A Homily given by Fr. Ben Jones, Curate;

St. George’s Anglican Church, Raleigh, NC;

On The Epiphany, or the Manifestation of Christ to the Gentiles; A.D. 2010.

“Childhood Mystery”

+In the name of God the Father,

and of God the Son,

and of God the Holy Ghost,

AMEN.

St. Luke 2:3 - 6.“when herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.  And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born.  And they said unto him, in Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet.  And thou Bethlehem, in the land of juda, art not the least among the princes of juda: for out of thee shall come a governor, that shall be my people Israel.”

The events of Christ’s earthly life are called mysteries.  These mysteries form the different revelations of His person and the mission of His ministry.  (For those of us who are familiar with the Rosary, the meditations of the Rosary are the mysteries of Christ.)  One very important point that we should understand about these mysteries is that they are foretold by Old Testament prophecies.  These Old Testament prophecies are fulfilled in the gospel accounts which tell us what Christ did, what He experienced, and what He said and taught, during His ministry and His passion.  The mysteries of the childhood of Christ puts emphasis on how deeply rooted the Christ child was in the Jewish lifestyle.  Since the Commemoration of the Nativity of our Lord and up to this point, being the First Sunday after Epiphany, we have commemorated the five mysteries of His childhood.

The first childhood mystery is the “Nativity of Christ” which occurred in Bethlehem, signifying the fulfillment of the prophecy which proved His Davidic lineage and His Heavenly Kingship over Israel.  The second childhood mystery is the “Message of the Angels” to the shepherds tending their flocks, signifying the fulfillment of the prophecy that Jesus is the Saviour, the Messiah and Lord, who came in peace, “For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved”.1  The third childhood mystery is the “Circumcision” and the “Presentation in the Temple”.  The circumcision signified that He came in the world to fulfill the law, to shed covenant blood for all people, and to show the reality of God in the flesh.  The presentation in the temple as the firstborn of Mary, showing His earthly parent’s obedience to the law, signified that He was to be the firstborn from the dead.  The fourth childhood mystery which we will come back to in a few minutes is the “Magi being lead by a star to Bethlehem”.  The Magi were thought to have belonged to a Persian priestly caste or class.  This signifies the manifestation to the Gentiles of the Christ from whom true Priesthood is derived.  The fifth childhood mystery is found in the Gospel lesson appointed for the First Sunday after Epiphany, which tells us of the Christ child being “Found in the Temple”.  “And it came to pass, that after three days they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them, and asking them questions.  And all that heard Him were astonished at His understanding and answers.  And when they saw Him, they were amazed: and His mother said unto Him, Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us?  Behold, Thy father and I have sought Thee sorrowing.  And He said unto them, How is it that ye sought Me?  Wist ye not that I must be about My Father’s business?  And they understood not the saying which He spake unto them.  And He went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was subject unto them: but His mother kept all these sayings in her heart.  And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man.”2  This mystery of the Christ child being found in the temple signifies His submission to the intellectual conditions of His childhood.  At the same time this mystery reveals His supernatural understanding “by His hearing those that taught and by asking them questions”.  His answer to His mother shows that His “human mind” was in a distinct consciousness of His Divine nature and His upcoming ministry of being about His Father’s work.  As this Gospel lesson draws to a close, we see His continued submission to His parents.  This fact reveals His acceptance of His human condition as He grew and matured.  We now draw a close to our lessons of His Childhood mysteries.

Next Sunday we will see the public ministry mysteries of Christ begin with His baptism by John the Baptist.

Let’s examine a bit closer the Epiphany or the Manifestation of Christ to the Gentiles.  It is important to draw the distinction that Epiphany is the Manifestation of Christ to the “GENTILES”.  The Christ child had already been manifested to the Israelites or the Jewish nation by the Angels announcing His birth to the shepherds, as well as when He was circumcised and presented in the temple.  Christ is now being brought full circle to the world.  Simeon who was present in the temple at the time of the presentation spoke a prophecy which we know as the “Nunc Dimittis”.  “Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word: For mine eyes have seen thy salvation, which thou hast prepared before the face of all people; A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.”3  Simeon’s prophecy would be fulfilled in the Epiphany or the Manifestation of Christ to the Gentiles which the Magi made possible.

