we celebrate the revelation of Jesus as God Incarnate. It begins with the coming of the Magi, and our weekly gospel stories through this season will tell of other events that manifest the divinity of Jesus.

The Three Wise Kings, Atlas Catalàn, 1375, Fol. V. (Click image to enlarge.)

In Sunday’s first reading, the Prophet Isaiah calls out a message of hope to Israel as it returns home from exile. Jerusalem may lie in ruins, but, the prophet foretells, God’s light is dawning like a new day. A virtual blanket of camels bearing gifts will cover the nation’s land as earthly kings trek toward the restored Jerusalem laden with gold and frankincense for the new ruler: an image we will see echoed in the Magi bringing similar gifts to the Christ child.

Psalm: Psalm 72:1-7,10-14

Sunday’s Psalm, attributed by tradition to King Solomon, also evokes images of kings of all nations bearing gifts to honor Israel’s time of glory. With God’s blessing, Israel’s king earns the service of all nations, the Psalmist sings. But with great power comes great responsibility: The king must be righteous and just. The king “shall defend the needy among the people; he shall rescue the poor and crush the oppressor. … He shall have pity on the lowly and poor; he shall preserve the lives of the needy.”

Second Reading: Ephesians 3:1-12

Most modern Biblical scholars believe that the letter to the people of Ephesus was not actually written by Paul but by a follower writing in his name a generation after his death. Why point this out? In the effort to discern Paul’s emerging theology as he led the early church, it’s important to isolate his own words from those written by others at a different time. But this does not mean that the message in these verses is not helpful and important. Indeed, it clearly echoes two of Paul’s consistent themes: Gentiles, and thus all humankind, are included among God’s chosen people; and all of us are included in Christ’s body on earth and called to make God’s wisdom known.

Gospel: Matthew 2:1-12

“We three kings of Orient are …” Who doesn’t love this traditional carol of Christmas and Epiphany? The story of the wise men from the East is a familiar and beloved image of the season, although much of it is enshrined more in tradition than in actual scripture. The story appears only in Matthew’s Gospel; and Matthew doesn’t actually tell us that they were kings, or that there were three of them, or even that they rode on camels. This is what we hear: Wise men came, following a star that had led them to pay homage to “the child who has been born king of the Jews.” They did bear gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. They knelt and paid homage to the child Jesus as if he were a king. And then they thwarted evil Herod’s plan by heading home by another road.