Epiphany Sunday

Discipleship Group Questions for January 2, 2005

Scripture:

Is. 60:1-6 “Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you. 2 See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the LORD rises upon you and his glory appears over you. 3 Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn. 4 “Lift up your eyes and look about you: All assemble and come to you; your sons come from afar, and your daughters are carried on the arm. 5 Then you will look and be radiant, your heart will throb and swell with joy; the wealth on the seas will be brought to you, to you the riches of the nations will come. 6 Herds of camels will cover your land, young camels of Midian and Ephah. And all from Sheba will come, bearing gold and incense and proclaiming the praise of the LORD.

Eph. 3:2-6 Surely you have heard about the administration of God’s grace that was given to me for you, 3 that is, the mystery made known to me by revelation, as I have already written briefly. 4 In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, 5 which was not made known to men in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God’s holy apostles and prophets. 6 This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus.

Matt. 2:1-12 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem 2 and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.” 3 When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Christ was to be born. 5 “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written: 6 “‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will be the shepherd of my people Israel.’” 7 Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. 8 He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and make a careful search for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.” 9 After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 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 and of incense and of myrrh. 12 And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.

Questions for Reflection:

1. Epiphany Sunday commemorates the revealing of Jesus as the Christ to the Gentiles – to the rest of the world. The meaning of the word "epiphany" has its roots in the Greek language. The first part of the word, "epi," means "upon." The second part, "phainein," means "to show." By combining these two meanings, "to show upon," we’re reminded of the manifestation of the glory of Christ to the Gentiles. Please reflect upon the significance that God Almighty chose to reveal Jesus not only to the Jewish nation but also to the entire world. What significance does this have?
2. In the Isaiah reading we hear that the gifts of gold and frankincense are mentioned – can you hear any echo of this in the Gospel reading?
3. In the Epistle reading Paul states that God had revealed to him a great mystery which was that Christ was also to be made known to the Gentiles – to the rest of the world. This comports with the Old Testament reading. What are we being told in the fact that these two passages in Scripture, one from the Old Testament and one from the New Testament are, in some sense, addressing a similar point?
4. In the Gospel reading we read about the Magi. Now let me give you some background on the Magi. Herodotus the Roman historian says that they were originally a Median tribe. The Medes were part of the Empire of the Persians. They tried to overthrow the Persians and substitute the power of the Medes. The attempt failed. From that time the Magi ceased to have any ambitions for power or prestige, and became a tribe of priests. They became in Persia almost exactly what the Levites were in Israel. They became the teachers and instructors of the Persian kings. In Persia no sacrifice could be offered unless one of the Magi was present. They became men of holiness and wisdom. These Magi were men who were skilled in philosophy, medicine and natural science. They were soothsayers and interpreters of dreams. . . .

In those ancient days all people believed in astrology. They believed that they could foretell the future from the stars, and they believed that a man’s destiny was settled by the star under which he was born.”

Add this to the fact that at this time in the history of what today we call the Middle East there was a strong expectation of the coming of a great leader.

Reflect upon the fact that God decided to reveal His Son not only to the Jewish nation but also to the outside world through some “wise” men. What does this mean. There is no “right” answer here but it’s perhaps significant that God revealed all of this to “wise” men and not “any” men. It’s being made clear here that those outside of the chosen people of God – people other than the Jewish nation - were amongst the first to recognize who Jesus really was! Think about that for a moment! Who actually knew who Jesus was? Joseph, Mary, Elizabeth Mary’s cousin and God! That’s it! But God revealed it immediately then to wisest representatives outside of His chosen people – to the Magi! And they actually “recognized” who He was and gave Him gifts befitting a King, a High Priest, and a Savior.

5. The incident of the Magi make it abundantly clear that Christianity isn’t an “in club” thing! It’s not just for the Jews! It’s not just for us! It’s for everyone!!!! But it needs to be added here that it’s the “wise” and “seeking unbelievers” who will see Him and find Him! Can you relate to this? How? What does it mean for our evangelistic efforts?