The Magi came from the East to Jerusalem asking, “Where is He that is born King of the Jews?  For we have seen His “STAR” in the East, and are come to worship Him”.4  What a stir in the air they caused with this question!!  Herod was troubled at a newborn King of the Jews.  This was a threat to His rule and to the overall Roman occupation.  However once Herod had gathered together all of the Chief Priests and the scribes he asked them a very pointed question.  “He demanded of them where Christ should be born.”5  His demand is highly significant in it’s implication that the Jews were anticipating the Messiah.  The Chief Priests and scribes, possibly unknowingly, supported this claim with their answer.  Their reply was of the prophecy of the coming of the Messiah from the “Book of the Prophet Micah”.6  The Prophet Isaiah parallels Micah’s prophecy and as well gives us just a bit more.  Isaiah goes on to proclaim “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given”, that this ruler is the “Mighty God” and that the increase of His government shall never end.  Jesus Christ will sit FOREVER upon the throne of David.7  Consider carefully “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given”.  Isaiah is clearly telling us that there is a very distinct understanding here.  The Christ child was born naturally of Mary into this world as the Divine gift of the Son of God, the Saviour.

Herod is plainly telling us what child was born, but he still was only considering worldly thoughts.  He still felt his rule was being threatened.  So what did he do??

Herod privily called the wise men and asked them specifically when the star appeared.  We later learn that Herod in his deception used this information for the murder of the children at Bethlehem from two years old and under, which we know as the Feast of the Holy Innocents.  The Magi took a different view on this child they came to “worship”.

The Magi fell down and worshiped Him when they beheld the young child with Mary His mother.  They were changed forever and scarcely could have realized the full symbolic value of their gifts. These gifts are recorded in the Gospel according to St. Matthew to show again the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy from the Book of Psalms and Isaiah, which foretell of the Gentiles bringing their wealth to Israel’s king.  They brought GOLD to signify His Royal Dignity, Jesus as Christ the King.  They brought FRANKINCENSE to signify the true Godhead, Jesus as the Son of God.  They brought MYRRH to signify the coming Passion of the Child they came to Worship, Jesus our Saviour.  When they prepared for their departure, they “being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way”.8  What a turn of events for these astrologers.  They turned away obedient to God, not only in their actions, but with belief in a Saviour.  Why else except for belief would they have turned another way into their own country??

How do we accept the Epiphany??  Do we follow the example of Herod and feel threatened, or do we follow the example of the Magi and become obedient to God??  And by our obedience to God, do we use the teachings of the Epiphany to further the Kingdom of God??  We get a glimpse by this first Epiphany of the who and the what of the Christ Child.  In the basic sense, Our Epiphany is our Faith and Belief in our acceptance of the Christ Child, the Son of God, as our Saviour.  At our Baptism we were indwelt by the Holy Ghost.  We were made Christ’s own forever.  At our Confirmation we personally reaffirmed or renewed “the solemn promise and vow that we made, or that was made in our name at our Baptism, as well as “promising to follow Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour”.  We then received the sevenfold gift of the Holy Ghost.  Christ has manifested Himself to us, and we like the Magi, behold Him, and fall down and Worship Him in the example set forth by St. Paul.

“That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father”.9  Come, let us offer our gift to our Lord.  “And here we offer and present unto thee, O Lord, our selves, our souls and bodies, to be a reasonable, holy, and living sacrifice unto thee; humbly beseeching thee, that we, and all others who shall be partakers of this Holy Communion, may worthily receive the most precious Body and Blood of thy Son Jesus Christ, be filled with thy grace and heavenly benediction, and made one body with Him, that He may dwell in us, and we in Him.”10  That He may dwell in us, and we in Him.  Thanks be to God for His gift to us, our Lord and our Saviour, Jesus Christ.

Amen.

+

And now unto God the Father,

God the Son, and,

God the Holy Ghost,

Be ascribed all might, majesty, power, and dominion,

most justly due this day,

both now and forever,

world without end.

Amen.

1 The Gospel according to St. John 3:17.

2 The Gospel according to St. Luke 2:46-52.

3 The Gospel according to St. Luke 2:29-32.

4 The Gospel according to St. Luke 2:2.

5 The Gospel according to St. Matthew 2:4b

6 The Book of the Prophet Micah 5:2.

7 The Book of the Prophet Isaiah 9:6-7.

8 The Gospel according to St. Matthew 2:12.

9 St. Paul’s Epistle to the Philippians 2:10-11.

10 BCP, ’28 ed., pp. 81.