The Epiphany

The Bible doesn’t say how many there were. One of the Christmas songs we sing mentions that there were three of them, wise men or Magi, who came to find Jesus after he was born. One of our nativity scenes depicts three wise men at the stable where Jesus was born. They are shown with the gifts they brought for him. Actually, on that night when Jesus was born only the shepherds came to the manger to see the Christ Child. There were no Magi present at the manger that night. The Magi did follow a star to Bethlehem about two years later, and they found Jesus and his parents living in a house, not a stable. This meeting which is called the Epiphany gives us a much different take on what this God planned event looked like.

When the wise men from the east showed up Jesus was a toddler, no longer a little baby. He would have been walking and talking a little by then. Like any toddler he would have been curious about almost every new thing that he saw, especially these wise men and their large entourage. I can image toddler Jesus walking up to these strange looking men holding up his hands for them to pick him up. He probably was fascinated by the bright colored robes they wore and possibly the shiny trinkets or necklaces and rings they had. I think he would have been able to examine the gifts they brought for himself. Most likely he laughed and jumped up and down with excitement as these men played with him. After all Jesus was a human baby, yet still God, Emmanuel. He was a toddler learning about this new world he had entered just like any other  two year old. Can’t you visualize these dignified men beaming with joy as they allowed themselves the opportunity to hold God in their arms and love on him like they would any small child?

As a toddler, Jesus, began to understand something about this sinful world, just as man began to learn about him. He was the manifestation of a divine being to a people who needed a Savior more than anything else this world could offer. He was God’s revelation of Himself demonstrated to these Magi and also to the whole world even unto this day. The Magi worshipped the little two year old Christ child. They were in awe of him, and as their visit reached its conclusion they returned home praising God for revealing to them the only One who could save sinners from their sins. January 6 was Epiphany, the celebration of the revelation of God incarnate in Jesus Christ. May every heart receive Him as did the Magi when they encountered that little two year old toddler, Jesus Christ!