Epiphany // Matthew 2:10-11
Matthew 2:10-11 (NIV) | When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 11 On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.
Today is the Epiphany, the day we remember the Magi from the East (or Wise Men) visiting the Christ child and bringing their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. The Magi were not of Jewish ancestry but saw the Christmas star and knew it was announcing something special. They embarked upon a journey that would eventually end up at Baby Jesus’ bedside, then, as the Bible teaches, they went home a different way.
The word, epiphany, means a sudden insight or revelation. For starters, we see that these Magi were not Jewish, yet they embraced the presence, purpose, and power of Jesus, evidenced by the gifts they brought. The gold was for Jesus, the King of kings. The frankincense was for Jesus’ role as our ultimate High Priest, interceding for us eternally before God the Father. The myrrh is a spice commonly used in burial preparations for dead bodies. So, those gifts pointed to Jesus’ roles and purpose. They saw the star. They saw the babe. They saw God incarnate. They saw an epiphany, and when they left, they did so forever changed inside and out!
I hope you find an epiphany of God’s presence, purpose, and power on this Epiphany Day! I pray you experience how God sent Jesus to you outside of any cultural connection to Judaism but welcomed into God’s family because of who Jesus is and what He did for you and me. This is what the Gospel of John referred to in John 1:11-13, which I commend to you in closing…
He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God — 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.
John 1.11-13, NIV
May we all come to Christ today, find that sudden revelation that He is for us all, and leave transformed, ready to follow Jesus each and every day!
Happy Epiphany, my friends.
